Cockrell School of Engineering Dean Gregory L. Fenves announced the appointment of Dr. Noel T. Clemens as chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, effective Sept. 1.
Clemens will replace Dr. Philip Varghese, who has served as department chair for the past three years. Varghese plans to devote more time to research and teaching.
"Dr. Clemens has an outstanding record of research, teaching and service to the department," Fenves said. "I deeply appreciate his agreement to serve as ASE-EM chair at this important time, and look forward to working with him and the entire department as we advance the school."
Clemens has served on the faculty of the Cockrell School since 1993, and has two years of experience at Sandia National Laboratories. He was named a National Science Foundation Presidential Faculty Fellow in 1996 and currently serves as an associate editor of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Journal.
His research is in the general areas of compressible turbulent flows and turbulent combustion with an emphasis on the use of laser imaging diagnostics to study these flows. His current work focuses on shock wave/boundary layer interactions, inlet unstart, high-speed flow control, acoustically-forced combustion and the structure of dissipative scales in turbulent reacting flows.
