Professor Dr. Sadaf Sobhani

Biography

Sadaf Sobhani holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and has extensive experience in researching energy systems and thermal management. Her doctoral dissertation focused on volume-averaged pore-scale simulations of combustion in porous materials using non-intrusive x-ray diagnostics. Following her PhD, Sobhani worked as a research associate at NASA Ames Research Center, where she applied high-fidelity simulations and x-ray tomography to study radiative heat transfer in thermal protection materials. She then joined Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher, specializing in simulation modeling of electrochemical systems related to carbon conversion. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University, where she leads a lab exploring the intersection of micro-scale features and macro-scale transport properties to innovate in high-efficiency, low-emission energy systems. Her work encompasses both computational and experimental investigations of flow, heat transfer, and chemical reactions in porous media, leveraging topology optimization techniques and additive manufacturing to design and analyze tailored porous structures for combustion and electrochemical applications.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards