Dr. Debolina Dasgupta is a research scientist in the Center for Advanced Propulsion and Power (CAPP) within Argonne’s Transportation and Power Systems (TAPS) division. Her research interest broadly lies in the areas of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), multi-phase reacting flow modeling, multi-fidelity machine learning, digital twin and surrogate model development, system optimization, and high-performance computing for a wide range of applications such as propulsion, power generation, and manufacturing.

At Argonne, Dr. Dasgupta has developed CFD models for (a) nanoparticle synthesis for understanding the impact of process parameters of flame spray pyrolysis for real-time control of the system, (b) aviation gas turbines for assessing fuel behavior on the internal flow and flame dynamics including stable behavior and off-normal behavior (c) combined heat and power microturbines for stationary power generation and (d) melt-blown process for non-woven fiber manufacturing used for making filters, N95 masks etc. Dr. Dasgupta is also leading research efforts in the space of decarbonization of the aviation and power generation sectors. These efforts include end-use of sustainable aviation fuels and low-carbon fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia for gas turbines.

Dr. Dasgupta received her PhD from Georgia Institute of Technology in Aerospace Engineering in 2018 for developing models for turbulence-chemistry interactions in lean premixed flames for gas turbines through a combination of Direct Numerical Simulations, large-data analysis, and High-performance computing. She also holds a Master in Technology in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Jadavpur University (India).

Active areas of research

1. High-fidelity Large-Eddy Simulations CFD modeling of aviation gas turbines for investigation of combustion dynamics for stable behavior, lean blow out, high-altitude relight, and cold start
2. High-fidelity CFD modeling including Large-Eddy simulations and Direct Numerical Simulations of aviation gas turbines for comparing sustainable aviation fuels with conventional jet fuel using a high-order spectral element CFD code, Nek5000
3. Smart control of hydrogen compatible microturbines for combined heat power (CHP) for developing an optimization algorithm for H2-powered microturbine CHPs, for buildings and industrial applications using CFD digital twin and surrogate model to enhance energy efficiency and reduce emissions over the entire operability map
4. Minimization of energy consumption using a combination of High-performance computing, CFD, and machine learning for next-generation non-woven manufacturing using melt-blown process
5. Development of a physics-based CFD model of the electrospinning process and multi-fidelity machine learning (MF-ML) framework to advance the state-of-the-art in understanding the governing physics in the electrospinning process and achieving precise control of nanostructure morphology.
6. Computational modeling of nanoparticle synthesis in flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) reactors

Honors and Awards

• Invitee for National Academy of Engineering (NAE) 2022 US Frontier of Engineering’s Symposium
• Recipient of 2022 Argonne Impact Award for Program Development 
• Recipient of 2018 AIAA Martin Summerfield Propellants and Combustion Graduate Student Award
• Recipient of Air India Award (2014) for the best academic record (Aerospace Engineering) at Indian Institute of Technology Madras
• Institute Merit Award (2013) for the best academic record in the first two semesters at Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Technical Society Involvement

• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)- International Gas Turbine Institute’s Combustion, Fuels and Emissions Committee Member (June 2022 – Present)
• Served as Colloquium Co-Chair for Propulsion for 39^th Combustion Symposium
• Served as Session chair for 2022 Turbo Expo, Session co-chair for 2020 and 2021 ASME Turbo Expo
• Served as Session chair for Combustion Institute Conferences including U.S. National Meetings, Combustion Symposium, Eastern/Central/Western States Section Meetings
• Organized Women in Combustion networking event at the 12^th U.S. National Meeting of the Combustion Institute
• Member of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Combustion Institute
• Reviewer for Combustion and Flame, Fuels, Energy and Fuels, ASME Journal for Gas Turbines and Power, Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, ASME Turbo Expo