Dr. Rodward L. Hewlin, Jr.
Director and Principal Investigator
Dr. Rodward L. Hewlin, Jr. is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology, a Research Scientist for the Center for Biomedical Engineering and Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte), and Director for the UNC Charlotte 49er Fluids, Heat Transfer, and Magnetics Lab. Dr. Hewlin’s research areas are cardiovascular flows, drug delivery, magnetohydrodynamics, medical implant design and analysis, microfluidics, ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) sensor development and analysis, and fluid flow instrumentation. Dr. Hewlin is also a current member and former board member (appointed in Summer of 2013) of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) Fluids Engineering Division.
Jahanzeb Ikram
Mechanical Engineering Doctoral Student
Jahanzeb Ikram is a Mechanical Engineering doctoral student. Jahanzeb holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wah as well as a Masters of Design and Manufacturing Engineering degree from the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan. Jahanzeb is also a member of the 49er Fluids, Heat Transfer, and Magnetics lab under the direction of Dr. Rodward L. Hewlin, Jr. Jahanzeb’s previous research focus before joining the 49er Fluids, Heat Transfer, and Magnetics lab was devoted to designing and developing microfluidic injection systems for in vitro fertilization. Jahanzeb’s current research focus is in fabrication of microfluidic devices with programmable platforms and experimental and numerical analyses of particle dynamics for cell separation techniques for potential disease screening applications.
Ashley Ciero
Masters Student
Ashley Ciero is graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology. She is also a Master of Science student in the Applied Energy and Electromechanical Systems program at UNC Charlotte. She is a member of the 49er Fluids, Heat Transfer, and Magnetics lab under the direction of Dr. Rodward L. Hewlin, Jr. Ashley’s research focus is in cardiovascular flow, magnetohydrodynamics, and fluid flow instrumentation. Ashley’s work has resulted in a manuscript that is currently under review in the Journal of Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology. Ashley has been funded by the NC Space Grant graduate fellowship through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Williams Timms
Early Entry Masters Student
William Timms is an early entry Applied Energy and Electromechanical Systems masters student. William is also a member of the 49er Fluids, Heat Transfer, and Magnetics lab under the direction of Dr. Rodward L. Hewlin, Jr. William’s research focus is in the area of fluid flow instrumentation, specifically the development of skin friction and wall shear stress measuring devices via ionic polymer sensing methodologies. William is currently investigating fabrication techniques of high resolution sensing ionic polymer transducers via impregnation reduction (electroplating) and direct assembly processing (DAP). Ultimately the development of such high resolution devices will lead to the development of new technologies that will assist in applications ranging from aerodynamic and structural health monitoring of aerodynamic and terrestrial vehicles to monitoring shear stress in biological applications. William is also currently involved in the development of clear anatomical models for particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) analysis of clear resin rigid 3-D printed arterial vessels. William is currently funded by the NC Space Grant New Investigator Award awarded to Dr. Hewlin through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Nick Stanley
Infrastructure and Environmental Systems Doctoral Student
Nick Stanley is a doctoral student in the Infrastructure and Environmental Systems (INES) PhD Program at UNC Charlotte. Nick is also a member of the 49er Fluids, Heat Transfer, and Magnetics lab under the direction of Dr. Rodward L. Hewlin, Jr. Nick’s research focus is in the area of fluid flow instrumentation, specifically the development of an in-house Time Resolved Digital Particle Imaging Velocimetry (TRDPIV) system and high resolution IPMC sensors for aerodynamic performance evaluation. Nick’s research focus also extends to experimental and numerical flight morphology analyses of bats. Nick is scheduled to graduate in the Spring of 2019 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering Technology and begin work on his graduate degree in the Fall of 2018. Nick is currently funded by the NC Space Grant New Investigator Award awarded to Dr. Hewlin through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Dr. John P. Kizito
Collaborator (N.C. A&T)
Dr. John P. Kizito is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T). He is a former Research Scientist for NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland Ohio where he conducted research on microgravity environments. Dr. Kizito is also the Director for the NC A&T Thermal Fluids and Heat Transfer Lab. His current research areas are bio-physiochemical hydrodynamics, electrochemical hydrodynamics, microgravity fluid physics, propulsion systems, and thermal management systems. Dr. Kizito is also a current ASME Fluids Engineering Division board member. Dr. Kizito actively collaborates with the 49er Fluids, Heat Transfer, and Magnetics lab on magnetohydrodynamic and cardiovascular flows.
