ME welcomes new faculty members
September 21, 2016
The Mechanical Engineering department welcomes Assistant Professor Dr. Omid Askari, Visiting Assistant Professor Dr. Matthew Priddy, and Instructor Emily Spayde to the faculty.
Omid Askari received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from University of Karaj and Sharif University of Technology in Iran, in 2005 and 2007, respectively. He was employed as a research engineer in the Renewable Energy Organization (SUNA) and the Engine Research and Development Center (IPCO) in Iran from 2007 to 2012, and worked as a part-time instructor in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Karaj, from 2008 to 2012. Dr. Askari received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston in June 2016 and continued his postdoctoral work in the Energy and Combustion Research Laboratory at Northeastern University before joining Mississippi State University Dr. Askari’s research is focused on experimental and numerical study of combustion, spray, plasma, alternative fuels and chemical kinetics with emphasis on Internal Combustion and Jet engines. He has over 35 publications in peer-reviewed journals, conferences and book chapters. He has received several awards from universities and organizations worldwide including the Alfred Ferretti Award for Excellence in Mechanical Engineering at Northeastern University in 2015, the Best Student Paper Award at ASME Solar Energy Division in 2015 and the Outstanding Graduate Award at Sharif University of Technology in 2007.
Matthew Priddy received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University in 2008 and 2010, respectively. Dr. Priddy received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2016, where he received the President’s Fellowship from 2010-2014. Dr. Priddy’s research is focused on computational solid mechanics and microstructure-sensitive modeling, with an emphasis on lightweight alloys used in the aerospace and automotive industries. His graduate research combined the use of physics-based models with high-throughput experimental datasets and rapid inverse property/response estimates to accelerate decision-support for materials design exploration.
Emily Spayde received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Memphis in 2007. She worked in the copper and aluminum wire industry from 2007 to 2010. She received her M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Mississippi State University in 2013. Her M.S. research work was on characterizing the heat generation in vehicle tires through the use of finite-element modeling. Emily’s current research is focused on alternative power generation, specifically, the use of solar energy to fuel small scale Organic Rankine Cycles. She has a strong passion for education and has an ample experience teaching mechanical engineering courses.