About Me

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing at California State University, Chico. My work focuses on heat transfer, thermal-fluid sciences, and engineering education, with particular interest in numerical analysis in supercritical fluid systems and aerospace-related applications.

I earned a Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Civil Aviation University of China in 2018, followed by a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2020, specializing in Heat Transfer for Aerospace Propulsion System Design. In 2024, I completed my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Embry-Riddle, where my research focused on the heat transfer performance of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (sCO$_{\textnormal{2}}$) systems.

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Teaching

Teaching Interests

My teaching interests include heat transfer, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), with applications in aerospace engineering. I also teach Python and MATLAB programming to help students connect theory with simulation and real engineering problems.

Current Courses

Research

My research focuses on heat transfer in supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) systems, with emphasis on turbulent flow, thermal entrance behavior, and near-critical thermophysical effects. This work supports the development of efficient thermal systems for energy and aerospace applications.

Research Interests

  • Heat transfer in supercritical CO2 flow
  • Thermal entrance region and near-critical behavior
  • Numerical modeling and simulation (CFD)
  • Thermal systems for aerospace and energy applications

Current Directions

  • Thermal development length in supercritical CO2 flows
  • Improving heat transfer correlations near the critical region
  • Integration of CFD with experimental validation

Aerospace and Rocketry Research

In addition, I lead aerospace and rocketry research through projects associated with the Rocketry and Aerospace Club, where high-powered rocket systems are designed, analyzed, and tested. These efforts have resulted in multiple conference publications and provide a platform for integrating fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and system-level engineering in practical applications.

Publications

Selected Conference Publications

ASME IMECE 2026

  • Chen, K., McAvoy, A., …, and Chao, Y., “A CFD-Informed Surrogate Drag Model for Enhanced Apogee Prediction in High-Powered Rocketry” (submitted).
  • Truscott, P., Valencia, J., …, and Chao, Y., “An Investigation of Failure in Aerospace Components” (submitted).
  • Elliott, J., Truscott, P., …, and Chao, Y., “Airbrake Implementation Informed by Numerical Analysis of Drag Coefficients” (submitted).

AIAA ASCEND 2026

  • Gill, S., Nelson, B., …, and Chao, Y., “Modeling Fin Flutter to Inform Elliptical Fin Designs for High-Powered Rocketry” (accepted).

AIAA SciTech 2026

  • Nguiffo, D., O’Connor, D., and Chao, Y., “Modeling Turbulence at High Strouhal Number Flows for Accurate Noise Predictions.”

ASME IMECE 2025

  • Elliott, J., Nguiffo, D., …, and Chao, Y., “Vibrational Characterization of Void Defects in Metal Additive Manufacturing.”
  • Borgzinner, E., Armijo, A., …, and Chao, Y., “Enhanced Apogee Prediction to Inform High-Powered Rocket Design and Performance.”

Selected Journal Papers

People

I work with undergraduate and graduate students on projects in heat transfer, aerospace systems, computational modeling, and hands-on engineering design.

Current Student Members

  • David Nguiffo
  • John Elliott
  • Parker Truscott
  • Kyle Chen
  • Ariana McAvoy
  • Saira Gill
  • Alex Chavez
  • Enrique Borgzinner
  • Pablo Adame

Collaborators

  • Dennis O'Connor

Contact

Office: OCNL 422, California State University, Chico
Email: ychao@csuchico.edu
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