Dr. John Baker’s research interests include space sustainability, spacecraft design, energy systems, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and the use of machine learning to generate knowledge of complex systems. His research may be broadly described as multidisciplinary design analysis and optimization (MDAO). His current research includes the use of aerodynamic decelerators to deorbit CubeSats and the physical phenomena that affect deorbit characteristics; MDAO applied to cryocoolers, absorption refrigeration systems, and the heat transfer characteristics of phase change materials; the use of machine learning (Echo State Networks) to predict the behavior of turbulent jet flows and adversarial swarms; and the development of assessment tools for complex energy systems (for both space and terrestrial environments). He is also interested in designing and analyzing non-conventional energy storage devices.
Areas of Research
- Complex Systems
- Energy Systems
- Heat Transfer
- Machine Learning
- Multidisciplinary Design Analysis and Optimization (MDAO)
- Space Sustainability
- Spacecraft Design
- Thermodynamics
