David W. MacPhee - Assistant Professor (Mechanical Engineering)
  • BSc, Mathematics & Engineering (Queen's University) 
  • MSc., Mechanical Engineering (University of Ontario Institute of Technology)
  • PhD, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (UC San Diego and San Diego State University)​
Dr. MacPhee's research interests include shape-morphing surface design, wastewater aeration, finite-volume methods for continuum mechanics and thermal energy storage. 

Current Members

Nicholas Palya
Nicholas is a graduate student from Mckinney, Texas and is studying Mechanical Engineering at The University of Alabama. He received his BSc in Environmental Engineering from The University of Alabama.His current focus of research is in the optimization of aeration efficiency in water treatment systems. Outside of his academic pursuits he enjoys playing disc golf, hiking and sailing
Roohany Mahmud
Roohany graduated from the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), Bangladesh in 2013 with a BSc in Aerospace Engineering.  He joined the ACELab in Fall 2016 as a PhD student. He has worked several projects since joining the lab, including flexible wind turbine blade design, thermal storage in concentrated solar power, and wastewater aeration. His current research focuses on developing novel aeration system for wastewater/aquaculture systems to increase aeration efficiency in a cost effective manner.  He has also been working in the Alabama Industrial Assessment Center (AIAC) since 2017. In his free time, he loves playing soccer, watching Netflix and talking with his family back in Bangladesh.
Mustafa Erguvan
Mustafa, a Mechanical Engineer, graduated from Selcuk University, Turkey. He subsequently worked as a Project Engineer in a multinational engineering firm on food, beverage & pharmacy sectors. After working 3 years, he decided to continue his career in academia. He is currently working on his MSc in the ACE Lab.  His research interests include renewable energy systems (wind turbines and photovoltaic arrays), thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, computational fluid dynamics and energy storage systems. In his free time he travels and exercises.
Kellis Kincaid
Kellis started working in the ACE lab as an undergraduate, and has earned his bachelor's and master's degrees while researching in the lab. He is now working on his PhD, using a combination of blade element momentum (BEM) and CFD methods to optimize the shape and flexibility of wind turbine blades to improve performance in a range of operating conditions. He has also worked on a number of side projects, including improving Wells turbine efficiency and modelling the formation of solar vortices. Outside of the lab, he enjoys kayaking and exploring the great outdoors.
Lalit Roy
Lalit is currently working on his Ph.D using CFD. He has got his BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET) and MS in ME from the University of Alabama (UA). He has experienced working in a wide range of profession from teaching in University to production in manufacturing industry. Fluid Mechanics, Computational Methods, Numerical Analysis are a few topics to name he takes interest in. Apart from studies, he enjoys watching movies of all genres especially drama and thriller.

Past Members

David Fariyike
David is an undergraduate from Thomaston, GA that joined in the summer of 2018. He is working toward his BSc in Mechanical Engineering at UA while working in the ACElab. He is researching flexible airfoil optimization for wind turbines in the interest of furthering green technology and airfoil design. After graduating, he hopes to go on to graduate school and continue in the field of research and design. In his spare time, he enjoys boxing and playing the piano.
Steven Pitts
Steven is an undergraduate from Houston, TX.  He is working toward his BSc in Mechanical Engineering at UA while working in the ACE Lab.  He is currently designing a pressurized steam-cleaning system to inhibit microbial growth.  His academic interests include CFD, heat transfer, bio-engineering, and modeling naturally occurring phenomena.  In his spare time he enjoys drumming, watching baseball and traveling.
Lauren Howell
Lauren is from Huntington, WV and is pursuing her BSc in aerospace engineering with a minor in mechanical engineering.  Along with her love for engineering, airplanes, and space sciences, she also posses a passion for the arts, such as playing piano, guitar and painting.  She is researching flexible airfoil optimization for wind turbines in the interest of furthering green technology and flexible airfoil design. After graduating, she hopes to go on to graduate school and continue in the field of research and design. 
Catherine Warren
Cat is an undergrad in mechanical engineering with an interest in dynamic systems and acoustics. Her current research focus is the effect of flexibility on the energy extracting efficiency of hydrofoils for tidal turbines. Aside from engineering, she enjoys linguistic studies and hopes to pursue a related degree in the near future.