Dr. Ajit Yoganathan
Regents' Professor Emeritus
Associate Chair for Research
The Wallace H. Coulter School of Biomedical Engineering &
The Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Chair in Biomedical Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University
Biography: Ajit P. Yoganathan is a Regents' Professor Emeritus at Georgia Tech and Emory University and serves as Associate Chair for Research in the Wallace H. Coulter School of Biomedical Engineering, where he also holds the Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Chair in Biomedical Engineering. Widely regarded as a pioneer of modern cardiovascular fluid mechanics, he has spent more than four decades advancing the understanding of blood flow in the heart and great vessels, particularly in the design, evaluation, and clinical translation of prosthetic and bioprosthetic heart valves. His work blends engineering principles, imaging, and clinical collaboration, leading to transformative innovations in pediatric and adult cardiac surgery, congenital heart disease management, and computational modeling of cardiovascular function. Yoganathan’s laboratory has trained generations of researchers and clinicians and has established many of the standards used today for heart valve testing and evaluation. His contributions have been recognized with numerous awards and election to prestigious academies, solidifying his legacy as one of the most influential figures in biomedical engineering and cardiovascular biomechanics.
Dr. Melany Hunt
Dotty and Dick Hayman Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Caltech
Biography: Melany L. Hunt is the Dotty and Dick Hayman Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where she has been a faculty member since 1988 and has served in major leadership roles including Executive Officer for Mechanical Engineering and Vice Provost. She earned her B.S. from the University of Minnesota and her M.S. and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley before establishing a research program focused on the mechanics and transport of multiphase systems—particularly granular and particulate flows, fluidized beds, porous media, and related energy applications. Widely recognized for both her scholarship and her educational leadership, Hunt received Caltech's Richard P. Feynman Prize for Excellence in Teaching and the Institute's CCID Agent of Change Award for contributions to diversity and inclusion. She also founded Caltech’s Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach, reflecting her long-standing commitment to mentorship and broadening participation in STEM.
Dr. Alfredo Soldati
Professor of Fluid Mechanics
Head of the Institute of Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer
Technische Universität Wien (TU Wien), Austria
Biography: Alfredo Soldati is a University Professor of Fluid Mechanics at TU Wien in Austria and head of the Institute of Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer. Born in 1963 in Livorno, Italy, he earned both his M.Sc. in Nuclear Engineering and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pisa, later conducting research at UC Santa Barbara before holding academic positions at the University of Udine. His work focuses on turbulent multiphase flows—particularly particle, droplet, and bubble dynamics, interface behavior, and environmental or industrial transport processes—using high-fidelity simulations to uncover fundamental mechanisms. Soldati has received major international recognition, including APS Fellowship, ASME's Lewis F. Moody Award, the ASME Freeman Scholar Award, and EUROMECH Fellowship, and he serves as Rector of the International Centre for Mechanical Sciences (CISM). A former Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Multiphase Flow, he is also deeply engaged in teaching and mentoring at TU Wien, leading research that bridges fundamental fluid mechanics and real-world applications.