Michael is a postdoctoral researcher doing research in the Dryden Wind Tunnel.
Michael received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pretoria in South Africa while also doing work on conceptual aircraft design.
Michael recently completed his PhD in the ADRL, working on aircraft electrification, where he was using the SUAVE multidisciplinary design and optimization (MDO) framework along with various custom-built models to model the performance of various sizes of electric aircraft, from 19-seat commuter aircraft to 180-seat trans-continental airliners. This work combined traditional aircraft conceptual design methods with state-of-the-art computational modeling and optimization techniques. As part of this work, Michael helped in developing the LUCAS (Library for Unified Conceptual Aircraft Synthesis) framework for conceptual aircraft design.
Currently, Michael is working in the Dryden Wind Tunnel, working on characterizing the flow field of the newly installed and upgraded test section, as well as working with undergraduate and graduate students on other fundamental aerodynamics experiments.
In his spare time, Michael likes to build and fly model gliders, explore the outdoors through hiking and camping and enjoying the myriad of fun activities LA has to offer.
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