Visiting Assistant Professor in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Alec Jobbins’ research experience spans experimental and computational methods for fluid dynamics. His early work involved the invention of a dynamic surface roughness actuator which experimentally controlled the stationary cross-flow instability and turbulent transition location in a hypersonic boundary layer. He then held various roles in the design, construction, and characterization for each of the Notre Dame STEM Mach 6 Ludwieg Tube [1, 2], Notre Dame Large Mach 10 Quiet Tunnel, and the Notre Dame Mach 4 Reflected Shock Tunnel. He then finished his P.hD. research by improving upon heat flux computational methods that utilize infrared thermography boundary conditions from high speed wind tunnel experiments, as well as developing a dynamic-wavelength plasma actuator and a machine learning based closed-loop control system for the active control of turbulent transition on a hypersonic swept fin in the Notre Dame STEM Mach 6 Ludwieg Tube.
Areas of Interest
- Hydrodynamic stability and transition to turbulence
- Fully turbulent boundary layers
- Dynamic, experimental flow control with machine learning
- Bayesian optimization
- Hypersonic wind tunnel testing
- Numerical methods
Research
Education
Ph.D., Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, August 2026
M.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of Notre Dame, January 2026
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, May 2020