Our People
Principal Investigator
Riley Barta
Assistant Professor Of Mechanical Engineering
Riley Barta is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University’s Ray W. Herrick Laboratories. His research area is thermal systems technology with a focus on the characterization and implementation of environmentally-friendly working fluids. Previously, Dr. Barta spent several years leading the Refrigeration Research Group at the Schaufler Chair for Refrigeration, Cryogenics and Compressor Technology at the TU Dresden in Germany. His research team there conducted experimental and numerical research on vapor compression systems for a broad range of applications, waste heat utilization, refrigerant property characterization and aircraft fuel cell thermal management. In 2024, Dr. Barta received the ASRHAE New Investigator Award to focus on practical challeneges surrounding zeotropic mixtures in heat pumps. During his time at the TU Dresden, Dr. Barta received an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship to support additional research focused on zeotropic refrigerant mixtures for applications in high temperature heat pumps. Additionally, he received the DKV (German Refrigeration Society) Young Talent Award for his Ph.D. Dissertation on efficiency increasing measures for transcritical Carbon Dioxide refrigeration systems. Dr. Barta is also the recipient of the William E. and Florence E. Perry Teaching Fellowship to teach Thermodynamics as well as the ASHRAE Grant-In-Aid with Life Member Club Distinction for his research on Carbon Dioxide refrigeration technology. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. Dr. Barta is passionate about teaching Thermodynamics 1 (ME200), Advanced Thermodynamics (ME500) as well as the International Refrigeration and Compressor Course (IRCC) in addition to working with and mentoring his research team at the Herrick Laboratories. Outside of his time at the university, Dr. Barta enjoys snowboarding, hiking, road biking, ice hockey, reading historical fiction books, listening to music and spending time with friends and family.
Graduate Students
Ganesh Brammanayagam Venkatesan
Graduate Research Assistant
Ganesh is a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, with a passion for sustainability and climate change. He has completed his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and has 3 years of experience working with refrigeration technologies. His research focuses on developing and analyzing low-GWP refrigerants for a more eco-friendly future. He likes to read books and travel in his free time.
Joshua Cox
Graduate Research Assistant
Joshua Cox is a mechanical engineering student at Purdue University pursuing his MS degree in Mechanical Engineering. His research focuses primarily on refrigerant blends and examining their key parameters such as flammability and GWP. In his free time, Josh enjoys spending time in nature, and playing sports such as basketball and golf.
Darshak Gadagkar
Graduate Research Assistant
Darshak Gadagkar is pursuing his MSME at Purdue University. His research focuses on the development of high-temperature heat pumps for industrial applications requiring heat up to 200 degrees Celsius. His tasks focus on the system design and working fluid-lubricant interactions. In his free time, Darshak loves to be in the world of sports, playing basketball and football, and attending as many sporting events as possible.
Aaron Hartzell
Graduate Research Assistant
Aaron Hartzell is pursuing his MSME at Purdue University. His research includes working on the Indiana Digital Crossroads project in which vast amounts of data are being used to inform design decisions in relation to power generator sets. He is also working on thermal modeling of an automotive compressor in conjunction with acoustics students to enhance the compressor's performance. In his free time, Aaron likes to watch basketball, dive deeper into various foreign languages, play piano, and cook food from various cultures around the world.
Rakibul Hassan
Graduate Research Assistant
Rakibul Hassan is a mechanical engineering PhD student at Purdue University. He received his BSc in mechanical engineering at Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology in Bangladesh. His research primarily focuses on developing advanced numerical models to understand and predict the behavior of vapor compression cycles with low-GWP refrigerant blends and their lubricants. In his free time, Rakibul enjoys a diverse range of activities, including indulging in movies, binge-watching TV series, catching soccer matches, and immersing himself in the pages of a good book.
John Huby
Graduate Research Assistant
John Huby is a mechanical engineering PhD student at Purdue University who graduated from Purdue with a BS in mechanical engineering in spring 2023. His research is in the development of high glide low GWP refrigerant blends for heat exchanger optimization. When not in the lab, John enjoys working out, playing volleyball and basketball, or practicing ballet.
Michael Lang
Graduate Research Assistant
Michael Lang is pursuing a Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. at Purdue University. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering after graduating magna cum laude from the University of Portland in May 2024. Having grown up in Oregon, Michael is familiar with many of the renewable energy sources that power much of the Pacific Northwest. He has over a year of experience in the hydropower industry as a former intern for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and has worked on hydroelectric design projects for dam powerhouses across the country. Michael’s undergraduate research investigated Taylor-Couette flow and the formation of Taylor Vortices in high-viscosity fluids. His current research focuses on the design and optimization of high-temperature heat pump systems for industrial applications. Beyond the classroom and lab, Michael enjoys being outdoors, running, biking, and golfing. As a former writer and editor for his undergraduate newspaper, Michael also likes to write and read.
Yash Parmar
Graduate Research Assistant
Yash Shantilal Parmar is a passionate Mechanical engineer with extensive knowledge in design of cooling systems currently pursuing his Phd in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya. His research at Purdue is centered on advancing compressor technology for low Global Warming Potential refrigerants, employing simulation tools like PDSim to analyze performance. Yash previously worked at ISRO, where he contributed to the design and execution of large-scale projects including clean rooms and complex air conditioning systems. He is deeply passionate about Thermal Engineering and continuously seeks to expand his expertise in this field. In his free time, Yash likes to focus on his fitness by going to the gym, playing badminton, he also enjoys playing video-games and watching TV series & movies.
Kyle Shepard
Graduate Research Assistant
Kyle Shepard is a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, who previously acquired his M.S. and B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Oklahoma State University. His research involves studying the thermophysical and chemical properties of low GWP refrigerant and lubricant mixtures, optimizing and characterizing the effects of intermolecular forces upon heat transfer applications. Away from the lab, Kyle spends his time exercising, cooking, reading history and theology books, exploring niche topics on Wikipedia, and spending quality time with friends.
Vivian Toca Diaz
Me Graduate Research Assistant
Vivian is pursuing an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Vivian’s current interests include energy efficiency and sustainable technologies. Her research focuses on the development of experimental setups for the characterization of refrigerants and the sensing of flows for composition determination. Outside of her academic pursuits, Vivian enjoys dancing, exploring nature, and learning about new cultures and languages.
Visiting Scholars
Ayan Sengupta is a SERB Fellowship Recipient and a PhD student at BITS Pilani. He obtained his Master’s degree in Heat Power Engineering from BIT Mesra. His research focuses on improving energy efficiency of R744 supermarket refrigeration systems for use in warm and hot climatic locations. His research area also includes waste heat recovery, integration of organic Rankine cycles and heat driven ejector chillers with R744 systems, pressure exchanger, CFD and solar energy. He is a recipient of the SERB Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship. At Purdue he will be carrying out numerical as well as experimental study on Pressure exchangers for possible integration with R744 refrigeration systems. Apart from work, he is interested in playing cricket, reading story books and exploring new places.
Undergraduate Students
Mayank is pursuing his BSME and will be supporting the Indiana Digital Crossroads project focusing on data management for test data from generator cooling systems.
Zachary Bryant is a mechanical engineering BS student at Purdue University. His undergraduate interests include thermal, fluid, and material simulations and he hopes to continue pursuing these interests into post-graduate research. Zach enjoys spending time outdoors fishing and backpacking whenever he can find a chance to get off campus.
Wyatt Donley
Resident Assistant - Resident Activiti
Wyatt Donley is a junior studying Aeronautical and Astronautical engineering with a specialization in Propulsion. His main interests lie in thermodynamics, innovative propulsion technology, and additive manufacturing technologies. His research focuses on working to develop a High Temperature Heat Pump utilizing low-GWP refrigerants. His main focus is in optimizing the space used by the test stand design, and integrating parts into the test stand. In his free time, Wyatt enjoys spending time with friends and family, playing golf, and playing video games.
Tanvir Kaur is a third year chemical engineering undergraduate student at Purdue University. She is also pursuing a concentration in energy and the environment along with a minor in management. Her research focuses on examining the chemical attributes of particular refrigerants and oils, aiming to assess tactics for external manipulation and compare the effectiveness of various working fluids. Tanvir enjoys reading books, thrifting vintage clothes, and spending time outdoors.
Nashe Mucharambeyi is an undergraduate in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. He works on the Indiana Digital Crossroads project that involves creating an automation tool for a power generator set cooling model and enjoys working on thermal and fluid problems where he does further research on. Nashe enjoys spending time with friends, going to different food places and trying new experiences.
Sidney Ryan
Student Clerical - Ugta
Sidney is a senior who is pursuing a B.S. in mechanical engineering, with a minor in Jewish studies. He has previous industry experience doing R&D and FEA for Nifco, a manufacturer of plastic clips for companies such as Toyota, Honda, and Ford. He has worked with Purdue University as a teaching assistant for ME 365 and as an undergraduate researcher in the summer undergraduate research fellowship (SURF). His research focuses on designing a test stand that will undergo strenuous conditions in a heat exchanger. In his free time, Sid likes to play video games, listen to music, and play frisbee with his dog, Paisley.
Rifqi is a junior in pursuing a minor in Global Engineering Studies. He was born in Indonesia, lived in Saudi Arabia, and came to Purdue to study Mechanical Engineering. Rifqi conducts research on simulating cooling systems for Cummins generators. In his free time, he likes to listen to historical documentaries and read either fantasy or sci-fi novels.
Nishtha Singh is a fourth-year undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Computer Information and Technology. Her main interests lie in thermodynamics, mechanical design and sustainability. Her research focuses on conducting refrigerant and oil analysis for optimizing performance of pumps. In my free time, she likes listening to music, playing video games and badminton.
Madison Ward
Student Clerical - Ugta
Madison Ward is a second-year Mechanical Engineering student at Purdue. She is currently working on analyzing measurement techniques of low GWP refrigerants. In her free time, Madison enjoys mountain biking, playing guitar, and spending time with friends.
Robert Welp is a junior studying mechanical engineering at Purdue, he plans to graduate with a BSME in May, 2025. As an undergraduate research assistant, his focus lies in the research and testing of zeotropic fluid mixtures to be used as refrigerants in modern appliances. The motivation behind his project is the worldwide effort to reduce carbon emissions by implementing low-GWP refrigerants in new appliances. In Robert's free time, he enjoys lifting weights, reading, and being involved in several clubs at Purdue.