The Nanoscale Transport Phenomena Laboratory seeks to understand the transport of mass, momentum, and energy at the atomic level by studying the behavior of phonons, photons, electrons, and fluid particles. Our research is based in mechanical engineering and incorporates knowledge from physics, materials science, and chemistry. We develop and apply molecular- and meso-scale simulation techniques, and collaborate closely with experimental research groups.
Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Courtesy Appointment, Materials Science and Engineering
Alan McGaughey leads the Nanoscale Transport Phenomena Laboratory. He received a Bachelor of Engineering from McMaster University (1998), a Master of Applied Science from the University of Toronto (2000), and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan (2004). He came to Carnegie Mellon University in 2005. He won the Teare Teaching Award in 2014 and has been voted Professor of the Year by the MechE seniors three times (2012, 2015, 2017).
Below, you'll find representative research projects from the Nanoscale Transport Phenomena Laboratory.
▲ Back to the top
Application of molecular dynamics, lattice dynamics, density functional theory, and the Boltzmann transport equation to predict phonon properties and thermal conductivity.
Quantifying uncertainty in first-principles predictions of phonon properties and thermal conductivity (with Venkat Viswanathan).
Building machine learning-based interatomic potentials for modeling oxides (with Aarti Singh and Alex Davis).
Thermal transport across interfaces formed between β-Ga2O3 with metals and other oxides (with Jonathan Malen and Andrew Gellman).
Microwave assisted oxide thin film growth (with Reeja Jayan).
Thermal transport in metal-organic frameworks (with Chris Wilmer) and hybrid organic-inorganic superatomic crystals (with Jonathan Malen and Xavier Roy).
Molecular mechanisms of electrocaloric cooling in polymers.
Device-level modeling to integrate material properties with macroscopic thermodynamics and heat transfer.
Molecular mechanisms of evaporation in a liquid meniscus (with Jonathan Malen).
Post-Doctorate
Post-Doctorate
Doctorate
Doctorate
Doctorate
Masters
Hasan Babaei (2015-2018), co-advised with Chris Wilmer (University of Pittsburgh)
Haibin Chen (2009-2011)
Lin Hu (2011-2012)
Eric Landry (2009)
Joe Turney (2009), co-advised with Cristina Amon
John Thomas (2010)
Minyoung Lee (2011)
Jason Larkin (2013)
Wee Liat Ong (2014), co-advised with Jonathan Malen
Ankit Jain (2015)
Shubhaditya Majumdar (2016), co-advised with Jonathan Malen
Simon Lu (2016)
Ying-Ju Yu (2016)
Francisco Ramirez (2017)
Kevin Parrish (2017), co-advised with Jon Malen
Henry Aller (2021)
Hyun-Young Kim (2021)
Xiaoman Wang (2021)
Jie Gong (2022)
Holden Parks (2022)
Shuyan Zhang (2022)
Alex Massicotte (2013)
Matthew McIntosh (2015)
Caroline Gorham (2015)
Paarth Thapar (2016)
Sushant Kumar (2017)
Matt Bartnof (2019), co-advised with Jon Malen
Jinchen Han (2020)
Yang Li (2020)
Ryan Iutzi, University of Waterloo co-op student, 2009
Dan Sellan, University of Toronto Ph.D. student, 2009
Yusuke Masao, Kyoto University Ph.D. student, 2012
Sam Huberman, University of Toronto M.A.Sc. student, 2012
Kimmo Saaskilahti, Aalto University Ph.D. student, 2015
Cheng Shao, Shanghai Jiaotong University Ph.D. student, 2016-2017
I-Ling Chang, National Cheng Kung University Professor, 2017
Bo Fu, Xi'an Jiaotong University Ph.D. student, 2018-2019
Qi Liang, Xi'an Jiaotong University Ph.D. student, 2019.
Sarat Mikkilineni, 2006
Madhur Paharia, 2006-2007
Taka Matsuura, 2007
Ottoleo Kuter-Arneback, 2008-2009
Chris Fleck (U. Pittsburgh), 2008-2009
Nicholas Roche, 2008-2009
Michael Barako, 2009-2010
Gary Lee, 2007, 2009-2010
Shaun Swanson, 2009-2010
Gabbi Coloyan, 2010-2012
Alex Kowalski, 2012
Josh Fuhrman, 2014-2015
Justin Abel, 2015-2016
Lane Darby, 2019
Rohan Mehta, 2020
Jiong Chen, 2020
Michael Pang, 2021
Ivy He, 2021
Sharon Chu, 2021-2022
Daniel Ziao, 2020-2023
Michael Rapp, 2023
| Course | Course Name | Location | Units | Semester Offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24-322 | Heat Transfer | Pittsburgh | 10 | Fall |
| 24-703 | Numerical Methods in Engineering | Pittsburgh | 12 | Fall |
24-623 Molecular Simulation of Materials
Congratulations to the 2024 faculty award winners who represent six departments across the College of Engineering. The recipients were recognized for their achievements as researchers and educators.
CMU Engineering
Researchers at CMU and the University of Texas at Austin have designed a model that accurately predicts a battery’s charge curve, which could impact the safety and reliability of electric vehicles.
CMU Engineering
An interdisciplinary team led by Jon Malen has received funding from the Department of Defense to discover switchable high thermal conductivity polymers.
CMU Engineering
Mechanical engineering student Ethan Meitz is working to create predictive nanoscale models for the thermophysical properties of liquids.
Mechanical Engineering
Researchers develop a universal model to predict the thermal boundary conductance of a multilayered-metal-dielectric interface. This model will help to streamline the development of thermally efficient devices.
MechE’s Alan McGaughey has been selected to receive the 2021 Viskanta Fellowship from Purdue University, which seeks individuals with “demonstrated abilities to perform independent and innovative research in the field of thermal sciences.”
Engineering faculty Peter Adams, Elizabeth Dickey, Carlee Joe-Wong, Pulkit Grover, Alan McGaughey, Rahul Panat, and Douglas Weber were awarded professorship titles in February and March 2021.
The College of Engineering has announced the winners of the 2019 faculty awards. They include: Alan McGaughey, Paulina Jaramillo, Jana Kainerstorfer, Reeja Jayan, Carmel Majidi, Jonathan Malen, and Vijayakumar Bhagavatula.
Scott Institute
The Scott Institute recently selected awardees from the College of Engineering for its seventh round of seed grants for energy research.
Mechanical Engineering
Three faculty members in the Department of Mechanical Engineering received Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation’s Seed Grants for Energy Research.
Ph.D. student Xiaoman Wang earned the award for Best Poster Presentation in the Society-Wide Micro and Nanotechnology Forum at the International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition in Pittsburgh, Pa. Wang is a student of Professor of Mechanical Engineering Alan McGaughey.
MechE’s Alan McGaughey was appointed the College of Engineering faculty chair-elect.
