Mechanical Engineering

Faculty & Staff

Department Leadership

Mohan Rao, Ph.D.
Chair for Mechanical Engineering and Professor
Phone: (931) 372-3254
Email: mrao@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 232
Professional Information

Research Interests
Vibrations Acoustics Noise Control	Damping Design Sound Quality and Auditory Engineering

Jie Cui, Ph.D.
Associate Chair for Mechanical Engineering and Professor
Phone: (931) 372-3357
Email: jiecui@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 231
Professional Information

Research Interests
Computational Fluid Dynamics Turbulence Modeling Large Eddy Simulation	Numerical Heat Transfer Thermal Fluids

Faculty

Ahmed Abounassif, Ph.D.
Adjunct Faculty
Phone: (931) 372-6028
Email: aabounassif@tntech.edu
Office: Clement Hall, Room 314
Professional Information

Research Interests
Thermodynamics Fluid Mechanics	Heat Transfer

Steven Anton, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Phone: (931) 372-3287
Email: santon@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 328
Professional Information

Research Interests
Energy Harvesting Smart Materials Piezoelectric Sensing Biomedical Sensing	Robotics-Based STEM Education Structural Health Monitoring 3D Printing

William Brookshear, Ph.D.
Lecturer
Phone: (931) 372-3272
Email: wbrookshear@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 110
Professional Information

Research Interests
Thermodynamics Fluids	Heat Transfer

Stephen Canfield, Ph.D.
Professor
Phone: (931) 372-6359
Email: scanfield@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 304
Professional Information

Research Interests
Robotics Dynamic Modeling Compliant Mechanisms	Smart Actuators Mechatronics

Pingen Chen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Phone: (931) 372-3310
Email: pchen@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 211
Professional Information

Research Interests
Modeling and Control of Engine Emission Control Automated and Connected Vehicles	Electric Vehicle Control and Optimization Nonlinear Control and Optimization Energy Storage System

Tristan Hill
Lecturer
Phone: (931) 372-3732
Email: thill@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 305
Professional Information

Research Interests
Robotics Programming Numerical Modeling Analysis	Mechatronics Dynamics of Machinery

Stephen Idem, Ph.D.
Professor
Phone: (931) 372-3607
Email: sidem@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 308
Professional Information

Research Interests
Scale Model Testing Fluid Flow Measurement Thermal Modeling	Fluid Mechanics Heat Transfer

Ethan Languri, Ph.D., P.E.
Assistant Professor
Phone: (931) 372-6790
Email: elanguri@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 240
Professional Information

Research Interests
Heat Transfer Study of Functionalized Nanodiamond Colloids Latent Thermal Energy Storage Systems Sustainable Evaporation in Porous Media	Industrial Equipment Energy Efficiency Enhancement Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning

Andy Pardue, Ph.D.
Lecturer
Phone: (931) 372-6169
Email: bpardue@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 316
Professional Information

Research Interests
Product Design Engineering Management	Product Analysis Numerical Analysis

Sally Pardue, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Phone: (931) 372-3309
Email: spardue@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 329
Professional Information

Research Interests
Random Vibrations Modal Analysis	Non-Destructive Evaluation Machine Design

Rory Roberts, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Phone: (931) 372-3260
Email: rroberts@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 312
Professional Information

Research Interests
Transient Model for Propulsion Power and Thermal Systems for System Design	Optimization and Control Architecture Development

Joseph C. Slater, Ph.D., P.E.
College of Engineering Dean and Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Phone: (931) 372-3172
Email: jslater@tntech.edu
Office: Clement Hall, Room 201
Professional Information

Research Interests
Vibration of Structures and Machines Aeroelasticity Linear and Nonlinear System Identification Experimental Modal Analysis	Nonlinear Dynamics Cyber Physical Systems Morphing Wing Control Turbomachinery Blade Vibration

Ahmad Vaselbehagh, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Phone: (931) 372-6468
Email: avaselbehagh@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 322
Professional Information

Research Interests
Turbulence and Vortex Dynamics Renewable Energy Generation Energy Storage	Atmospheric Flows Fluid - Structure Interactions

Ying Zhang, Ph.D.
Director for the Center for Manufacturing Research and Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Phone: (931) 372-3969
Email: yzhang@tntech.edu
Office: Prescott Hall, Room 229
Professional Information

Research Interests
Protective Coatings High-Temperature Materials	Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBC) Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)

Jiahong Zhu, Ph.D.
Professor
Phone: (931) 372-3186
Email: jzhu@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 116
Professional Information

Research Interests
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell High-Temperature Materials Coatings	Environmental Effects in Advanced Materials Intermetallics

Staff

Lisa Meadows
Administrative Associate - Mechanical Engineering
Phone: (931) 372-3254
Email: lmeadows@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 224
Professional Information

Chris Mills
Research and Development Engineer - College of Engineering
Phone: (931) 372-3190
Email: cmills@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 126
Professional Information

Jeff Randolph
Academic Support Associate - College of Engineering
Phone: (931) 372-3289
Email: jrandolph@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 130
Professional Information

Beth Smith
Outreach Coordinator - Mechanical Engineering
Phone: (931) 372-3275
Email: basmith@tntech.edu
Office: Brown Hall, Room 230
Professional Information