Elaine S. Oran

Adjunct Professor

Professor Oran, Gas Dynamics Laboratories, designs numerical methods for simulating complex fluid dynamic processes, and then uses these methods to solve complex fluid dynamic processes, and then using these methods to solve a wide variety of scientific and engineering problems. Her recent research interests include combustion and propulsion, rarefied gases and microfluidics, fluid turbulence, materials engineering, high-performance computing and parallel architectures, computational science and numerical analysis, biophysical fluid dynamics, wave equations, and astrophysical phenomena such as supernova explosions and jets. She is author of over 200 refereed journal articles as well as many conference papers and presentations. She is also the coauthor of the book Numerical Simulation of Reactive Flow (2nd edition, Cambridge Press, 2001).

Specializations & Research Interests
Computational Fluid Dynamics, Computational Combustion, Rarified Gas Flow, Fluid and Particle Dynamics, and Astrophysics.

Education
Ph.D. Yale University
M.Ph. Yale University
A.B. Bryn Mawr College

Society Memberships
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA, Fellow)
American Physical Society (APS, Fellow)
National Academy of Engineering (NAE, Member)
American Association for the Advancement of Science (Member)
American Geophysical Union (Member)
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (Member)
Combustion Institute (Member)
Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (Member)
Society of Women Engineers (Member)
Sigmia Xi (Member)

Honors and Awards
Presidential Rank Award, Meritorious Senior Professional(2003)
Dryden Distinguished Lectureship in Aerospace Research (AIAA, 2002)
Zeldovich Gold Medal (Combution Institute, 2000)
Hall of Fame, Women in Technology International(WITI, 2000)
Oppenheim Prize (Institute for the Dynamics of Energetic and Reactor Systems, 1999)
Award for Excellance for a Best Paper (Materials Research Laboratory, Victoria, Australia, 1992)
Women in Science and Engineering Award in Science (WISE, 1988)
Arthur S. Flemming Award (US Government, 1979)
Alan Berman Publications Awards (NRL, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2003)

Teaching Interests
Directed Study (Aero 490)
Directed Study (Aero 590)

Positions Held at Michigan
Adjunct Professor of Aerospace Engineering, 2005-Present

Positions Held at Naval Research Labortory
Head, Center for Reactive Flow and Dynamical Systems, 1986-1988
Research Physicist, 1973-1986
Presidential Intern, 1972-1973

Positions Held at Leeds University
Visiting Professor

Positions Held at the University of Wales Aberystwyth
Honorary Professor of Physics, 2001-2006

Positions Held
Editor-in-Cheif, AIAA Journal