Mentors
Please select an AFRL mentor from the list to view their professional biography and photograph. Scholars are encouraged to contact mentors using the link included within each biography. Contact links are included only for those mentors who are willing to be contacted during the application period.
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Albert Viggiano
Albert A. Viggiano
Air Force Research Laboratory
Space Vehicles Directorate, 3550 Aberdeen Ave SE
Kirtland AFB 87117-5776
Education Ph.D. in Chemical Physics, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder 1980
B. Sc. in Chem. with highest honors, Univ. of Calif. Berkeley 1976
Work history/accomplishments: I am manager and chief scientist of the plasma chemistry laboratory. My group developed four state of the art instruments to study plasma kinetics over unmatched ranges of conditions. We specialize in measuring difficult to handle species such as atoms, O2(a1Dg), and H2SO4. Our forte is to continually push the envelope so that entirely new regimes of study become possible. Air Force/DoD applications of the research are wide ranging including reentry plasmas, the ionosphere, plasma assisted combustion, electric oxygen iodine laser, HAARP, energetic materials, and chemical weapon sensors.
We have doubled the highest temperatures for which both ion and electron molecule kinetics could be studied. The former, along with a technique for studying internal energy dependences of ion molecule reactions, led to the AF Basic Research award. Development of a technique to study reactivity at high pressures has been valuable in understanding scramjet engines and produced the only examples of specific energy transfer parameters for ions.
A comprehensive study on electron attachment to SF6 resolved numerous issues involving this well studied reaction and determined why the molecule does not quench plasmas at high temperature. I received the AFRL Science and Technology award for this work, which has been transitioned to the AF ionospheric and reentry programs.
Most recently, we have developed a technique that has allowed us access to numerous data that have been heretofore unobtainable. This includes the discovery of a new class of reactions, which we have dubbed electron catalyzed mutual neutralization (ECMN). This will affect most high density plasmas. In addition, the technique has yielded the only complete product distributions of ion-ion mutual neutralization reactions and a wealth of data on attachment to neutral radicals. The latter is extremely important for plasma processing.
I have authored over 350 refereed journal articles and book chapters, given 85 seminars at universities and laboratories and over 319 presentations at scientific meetings. I was elected fellow of the American Physical Society as well as chair of the Gaseous Ions Gordon Conference. The Air Force nominated me for the National Medal of Science. I have collaborated with numerous preeminent scientists including a Noble Prize winner and a number of National Academy of Science members as well as colleagues at Wright Paterson, Directed Energy, Edwards, and Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center. Most recently I was elected as an AFRL fellow, which came with 350,000 of research dollars.
Partial List of Recognitions and Awards:
Marcus O'Day Award (Geophysics Directorate Paper of the Year) 1993
Gunter Loeser Award (Geophysics Directorate Scientist of the Year) 1997
Air Force Basic Research Award 1999
Fellow of the American Physical Society 2000
Excellent in Refereeing JGR, 2000
Air Force Nominee for National Medal of Science 2003
NAS academy panel member 2005, 2011
Elected Chair of Gaseous Ions Gordon Research Conference 2005
AFRL Annual Science and Technology Award 2007
AFRL/VSB Science and Technology Team Award 2007
AFRL/RV Technology Transfer Achievement Team 2008
DARPA review panel on Instant Fire Suppression 2009-2011
AFRL Fellow 2011
Professional Society Membership
American Physical Society (Fellow)
American Chemical Society
American Geophysics Union
American Society for Mass Spectrometry
Ali, Ashar
Allen, Monica Suresh
Allen, Jeffery W
Alsid, Scott Thomas
Anderson, Brian Matthew
Annesley, Christopher J
Ard, Shaun Gerald
Arge, Nick
Baker, Glenn Eli
Baros, Anthony Eloy
Bartlett, Elizabeth Kay
Barton, David Alan
Bemish, Raymond
Bennette, Walter D
Bierman, Lauren Danielle
Blackburn, Ken David
Booth, Ryan Steven
Box, Christopher
Bradshaw, Geoffrey Keith
Brink, Kevin
Brown, Robert Allen
Buckner, Jessica Lynn
Buehler, David John
Bush, Robert Patrick
Card, Pamela
Cargill, Daniel S.
Carney, Carmen Maria
Carswell, Stacey R
Clements, Jared
Coder, Ryan
Colman, Jonah
cooke, david lyttleton
Cooper, Russell
Cooper, Matthew A
Cowan, Vince
Crete, Andrew
Darling, Jacob Edward
Davis, James D
Del Rio, Nicholas Ricky
Diggs, Angela Spence
Diggs, Darnell
Dodson, Jacob
Doucette, Emily
Doyle, Derek Thomas
Dumm, Hans-Peter
Edwards, Arthur Henry
Elle, Jennifer
Elliott, Dylan
Englesbe, Alex
Erwin, Richard Scott
Escamilla, Elizabeth
Fair, Kaitlin
Ferguson, Dale Curtis
Fierro, Rafael
Flater, Philip
Fleming, Timothy
Fletcher, Justin Ryan
Flynn, Kathryn Turk
Frith, James
Ganley, Jeff
Gantert, Jamie
Garner, Robert
Gemelli, Nathaniel
Gensheimer, Paul David
Gibbons, Sean
Gjermo, Hanna Eleanor
Goldsmith, George C
Grimes, John Robert
Grosek, Jacob Robert
Gruenig, PhD, Shelly Ann
Gudimetla, Venkata
Guillette, Daniel Stephen
Hammond, Jason
Hardin, David Barrett
Haug, Andrew James
Henney, Carl
Henry, Leanne Joan
Hinks, Joanna
Hock-Mysliwiec, Rachel
Hoff, Brad
Hoffmann, Ryan
Hollis, Brayden Daniel
Holmes, Jeffrey Morgan
Huang, Chaosong
Huang, Cheryl Yu-Ying
Johnson, Robert L.
Kahler, Stephen
Kann, Lee A
Kasch, Brian
Keyser, Christian Keith
Kirk, Jordan Taylor
Lambrecht, Michael
Landavazo, Matthew Isaac
Leach, Christopher Joseph
Lemke, Nathan
Lentz, Joshua
Levin, Zachary
Lopez-Fernandez, Pedro
Lovell, Alan
Lovelly, Tyler M.
Luke, Darren Patrick
Lumia, Ron
Madden, Timothy J
Maestas, Diana
Mai, Chi
Mardahl, Peter
Martinez, Oscar
Matson, Lawrence
Maue, Brian
McCafferty, Julian
McCartan, Chris
McClendon, Steven
McCollough, James P
McGuire, Ryan
McQuaid, Ian Wesley
Mee, Jesse Keith
Milster, Scott
Molek, Christopher D
Montera, Dennis
Montgomery, Kyle H
Morath, Christian Paul
Moreu, Fernando
Morley, Nicholas John
Mounce, Gabriel
Murphy, Michael Dean
Myers, David
Naderi, Shadi
Naudeau, Madeleine
Nayak, Michael
Neergaard, Lynn James
Obenberger, Kenneth S
O'Brien, Liam John
Oishi, Meeko
Oliver, Rachel
Olsen, Garrett
Olson, Spencer E
Olson, Jesse
Ongstad, Andrew
Opeka, Sarah Joyce
ORGUSAAR, ROBERT H
Pasiliao, Crystal
Pasiliao, Eduardo Lewis
Patel, Shivani
Peng, Thomas L
Penn, Dylan
Petersen, Christopher Daniel
Phillips, Sean
Phillips, Stephen
Pineda, Andrew Carballo
Pitz, Greg A.
Plumley, John Bryan
Prater-Bennette, Ashley
Prince, Benjamin Douglas
Pulford, Ben
Rask, John Michael
Reasor, Daniel Archer
Reese, Malcolm Steven
Reid, Remington
Renner, Luke
Rice, Brian Elliot
Robertson, Eric
Rocker, Christopher
Roddy, Patrick Andrew
Roman, Cal T
Rueschhoff, Lisa M
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Thompson, Rhoe A
Ton, Chau
Torres, Victor
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Trowell, Ashley Joseph
Trujillo, Joseph D
Tsui, Lok-kun
van den Bosch, Jeannette
Van Tassel, Michael Thomas
Van Zandt, Noah Richard
Vaughan, Charles Francis
Velasquez, Alvaro
Vick, Robert W
Viggiano, Albert
Watson, Robert M
Weber, Reed Alan
Webster, Preston Thomas
Weisman, Ryan M.
White, Stephen M
White, Michael D
Wilcox, Christopher Charles
Wilde, Benjamin Raymond
Willemann, Raymond James
Wilt, David M
Wittich, Donald Joseph
Yoshino, Kate
Young, Shawn
Young, Justin William
Zappulla, Richard S