Shobhan is a doctoral student working with Prof. H. S. Udaykumar in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He completed his undergraduate studies at NIT Durgapur, India, and earned a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras in Chennai, India. Drawn to fluid mechanics in aerospace applications, Shobhan explored methods to reduce wave drag on aircraft wings at transonic speeds. To further work on challenging problems in computational flow physics, he joined Prof. Uday’s lab at UIowa.

Currently, Shobhan’s research lies at the intersection of fluid mechanics, material science, and applied mathematics. He is working on a computational framework to simulate and analyze the highly dynamic behavior of energetic materials (such as propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics) during ignition. This research has the potential to provide guidelines for the safe handling, transportation, and operation of such materials. As part of the AFOSR-MURI project, Shobhan’s colleagues and collaborators have made significant advancements in understanding detonation phenomena in energetic materials, characterizing and benchmarking their ignition behavior, and designing novel materials with controlled properties.

After graduation, Shobhan intends to continue research in computational physics, focusing on applications that address real-world problems of interest to the community and the environment. In his free time, he enjoys swimming, traveling, camping, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.