Aerospace Engineering
Current research in aerospace engineering focuses on fluid dynamics, materials and structures, combustion and propellants, dynamics and control, and autonomy with applications to aerospace vehicles. The research methods include theoretical modeling, computational simulations, as well as experimental techniques. Major aerospace laboratories are described in the following sections.
Research at ACTFL focuses on addressing key technological and environmental challenges linked to transitional and turbulent fluid flows, particularly their role in momentum, heat, and mass transfer.
The lab focuses on developing advanced composites with tailored material properties, functional topologies, and optimized morphologies to create more durable, next-generation composite structures.
Florida Tech is dedicated to modeling advanced Energetic Materials (EMs) for propellants and explosives to predict mechanical-thermochemical material behavior of EMs.
The SVR Lab develops and tests novel Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) strategies for robots and space vehicles.
The Autonomy Lab develops cutting-edge tools to achieve higher levels of autonomy for aerospace systems.
Physics & Space Sciences
Current research in physics includes experimental high-energy physics, instrumentation development, theoretical and observational studies of the solar/heliospheric energetic particles and cosmic rays, physics of energetic radiations from thunderstorms and lightning, auroral and magnetospheric physics, astrophysics, engineering physics, and physics education.
Current research activity in space sciences includes the physics of supermassive black holes and galaxy evolution, massive stars, astrophysical jets and accretion phenomena, exoplanets, planetary science, observational cosmology, cosmic ray modulation/propagation and its interactions with the interstellar medium, energetic radiation from terrestrial and planetary lightning discharges, solar wind-magnetosphere interactions and energetic particle observations and human space exploration research.
Facilities that are currently available to students include the following laboratories.
The Astrobiology group examines the origins, evolution, and potential distribution of life in the universe. We integrate planetary science, biology, chemistry, and astronomy to investigate prebiotic environments, habitability conditions, and biosignature expression across diverse worlds.
The Atmospheric Electricity and Electromagnetics group in the Geospace Physics Laboratory (GPL) works on measurements and modeling of electrical discharges and energetic radiation in the Earth's atmosphere.
The Astronomy & Astrophysics at Florida Tech is concerned primarily with stellar astrophysics, the physics of galaxies and active galatic nuclei, and in the development of advanced instrumentation.
The HEP group searches for dark matter and vector-like top partners in leptonic final states with CMS at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, and develops instrumentation for CMS upgrades and the future Electron-Ion Collider (ePIC).
The Planetary Science group focuses on the physical, chemical and dynamic processes that govern the formation and evolution of planets, moons, and planetary systems. We employ spacecraft observations and high-performance numerical simulations to probe planetary interiors, atmospheres, and orbital architectures.
The Plasma Physics group explores the fundamental behavior of ionized matter across laboratory, space, and astrophysical settings. Our research combines theory, experiment and large-scale simulation to examine kinetic and fluid processes, magnetic reconnection, turbulence, and wave-particle interactions that drive plasma dynamic.