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 as 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 challenges 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 and 2 (ME200 and ME300), 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

gbramman@purdue.edu

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.

Aaron Hartzell

Graduate Research Assistant

ahartze@purdue.edu

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

hassan87@purdue.edu

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

huby@purdue.edu

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.

Andrew Leblanc

Graduate Research Assistant

Andrew LeBlanc is pursuing his MSME at Purdue University. He received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research is centered on the development of high temperature heat pumps for industrial applications. He is specifically focused on the experimental performance evaluation of novel cycle architectures. Outside of the lab, he enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, playing the piano, and reading.

Yash Parmar

Graduate Research Assistant

parmary@purdue.edu

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

vtocadia@purdue.edu

Vivian is a Master’s student in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Colombia. Her research focuses on the measurement of zeotropic refrigerant fractionation with lubricants during phase change, with an emphasis on comparing sensors for in-line mixture composition and evaluating their tradeoffs between accuracy and practicality. This work aims to improve the understanding of mixture behavior and its impact on vapor compression cycles. Outside the lab, she enjoys outdoors activities, traveling, and exploring new cultural and culinary experiences.

Visiting Scholars

Paul Ellend

Visiting Scholar

(765) 429-9695

Paul Ellend is a visiting scholar currently pursuing his master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kassel in Germany. He is working with our group on improving compressor performance using low-GWP refrigerants. Outside of his academic pursuits, he enjoys running and playing soccer.

Undergraduate Students

Mayank Agarwal

agarw316@purdue.edu

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.