Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Science Foundation's Office of Integrative Activities awarded Auburn University a $300,000 Project Grant under the Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083) beginning May 1, 2026 and concluding April 30, 2028. This EPSCOR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) Research Fellows award supports an assistant professor fellowship and graduate student training to develop high-fidelity, massively parallel computational tools for simulating fluid-structure interactions and turbulent combustion in transonic and supersonic flow regimes. The primary deliverables include advanced numerical methods integrated with adaptive mesh refinement and cut-cell methodology, implemented on heterogeneous supercomputing platforms through collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The project generates computational fluid dynamics data to construct machine learning algorithms for flow control using deep reinforcement learning techniques. The developed tools are designed to reduce costs and improve accuracy in aircraft and spacecraft design by diminishing reliance on expensive wind tunnel and flight testing. Key outputs encompass scalable computational methodologies applicable to complex geometries and moving boundaries, along with trained personnel capable of applying machine learning techniques to fluid dynamics research. The initiative integrates applied mathematics, fluid dynamics, and artificial intelligence to address previously computationally intractable engineering problems.