Our People
with Entire Team
with Graduate Students Only
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. 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 during his time at the TU Dresden. 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) 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.
Postdocs
Ankush Jaiswal
Post-Doctoral Research Associate
Ankush Jaiswal is working as a postdoctoral research associate at the Ray W. Herrick Laboratories, Purdue University. He completed his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Indian Institute of Science Bangalore and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. Afterwards, he worked as a postdoctoral scholar at Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar and Arizona State University before joining Barta Research Group. His research background consists of designing and analysis adsorption chillers, droplet impact dynamics, desalination systems, M-cycle based cooling systems, and human exposure to extreme heat. Presently, he is working on system energy analyses at the cycle and application level, as well as conducting fundamental heat transfer and flow behavior experimental analyses of low-GWP refrigerants. Apart from work, he can be found playing badminton, meditating, cooking, or talking with family.
Graduate Students
Eiman Alkhadhir
Graduate Research Assistant
Eiman Alkhadhir is currently pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering at Purdue University. She obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Kuwait University. Her Master’s thesis centered on the optimization of shell-and-tube heat exchangers using Genetic Algorithms. Her ongoing research at Purdue for her doctoral studies explore developing compressor technology for refrigerants with low Global Worming Potential (<150). In her leisure time, Eiman will choose reading, and when her schedule is tight, she turns to audiobooks and podcasts.
Ganesh Brammanayagam Venkatesan
Graduate Research Assistant
Ganesh is a Master’s 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 MS 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.
Visiting Scholars
Vivian is a final semester student of mechanical engineering at Universidad Nacional de Colombia. She has one year of experience through internships in the automotive sector and energy generation. As a Research Scholar, she is focused on developing experimental setups for the characterization of refrigerants aiming to enhance energy efficiency in buildings. An inherently curious individual, Vivian thrives on being an active person. One of her favorite activities is dancing. She likes to be outdoors surrounded by nature, finds joy in board games and meaningful interactions with others.
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.
Vid is a sophomore studying Computer Science, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence at Purdue University. He is from Hyderabad, India, and is working on using advanced numerical methods to process generated thermal data. In his free time, Vid enjoys playing basketball and the drums. He also enjoys reading, and watching Bollywood movies.
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.
Luke Mennecke is a junior studying Mechanical Engineering. His interests include sustainability, thermodynamics, and fluids. He is currently working on identifying ways to implement low GWP refrigerants in compressors and how compressor geometry can be optimized. In his free time he loves to watch movies, participate in bodybuilding, and travel the world.
Nashe Mucharambeyi
Student Service Attendant
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.
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.
Alexander Spilotro
Surf Fellowship
Alexander Spilotro is a third-year Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering student at Purdue University, pursuing a specialization in astrodynamics and space applications. As a research assistant, his focus lies in examining zeotropic refrigerant behavior during phase change, aiming to contribute to the global effort to use sustainable refrigerants. In his free time, Alexander enjoys reading, lifting weights, and golfing.
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.