Neil Ashwin Raj, a PhD student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been awarded a Pratt Fellowship from the Virginia Tech College of Engineering in support of his ongoing studies.

Raj received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar (SSN) College of Engineering in Chennai, Tamilnadu, India and his master’s degree in engineering mechanics from Virginia Tech. He is currently pairing his studies with research in the lab of Danesh Tafti.

“Since the time Neil has joined my lab his self-driven passion for applying data-driven techniques to fluid systems has never abated, and I am excited for him that this award recognizes the excellence with which he has conducted himself,” Tafti said.

Raj’s studies have focused in the area of particle-laden flows, a division of fluid mechanics. These flows are prevalent in both natural and industrial settings but their experimental investigation presents significant challenges. To address this, the lab focuses on numerically simulating these complex systems. A key challenge in such studies lies in balancing computational efficiency with accuracy.

His research is dedicated to enhancing the accuracy of numerical simulations of particle-laden fluid flows, with a particular emphasis on developing data-driven models for predicting fluid forces acting on mobile particles in dense suspensions. More recently Raj have also expanded his research to bat flight where he is exploring data-driven approaches for controlling the flapping motion of bat wings to fly along a pre-determined trajectory. The findings from these studies hold promise for designing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with flapping wing movement.

 “Appreciation for work is always great and pushes me to work even better, and I would like to thank the college for this fellowship,” Raj said.

The estate of John Lee Pratt established Pratt funding in 1975, divided to support animal nutrition and engineering. When the Pratt Endowment was originally established, the College of Engineering was in the early stages of becoming established as a nationally recognized leader in engineering education, and the endowment has played a significant role over the years in allowing the college to enrich its pool of students and to offer additional international study opportunities to students and faculty. Use of these endowment earnings has concentrated on enhancing research and educational opportunities beyond what departments could do with state and federal funding. The main funding strategy remains with strong support for Ph.D. training, direct research support, scientific equipment, and visiting professors that stimulate and inspire the faculty and students engaged in nutrition research.