Douglas Hunsaker

College of Engineering

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Doug Hunsaker is an assistant professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Utah State University. His research areas include aerodynamic computational methods ranging from potential flow to full RANS CFD for both 2D and 3D modeling and optimization.

These research efforts are currently directed towards supporting the improved aircraft efficiency interests of NASA and the Department of Defense, as well as the rapid design and optimization needs of the emerging drone industry. Dr. Hunsaker is the director of the USU AeroLab, which currently employs ten graduate students and three undergraduate students. He has collaborations with the Air Force Research Lab, NASA Ames, Boeing, Texas A&M, Florida International University, and the Space Dynamics Laboratory. His lab develops an aerodynamic tool called MachUp, which is used by engineers and researchers from around the world including MIT, Purdue, Virginia Tech, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and the US Naval Academy.

Prior to joining the faculty at USU, Dr. Hunsaker worked for four years in industry, which included work at Scaled Composites on the Stratolaunch and SpaceShipTwo programs, as well as consulting for multiple drone companies. He has performed aerodynamic, design, or consulting work for Sandia National Labs, AeroVironment, Flying Sensors, the MAGICC Lab, and Vayu.