Cody J. Brownell, Ph.D.

Professor
United States Naval Academy
Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering Department
590 Holloway Road
Annapolis, MD 21402-5042
(410) 293-6525
brownell@usna.edu

• Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Doctor of Philosophy, Mechanical Engineering
• Dissertation: "Imaging of multi-species fluid mixing in turbulent flows"

• Masters of Science, Mechanical Engineering

• Bachelors of Science, Mechanical Engineering

BIOGRAPHY
Cody J. Brownell is a Professor in the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department at the U.S. Naval Academy. His research interests involve fluid dynamics and optical propagation, including past projects on measurement and prediction of optical turbulence in the atmosphere, high-energy laser effects on aqueous aerosols, and the use of machine learning for assessing laser system performance in turbulent environments. Professor Brownell has also used and/or developed a number of laser and imaging-based techniques for measuring properties of turbulent fluid flows. His recent research has been sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Joint Directed Energy Transition Office (JDETO). At the Naval Academy, Professor Brownell teaches classes on fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer as well as elective classes on High Energy Laser Systems and Biological Fluid Dynamics. He regularly mentors undergraduate student researchers, including supervision of eight prestigious Trident Scholars. He is the winner of the 2015 Raouf Ali Raouf Award for Excellence in Teaching Engineering. Professor Brownell was the co-Chair of USNA's Promotion and Tenure Committee from 2023-2026, and from 2016 to 2024 was the Faculty Chair of the Naval Academy Science and Engineering Conference, a premier undergraduate STEM conference held in Annapolis each fall. He holds a B.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University, and M.S. and Ph.D. also in Mechanical Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University.    

• Professor, 2019 - present
• Associate Professor, 2013 - 2019
• Assistant Professor, 2008 - 2013    

• Laser interactions with drops and aerosols
• Optical Turbulence
• Thermal blooming 
• Laser heating of structural materials
• Optical measurement techniques for fluids 
• Turbulent free shear flows - wakes jets, mixing layers
• Biologically-inspired propulsion
• Fluid mixing

• Fluid Dynamics
• Thermodynamics
• Heat Transfer
• Fluid Flow in Biology
• High Energy Laser Physics and Applications

• Jellen, C., Nelson, C., Brownell, C.J., and Burkhardt, J., "Effective benchmarks for optical turbulence modeling." AI for Earth Systems, 2024. DOI 10.1175/AIES-D-24-0003.1.
• Jellen, C., Nelson, C., Brownell, C.J., and Burkhardt, J., " Long-term measurement and characterization of boundary layer optical turbulence."  Journal of the Optical Society of America A (JOSA A), 41(6), 2024.
• Jellen, C., Nelson, C., Burkhardt, J., and Brownell, C.J., " Hybrid optical turbulence models using machine learning and local measurements."  Applied Optics, 62(18), 2023.
• Peralta, A., Nelson, C., and Brownell, C.J., " Seasonal changes in atmospheric optical turbulence in a near maritime environment using turbulence flux measurements." Atmosphere, 17(73), 2022. Featured Article.
• Schork, S., Nelson, C., Burhardt, J., and Brownell, C.J., " Image feature assessment for prediction of atmospheric optical turbulence." 20th International Symposium on Applications of Laser and Imaging Techniques to Fluid Mechanics, Lisbon, Portugal, July 2022.
• Jellen, C., Oakley, M., Nelson, C., Burhardt, J., and Brownell, C.J., " Machine learning informed macro-meteorological models for the near-maritime environment." Applied Optics, 60(11), 2021.
• Peralta, A.M., Nelson, C., and Brownell, C.J., " Characterization of atmospheric optical turbulence using turbulence flux measurements." 23rd Directed Energy Science and Technology Symposium. (Virtual), March 2021.
• Jellen, C., Burhardt, J., Brownell, C.J., and Nelson, C., " Machine learning informed predictor importance measures of environmental parameters in maritime optical turbulence." Applied Optics, 59(21), 2020. Editors Pick.
• Jellen, C., Nelson, C., Brownell, C., Burkhardt, J., and Oakley, M., " Measurement and analysis of atmospheric turbulence in a near-maritime environment."  IOP SciNotes, 1(2), 2020.
• Merkel, J., Yee, S., Nelson, C., Jenkins, B., ElBidweihy, H., Joyce, P.J., Brownell, C.J., and Mechtel, D., " High energy laser detection through thermoelectric generators."  Optical Engineering, 59 (11), 2020.
• Ewall-Wice, M., Yee, S., DeLawder, K., Montgomery, S.R., Joyce, P.J., Brownell, C.J., and ElBidweihy, H., " Optomechanical actuation of diamagnetically levitated pyrolytic graphite." IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, 55(7), 2019.
• Kautzman, M., Jenkins, B., Joyce, P., and Brownell, C.J., " Calibration and testing of distributed fiber optic sensors for detection of high energy radiation."  Journal of Directed Energy, 6(3), 2019.
• Valley, S., and Brownell, C.J., " Thermal imaging of rapidly evaporating saltwater drops." 19th International Symposium on Applications of Laser and Imaging Techniques to Fluid Mechanics, Lisbon, Portugal, July 2018.
• Tracey, T.E., and Brownell, C.J., " Evaporation and beam profile measurements on an irradiated water drop."  Journal of Directed Energy, 6(3), 2018.
• Valley, S., and Brownell, C.J., " Effects of a high energy NIR laser on salt water drops." Proceedings of the 20th Directed Energy Science & Technology Symposium, Oxnard, CA, Feb 2018.
• Garcia, J., Joyce, P., and Brownell, C.J., " Thermal damage behind HEL irradiated CFRP skin." Journal of Directed Energy, 6(2), 2017.
• Tracey, T.E., and Brownell, C.J., " Laser heating and vaporization of a levitated water drop." Proceedings of the International Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Montreal, Canada, August 2016.
• Egan, B., Brownell, C.J., and Murray, M.M., " Experimental assessment of performance characteristics for pitching flexible foil propulsors."  Journal of Fluids and Structures, 67, 2016.