Lab Director / Associate Professor
Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Michael P. Kinzel is Interim Associate Dean of Research for the College of Engineering and an Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Central Florida. He is graduate-trained in aerospace engineering at Penn State, with expertise in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), CFD development, and multiphase CFD, originally applied to rotorcraft and high-speed torpedoes. His research has since expanded to CFD-driven design and fluids analysis across rotorcraft, hypersonics, small-scale biological flows, and in-space manufacturing, with an overarching emphasis on marine, air, and space applications.
Computational fluid dynamics, multiphase flow, rotorcraft and hypersonic aerodynamics
Aerodynamic design and analysis supporting the fuselage of NASA's Dragonfly rotorcraft lander, which will fly to Saturn's moon Titan. CFAL's work spans rotor-fuselage interaction, heatshield/backshell separation aerodynamics, in-ground-effect and outwash/saltation behavior on Titan's surface, and wind-tunnel uncertainty quantification.
NASA (subcontract through Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory)
Development of functional, light-matter-interaction-based sensors manufactured and characterized in low-gravity and microgravity space environments, in support of in-space manufacturing capability.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Real-time and near-real-time CFD-based prediction of atmospheric flight trajectories, supporting rapid decision-making for aerospace systems operating in complex, evolving atmospheric conditions.
DARPA (subcontract through Mississippi State University)
Design and analysis of thermal protection systems for high-speed atmospheric entry vehicles used to return cargo to Earth, addressing aerothermal loading during hypersonic reentry.
U.S. Air Force (subcontract through Cardinal Engineering)
Aerodynamic and logistical optimization supporting rapid, point-to-point rocket-based cargo delivery, coupling CFD-based aerodynamic modeling with supply-chain and logistics optimization.
U.S. Space Force
Multiscale simulation and experimental characterization of shock-droplet interactions at hypersonic conditions, including cavitation effects, to assess structural loading on high-speed vehicles encountering rain and atmospheric water droplets.
AFOSR (subcontract through Boston University)
Computational aerodynamic assessment of an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft concept, conducted in two phases for two industry sponsors.
AiBOT; Maviate
Development of lens-free imaging (LFI) methods to measure microfluidic fluid flow and its effect on bone cell activity under altered-gravity conditions, including a suborbital flight demonstration.
NASA (subcontract IMEC); Florida High Tech Corridor (FHTC); UCF Office of Research Commercialization (ORC)
Numerical evaluation of using active porosity control of a transpiration-cooled thermal protection system to steer an atmospheric entry vehicle's trajectory.
NASA
Education and outreach project building STEM readiness pathways toward careers in space technology.
NASA
Numerical and experimental study of airborne pathogen transmission via saliva droplets and sneezing, including classroom social-distancing guidance and mitigation strategies, spanning three related awards.
NSF; UCF/ORC Florida High Tech Corridor Council; International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA)
Computational fluid dynamics and computational aeroacoustics (CFD/CAA) analysis to optimize sandblasting nozzle designs for reduced noise generation.
ONR (SBIR, subcontract through NCE); Noise Control Engineering
High-fidelity prediction of the interaction between a rocket exhaust plume and a gaseous cavity for supercavitating high-speed underwater vehicles.
ONR
CFD development and analysis in support of high-speed, supercavitating underwater vehicle design.
ONR
High-fidelity computational prediction of ice accretion on rotorcraft surfaces, including discrete element roughness modeling of ice-roughened aerodynamic surfaces.
NASA
Modeling of convective heat transfer on ice-roughened aerodynamic surfaces to improve helicopter ice-accretion prediction.
National Rotorcraft Technology Center (NRTC)
High-fidelity simulation of ship airwakes modified by atmospheric boundary-layer turbulence and their effect on helicopter flight dynamics during shipboard operations.
National Rotorcraft Technology Center (NRTC)
Large-eddy simulation study of wind turbine blade and shaft loading driven by atmospheric boundary-layer turbulence structure.
NSF
Modeling and optimization of the logistics supply chain underlying rocket-based cargo delivery concepts, building on CFAL's aerodynamic and systems-engineering work in rocket cargo delivery.
AFRL (Phase I SBIR)
Real-time simulation methods for predicting helicopter flight dynamics operating within the turbulent airwake behind a ship superstructure, supporting safer shipboard rotorcraft operations.
Navy (Phase I SBIR)
P Jantananont, E Levenson, C Benmore, M Kinzel, S Raghavan
Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE), e72399, 2026
AJ Aguilera, SM Briggs, M Lindsay, B Suarez, S Vasu, M Kinzel, et al.
AIAA SCITECH 2026 Forum, 0001, 2026
B Cavainolo, K Nguyen, R Forehand, R Shannon, M Kinzel, S Grace
AIAA SCITECH 2026 Forum, 1733, 2026
M Lindsay, SM Briggs, AJ Aguilera, S Vasu, M Kinzel, S Grace, et al.
AIAA SCITECH 2026 Forum, 1736, 2026
JT Asiatico, M Kinzel
AIAA SCITECH 2026 Forum, 0027, 2026
P Jantananont, E Förster, M Kinzel, S Raghavan
AIAA SCITECH 2026 Forum, 1047, 2026
S Sarker, B Cavainolo, M Kinzel
AIAA SCITECH 2026 Forum, 1933, 2026
G Loubimov, A Spitzer, M Kinzel
Journal of Aircraft, 1-12, 2026
J Asiatico, M Kinzel
DGBH de Azevedo, R Lorenz, J Asiatico, M Kinzel, M Marques Goncalves