Dr. Michael Burke

Biography

Michael P. Burke is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University, with his research centered on combining physics data across multiple scales within complex reacting systems. His main objective is to understand the reactions taking place in mixtures, especially involving energized molecules colliding with inert reactive partners. This fundamental topic in physical chemistry has broad implications for various fields such as combustion and planetary atmospheres. Burke's work emphasizes making informed predictions about uncertainties at both molecular and macroscopic levels, addressing crucial scientific inquiries and guiding engineering design decisions amidst operational risks. His group utilizes techniques related to combustion and fuel oxidation to enhance engine efficiencies, reduce pollutant formation, and design cleaner combustion technologies, including methods for chemical weapons neutralization. Before joining Columbia in 2014, Burke earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in 2011, where he researched high-pressure hydrogen combustion. His accomplishments have been acknowledged through multiple awards, including the Wallace Memorial Honorific Fellowship from Princeton, a Director’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at Argonne National Laboratory, a New Investigator award from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund, a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation, and a Research Excellence Award from the Combustion Institute. His publications have been featured in prestigious forums, including the “News and Views” section of Nature Chemistry and the Distinguished Paper Award at the Thirty-first International Symposium on Combustion.

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Awards