Our lab consists of a principal investigator, graduate and undergraduate students, internship students, and visiting scholars. Members of the lab are passionate about research and have a wide variety of interests, ranging from icing research to luminescent sensors to drag reducing surface coatings. Our group is always looking for motivated students who share an interest in understanding challenging problems with an appreciation for interdisciplinary study. Please contact us if you are interested or have any questions.
Lab Members (Summer 2024 Updates)
Principal Investigator
Hirotaka Sakaue
Hirotaka Sakaue is the principal investigator of this laboratory. He joined the University of Notre Dame as an associate professor in the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department in 2015. He is originally from Japan and spent many years working for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), where he served as a mentor and adviser to many students.
Postdoctoral Scholars
Currently, there are no postdoctoral scholars.
Graduate Students
Daiki Kurihara
Daiki joined our group in the spring of 2017 after receiving his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Tokyo University of Science. He worked in the lab as a visiting student in summer 2015. He is originally from Tokyo, Japan. His research topic is the development of a novel motion-capturing pressure measurement technique using PSP sensors.
Masafumi Yamazaki
Zakky joined Sakaue Lab in the fall of 2020. He is originally from Saitama, Japan. He received B.S. in Applied Physics from Tokyo University of Science and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Kanagawa Institute of Technology. He has worked on icing problems and mitigation techniques in aviation and wind energy field. He works on the elucidation of the freezing mechanism of a supercooled water droplet.
Nicholas Slusher
Nick is a graduate student studying Aerospace Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. He is from Columbia, MO, and currently lives in Keenan Hall. Nick joined the Sakaue Lab in January 2021 and is currently researching the effects of temperature on anodized aluminum pressure-sensitive paint.
Sydney Brown
Sydney is a first-year PhD student in Aerospace Engineering from Hamden, Ohio. She received her B.S. in Atmospheric Science from Purdue University in May 2024. At Purdue, she researched microplastics in rainwater samples from convective thunderstorms. Sydney’s current research involves supercooled liquid droplet measurement techniques.
Undergraduate Students
Michael Sanchez
Michael Sanchez is a senior studying Aerospace Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. He is from New York City, NY, and currently lives in Baumer Hall. Michael joined the Sakaue Lab in January 2024 and is currently working on the splashing phenomenon by having a stationary water droplet being impacted by a moving surface. Understanding this phenomenon would improve icing simulation found on an aircraft.
Dylan Wachula
Dylan Wachula is a senior studying aerospace engineering at the University of Notre Dame. He is from Chicago, IL, and currently lives in Fisher Hall. Dylan joined the Sakaue Lab in February 2023 and is currently working on designing and fabricating testing apparatuses.
Oscar Pontiff
Oscar Pontiff is a senior studying Mechanical Engineering from Chestnut Hill, MA. He is currently a member of Notre Dame’s Air Force ROTC detachment and plans to become a developmental engineer for the Air Force after college. Oscar has worked with Honeywell on surface wettability properties of aircraft and is currently working on building a resin model to understand heat distributions in CPUs through the use of temperature sensitive paint (TSP).
Russell Henggeler
Russell Henggeler is a senior studying Mechanical Engineering from Dayton, MD. He is currently a proud resident of Baumer Hall and is also a member of Notre Dame’s Air Force ROTC detachment. Russell joined the Sakaue Lab in September 2023 and is currently researching the effect of microfiber coatings on propeller noise reduction.
Visiting Scholars/Visiting Students
Currently, there are no visiting scholars / students.
Internship Students
Currently, there are no internship students.
Past Members
go to past members: http://sites.nd.edu/sakaue-lab/people/past-members/