Luisa Piccolo Serafim received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering (ME) in 2021 from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil, and currently is a PhD candidate in ME at Duke University. She is exploring fluid-thermal-structural-interaction (FTSI) for supersonic/hypersonic flows and developing a theoretical/numerical method to insert fluid nonlinearities into the aeroelastic solution. Long term, her goal is to use FTSI in supersonic/hypersonic flows for complex geometries, sustainable aviation design with a focus on morphing/folding structures and vertical lift, and energy generation systems, from flapping panels to turbine engines. Teaching English to low-income students during the pandemic fueled her desire for DEI initiatives. At Duke, she joined the Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science (MEMS) DEI and Community Committee, and in her first year, founded Graduate Ambassadors in MEMS to assist underrepresented students strengthen their application materials. In addition, her proposal to an internal interdisciplinary research funding source to mentor master’s students on expanding the use of energy harvesting was accepted for the full amount. One hallmark of her teaching is the “learn-by-doing” philosophy in which students make use of fundamental knowledge to approach complex topics. With this in mind, her goal is to expose students to different perspectives on the same problem and give them the tools to develop a reasonable and efficient solution.

Research Interests

Aeroelasticity, Structural Dynamics, Unsteady Aerodynamics