Sean Kearney

Sean Kearney is a Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), effective October 2024. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UIUC (1999 and 1995, respectively) and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University (1992). Prior to his academic role, he served as a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories (1999–2024) and Technical Director at Spectral Energies, LLC (2017–2018).

His research focuses on laser-based diagnostics, incompressible and compressible fluid mechanics, hypersonics, and reacting flows. Key projects include developing advanced CARS (Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering) techniques for temperature/pressure measurements in compressible flows, laser velocimetry for aerodynamics, and combustion diagnostics in high-enthalpy environments.

Recent work includes studies on free-piston shock tunnels, nitrogen thermometry in plasma torches, and deflagration dynamics in multi-component fuels. He has contributed to over 12 peer-reviewed articles in journals like Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, Optics Letters, and Shock Waves. His teaching includes AE 312 (Compressible Flow).