Congratulations to Dr. Rajavasanth Rajasegar, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines (Mines), on his recent joint appointment with the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). This appointment marks a significant milestone in advancing collaborative research at the intersection of propulsion technologies and fuels.
As part of his appointment, Rajavasanth will collaborate with the Fuels and Combustion Science Group at NREL’s Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences (CIMS). His research will contribute to a deeper understanding of synthetic aviation fuels (SAF) under high-altitude propulsion conditions – an area of growing importance in aviation.
At Mines, Rajavasanth is establishing the Advanced Propulsion and Diagnostics Laboratory, which will focus on the use of advanced optical and laser diagnostics to study high-speed, high-pressure combustion systems. These experimental capabilities will complement and extend NREL’s ongoing efforts to characterize SAF performance and accelerate the development of next-generation propulsion systems.
This joint appointment exemplifies the broader goals of the Mines-NREL partnership, which aims to foster innovation through sustained cooperation, collaborative research, and shared academic priorities in the energy space.
Reflecting on this new role, Rajavasanth shared, “I’m looking forward to finding more direct and impactful ways to collaborate.”
Congratulations to Rajavasanth on this exciting new chapter in interdisciplinary research and partnership!