Andrea Vacca studies fluid power, modeling and simulating hydraulic systems, pumps, motors, and valves for multiple fluid power applications. He is the director of the Maha Fluid Power Research Center, the largest academic hydraulics lab in the country, with more than 15,000 square feet of testing space. Goals of his research are the improvement of energy efficiency, durability, controllability, and noise emissions of fluid power technology. To accomplish these goals, his research team has developed original numerical and experimental techniques for hydraulic systems and components. The team as also formulated several novel solutions, including new concepts to perform hydraulic actuations as well as new designs for pumps and motors. Vacca's interests also include the electrification of hydraulic control systems, and the modeling of the properties of hydraulic fluids, with focus to the effects of aeration and cavitation, as well as the use of low viscous fluids (such as water) in fluid power systems.

Vacca earned his Ph.D. from the University of Florence (Italy) in 2005, presenting a thesis in the field of Gas Turbine Blade Cooling Technology. Before joining Purdue University in 2010, Dr. Vacca was Assistant Professor of Fluid Machinery at the University of Parma (Italy). He is the author of more than 150 papers, most of them published in international journals or conferences. He is also active in the fluid power research community. He is a faculty member of the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP), co-chair of Fluid Power Systems and Technology Division (FPST) of ASME, and a former chair of the SAE Fluid Power division. Vacca is also Treasurer and Secretary of the Board of the Global Fluid Power Society (GFPS). Furthermore, he is also Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Fluid Power and he is in the Editorial Board of Actuators, the Journal of Dynamics and Vibroacoustics and the Journal of Hydromechatronic.

The ASME Committee of Past Presidents confers the Fellow grade of membership on worthy candidates to recognize their outstanding engineering achievements. Nominated by ASME Members and Fellows, an ASME Member has to have 10 or more years of active practice and at least 10 years of active corporate membership. Over 3,000 members have attained the grade of Fellow.