Muhammad Akbar, Ph.D.

Muhammad K. AkbarAssociate Professor

Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Department, Tennessee State University
3500 John A Merritt Blvd, Nashville, Tennessee 37209
Tel: 615-963-5392, Fax: 615-963-5496; e-mail: makbar@tnstate.edu

Research Interests

Computational Fluid Dynamics; Thermal Fluids, Hurricane Storm Surge Model Development; Porous Media; Gas Turbine Film Cooling; Catalyticl Converter Simulation; Multiphase Flow; Particulate Flow; Microchannel / Minichannel Flow; MPI based Parallel Model Development; Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation Turbulence Model Development; ANSYS FLUENT Based Modeling; Fluid Structure Interaction; Solar Energy.

Teaching Activities

Courses in thermal-fluid sciences such as thermodynamics, heat transfer, thermal-fluid systems design, computational fluid dynamics, transport phenomena; numerical analysis; advanced mathematics; etc.

Professional Preparation

Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology Mechanical Engineering B.Sc. 1995
Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology Mechanical Engineering M.Sc. 1998
University of Alabama Engineering Science & Mechanics M.S. 2001
Georgia Institute of Technology Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. 2004

Appointments

Assistant Professor Tennessee State University 9/12 – present
Senior Research Associate Jackson State University 8/08 – 8/12
Visiting Assistant Professor Georgia Institute of Technology 1/05 – 8/08
Graduate Research Assistant Georgia Institute of Technology 8/01 – 12/04
Graduate Research Assistant University of Alabama 1/99 – 5/01
Lecturer Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology 9/96 – 12/98

Funds Received or Proposal Under Review

  1. RIA: Understanding the Evolution of Hurricane Storm Surge through Simulation Using Forecast and Best Track Wind Data
    PI: Muhammad Akbar 
    Agency: National Science Foundation; Budget: $209,403 for 2 years
  2. MSI: Implicit Solver for ADCIRC Storm Surge Model
    PI: Muhammad Akbar 
    Agency: Department of Homeland Security; Budget: $44,101 for 1 year
  3. Film Cooling Processes for Gas Turbine Blades Using Numerical Simulation Methods
    Co-PI: Muhammad Akbar 
    Agency: Air Force Research Laboratory; Budget: $90,000 for 1 year
  4. U.S. Department of Education: STORM (Student Tutoring, Online Resources, & Mentoring) to Advance Minority Engineering Student Retention and Graduation
    PI: Muhammad Akbar, Co-PIs: Fatemeh Hadi, Woong Y. Joe, Matthew Traum, Mohammad Habibi
    Agency: U.S. Department of Education; Budget: $750,000 (Under Review)
  5. CAREER: Understanding the Evolution of Hurricane Storm Surge Using Atmospheric, Wave, and Ocean Circulation Explicit Coupled Model
    PI: Muhammad Akbar 
    Agency: National Science Foundation; Budget: $500,000 (Under Review)

Awards and Recognitions

  • '2016 Research Mentorship Award Winner', 38th Annual University-Wide Research Symposium, Tennessee State University.
  • Outstanding Teacher Award 2006, Georgia Institute of Technology Savannah, Georgia.
  • Outstanding M.S. graduate research assistant of the year 2001, Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics Department, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
  • One of my journal papers (“On gas–liquid two-phase flow regimes…”) was among the most cited articles in the International Journal of Multiphase Flow (Elsevier) for the period 2002-2005.

Journal Publications

  1. Akbar, M., Kanjanda, S., Musinguzi, A. (2017) Effect of Bottom Friction, Wind Drag Coefficient, and Meteorological Forcing in Hindcast of Hurricane Rita Storm Surge Using SWAN+ADCIRC Model. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 5(3), 38.
  2. Akbar, M. K., Luettich, R. A., Fleming, J. G., & Aliabadi, S. K. (2017). CaMEL and ADCIRC Storm Surge Models—A Comparative Study. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 5(3), 35.
  3. Akbar, M., Alsaidi, B., Painter, R., Sharpe, L., Ghiaasiaan, M. (2017) The Effects of Coolant Pipe Geometry and Flow Conditions on Turbine Blade Film Cooling, Journal of Thermal Engineering, 3(3), 1196-1210.
  4. Bryant, K. M., Akbar, M. (2016). An Exploration of Wind Stress Calculation Techniques in Hurricane Storm Surge Modeling. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 4(3), 58.
  5. Akbar, M.K., Aliabadi, S. “Hybrid Numerical Methods to Solve Shallow Water Equations for Hurricane Induced Storm Surge Modeling”. Environmental Modelling & Software, Volume 46, August 2013, Pages 118–128.
  6. Akbar, M.K., Aliabadi, S., Patel, R, and Watts, M. “Fully Automated and Integrated Multi-Scale Forecasting Scheme for Emergency Preparedness”. Environmental Modelling & Software, Volume 39, January 2013, Pages 24-38.
  7. Aliabadi, S., Akbar, M.K., Patel, R. “Hybrid Finite Element / Volume Method for Shallow Water Equations”. Int. J. Num. Meth. Fluids. 83 (2010), 13, 1719–1738.
  8. Akbar, M.K., Rahman, M., S.M. Ghiaasiaan. "Particle Transport in a Small Square Enclosure under Laminar Natural Convection Induced by Temperature Gradient".  J. Aerosol Sci., 40 (2009) 747 - 761.
  9. Akbar, M.K., and Ghiaasiaan, S.M., “Simulation of Taylor Flow in Capillaries Based on the Volume-of-Fluid Technique”, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 45(15), July 2006, 5396-5403.
  10. Akbar, M.K., and Ghiaasiaan, S.M., “A CFD Model for Aerosol Transport in Rising Gas Bubbles,” J. Aerosol Sci., 37, 2006, 735–749.
  11. Akbar, M.K., and Ghiaasiaan, S.M., “Radiation Heat Transfer and Soot Thermophoresis in Laminar Tube Flow,” Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A, Volume 47, Issue 7, 2005, 653 - 670.
  12. Akbar, M.K., and Ghiaasiaan, S.M., “Modeling the Gas Absorption in a Spray Scrubber with Dissolving Reactive Particles”, Chem. Eng. Sci., 59(5), March 2004, 967-976.
  13. Akbar, M.K., Ghiaasiaan, S.M., and Karrila, S., “An Experimental Study of Interfacial Surface Area Concentration in a Short Column Subject to Paper Pulp-Water-Gas Three-phase Flow,” Chem. Eng. Sci., 59(5), March 2004, 1079-1086.
  14. Akbar, M.K., Yan, J., and Ghiaasiaan, S.M., “Mechanism of Gas Absorption Enhancement in a Slurry Droplet Containing Reactive, Sparingly Soluble Micro Particles”, Int. J. Heat and Mass Transfer, 46, 2003, 4561-4571.
  15. Akbar, M.K., and Ghiaasiaan, S.M., “Stability of stratified gas-liquid two-phase flow in a horizontal annular channels,” Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 28, 2003, 17–21.
  16. Akbar, M.K., Plummer, D.A., and Ghiaasiaan, S.M., “On gas–liquid two-phase flow regimes in microchannels,” Int. J. Multiphase Flow, 29, 2003, 855-865.

 Conference Papers and Posters (Last 4 years)

  1. Bryant, K., Akbar, K. “An Exploration of Wind Stress Calculation Techniques in Hurricane Storm Surge Modeling” 14th International Conference on Estuarine and Coastal Modeling. ECM14. June 13th-15th, 2016, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA.
  2. Kanjanda, S., Akbar, K. “The Effect of Bottom Friction, Surface Roughness, and Meteorological Forcing in Hurricane Storm Surge Simulation Using SWAN+ADCIRC Model” 14th International Conference on Estuarine and Coastal Modeling. ECM14. June 13th-15th, 2016, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA.
  3. Warner, B., Tegegne, A., Akbar, K. "Design of an Efficient Catalytic Converter Using CFD Techniques" Proceedings of the ASME 2016 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. IMECE2016, Paper# IMECE2016-67181, November 11th-17th, 2016, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
  4. Tegegne, Ayele, Akbar, M. (2016). Design of an Efficient Catalytic Converter with Increased Flow Rate and Minimum Pressure Drop using CFD Techniques. Emerging Researchers National Conference. Washington DC, February 25-28, 2016.
  5. Akbar, M.K. Evaluation of Tides and Hurricane Surges in the Gulf of Mexico by using CaMEL Implicit Storm Surge Model. 19th Annual ADCIRC Model Workshop, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland. March 30-31, 2015.
  6. Akbar, M. 2014. Finite Element Method Based Model to Solve Three Dimensional Heat Conduction Equations for Photovoltaic Modules. AIAA 2014-2551, 11th AIAA/ASME Joint Thermophysics and Heat Transfer Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Professional Membership

  • Member: ASME

Professional Services

  • Thesis Advisor:
    • Advised two MS students who graduated in December, 2015
      • Thesis Title: The Effect of Bottom Friction, Surface Roughness, and Meteorological Forcing in Hurricane Storm Surge Simulation using ADCIRC and SWAN+ADCIRC Models (Student: Simbarashe A. Kanjanda)
      • Thesis Title: The Rise and Fall of the Drag Coefficient in Wind Stress Calculations for Hurricane Wind Speeds with a Case Study (Student: Kyra M. Bryant). This thesis has been judged the best master's thesis of the year 2016 in the state of Tennessee by Tennessee Conference of Graduate Schools (TCGS) (http://tnstatenewsroom.-com/archives/19632)
  • Reviewer:
    • Microfluidics and Nanofluidics
    • Annals of Nuclear Energy
    • International Journal of Numerical Methods
    • Computers and Fluids 
    • Chemical Engineering Science
    • Journal of Thermal Engineering
  • Curriculum Committee:
    • Data Science Concentration in the College of Engineering
    • Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Department 
  • Science Olympiad Event Supervisor (2014, 2016, 2017):
    • Supervised different events in Tennessee State University Science Olympiad Regional Tournament held in Spring semester every year since 2014
  • Session Organizer for ASME IMECE (2015-2017):
    • Session organizer for ASME IMECE, Topic 13-5. Arranged review of the papers and decision making
  • Faculty Senator (2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18):
    • Serving in Faculty Senate as a representative of College of Engineering since Fall 2015.
  • Faculty Advisor for Student Veterans of America
    • Serving since 2014, although there are not much activities lately.

USA Visa Status

Naturalized US Citizen