[gdbb89]

Hey all,

I would like to pursue a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering with a focus on the field of Combustion. I assume, in this day and age of numerical simulation, that such a degree would entail intimate familiarity with CFD. I am open to more "pure science," but I still would like to become an expert in the field of Combustion CFD as that would be a helpful skill to have in my pursuit of the pure science of combustion.

My end goal is to become an expert in combustion (simulation) in order to design equipment ranging from jet engines to gas turbines to even rocket propulsion devices. It's imperative that we use combustion smartly as our fossil fuel reserves dwindle and the Earth's atmosphere gets polluted (I do not wish to get too political here), and I want to help in that end.

I have my undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. It's from a generic state school; not terribly impressive. I'm working in industry in a completely unrelated field, but my position requires research and creative thinking/innovation often (I assist customers in finding (unique) ways to protect their equipment in myriad environments). I did not do any research assistantships in my time as an undergraduate. In my job, however, I have much R&D-related experience.

Thus, I do not expect to get into a top-tier school. I am okay with that.

However, my research into schools has turned up the usuals -- Stanford, MIT, GaTech, Cornell, etc. It has also turned up the likes of Arizona State University, Iowa State University, and even Wichita State University. The latter has a 98% undergraduate acceptance rate. I am not sure I can trust that as a "good" school, even though graduate and undergraduate are mutually exclusive.

So, to state my question point-blank: What are some reputable schools that don't necessarily have the prestige of Ivy Leagues but offer great graduate programs in Aerospace Engineering, specifically Combustion?

Thanks in advance!

[gdbb89]

Bump Bump!

[wangmianzhi]

https://www.princeton.edu/cefrc/

http://www.engr.uconn.edu/~tlu/

https://mechanical.illinois.edu/dire...aculty/matalon

and many others

[mattlevins]

There is a position opening up soon with Dr. Omid Samimi at wayne State university in detroit

[jeanhyuk]

I know Professor Mueller from Princeton does numerical combustion Stuff. But in general, WPI and University of Maryland are the two biggest combustion/fire protection engineering school in the nation so you might want to look into their program.

[gdbb89]

Originally Posted by wangmianzhi

https://www.princeton.edu/cefrc/

http://www.engr.uconn.edu/~tlu/

https://mechanical.illinois.edu/dire...aculty/matalon

and many others

Originally Posted by mattlevins

There is a position opening up soon with Dr. Omid Samimi at wayne State university in detroit

Based on these two, I take it the "quality" of a Ph.D. (in combustion) is a function of the reputation of the person mentoring me, and not a function of the prestige of the institution's name?

Originally Posted by jeanhyuk

I know Professor Mueller from Princeton does numerical combustion Stuff. But in general, WPI and University of Maryland are the two biggest combustion/fire protection engineering school in the nation so you might want to look into their program.

Would you consider a "Fire Protection" program to be one that would fare well in combustion as regards jet and turbine propulsion?