Dr. Jim Hermanson

Biography

Professor Hermanson received his Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Washington in 1977. He worked at Boeing Aerospace Company before attending the California Institute of Technology, where he earned his Master’s degree in 1980 and PhD in 1985, specializing in Aeronautics. He later served as a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Universität Göttingen in Germany. Professor Hermanson has extensive experience as a Research Scientist at the United Technologies Research Center in East Hartford, CT, and joined the University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory staff. Before becoming part of the UW Aeronautics & Astronautics Department faculty in 2002, he held the role of faculty at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he was appointed as the 10th George Alden Chair in Engineering. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, where he also served as an Associate Editor for the AIAA Journal. His primary research interests lie in the general field of aerothermofluids, with a focus on aerospace propulsion, combustion, and gas dynamics. His contributions include examining heat release effects in turbulent, reacting mixing layers and exploring supercritical fluid jets in supersonic flows. His current research is centered on unsteady turbulent combustion in both normal and microgravity, and in doing so, aims to enhance fuel injection and study low-emissions combustion systems. Additionally, his work includes investigating film condensation under reduced gravity, with implications for both terrestrial and space-based power systems.

Research Interests