Overview

  • Currently Interim Chair, department of electrical and computer engineering at UAB. Twenty-five years of leadership experience in non-profit research and education in engineering and the physical sciences. Extensive experience in planning and leading research and development across a broad range of science and engineering disciplines and applications since the early 1990s. Led and managed research in the engineering and physical sciences in academic and government laboratories and centers. Held positions in new and established research settings and played a leadership role in strategic plan development and implementation. Achieved success as an individual researcher and as a leader of multi-disciplinary research groups. Successfully competed for funding from NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy. Authored and co-authored over 140 publications in refereed journals, conference proceedings and books. Successfully developed successful single- and multi-investigator research proposals, including center scale proposals. Behaviors include collaboration, pragmatism, consensus building, and instigating action to affect positive change.
  • Selected Publications

    Academic Article

    Year Title Altmetric
    2022 An efficient DC-DC converter for inductive power transfer in low-power sensor applicationsInternational Journal of Circuit Theory and Applications.  50:2887-2899. 2022
    2019 A Low-Power Sensitive Integrated Sensor System for Thermal Flow Monitoring 2019
    2019 A Paper-Based Inkjet-Printed Graphene Sensor for Breathing-Flow MonitoringIEEE Sensors Letters.  3. 2019
    2019 An oscillatory neural network based local processing unit for pattern recognition applications 2019
    2018 Rechargeable redox flow batteries: Flow fields, stacks and design considerationsChemical Society Reviews.  47:8721-8743. 2018
    2018 Redox flow batteries with serpentine flow fields: Distributions of electrolyte flow reactant penetration into the porous carbon electrodes and effects on performanceJournal of Power Sources.  384:295-302. 2018
    2018 Rayleigh-Bénard-Marangoni convection in a weakly non-Boussinesq fluid layer with a deformable surfacePhysics of Fluids.  30. 2018
    2017 Rechargeable redox flow batteries: Maximum current density with electrolyte flow reactant penetration in a serpentine flow structure 2017
    2017 Mathematical Modeling of Electrolyte Flow in a Segment of Flow Channel over Porous Electrode Layered System in Vanadium Flow Battery with Flow Field DesignElectrochimica Acta.  223:124-134. 2017
    2016 Mathematical Modeling of Electrolyte Flow Dynamic Patterns and Volumetric Flow Penetrations in the Flow Channel over Porous Electrode Layered System in Vanadium Flow Battery with Serpentine Flow Field Design 2016
    2015 A simple analytical model of coupled single flow channel over porous electrode in vanadium redox flow battery with serpentine flow channelJournal of Power Sources.  288:308-313. 2015
    2014 Flow distribution and maximum current density studies in redox flow batteries with a single passage of the serpentine flow channelJournal of Power Sources.  270:646-657. 2014
    2013 Sensing and energy harvesting of fluidic flow by InAs nanowires 2013
    2012 Stability of liquid bridges between coaxial equidimensional disks to axisymmetric finite perturbations: A review 2012
    2010 Modelling of phase separation in binary fluid under vibration with LBMInternational Journal of Modelling, Identification and Control.  9:65-70. 2010
    2007 Thermal vibrational convection in a two-phase stratified liquid 2007
    2006 The stability of two connected drops suspended from the edges of circular holesJournal of Fluid Mechanics.  563:319-355. 2006
    2006 Analysis of single droplet dynamics on striped surface domains using a lattice Boltzmann methodMicrofluidics and Nanofluidics.  2:309-326. 2006
    2006 Application of the lattice Boltzmann method to two-phase Rayleigh-Benard convection with a deformable interfaceJournal of Computational Physics.  212:473-489. 2006
    2006 Capillary pressure of a liquid in a layer of close-packed uniform spheresPhysics of Fluids.  18. 2006
    2005 Morphological stability of a solid-liquid interface and cellular growth: Insights from thermoelectric measurements in microgravity experimentsJournal of Crystal Growth.  279:195-205. 2005
    2005 Contamination of microgravity liquid diffusivity measurements by void-generated thermocapillary convectionJournal of Crystal Growth.  276:621-634. 2005
    2005 Physical and hydraulic properties of baked ceramic aggregates used for plant growth mediumJournal of the American Society for Horticultural Science.  130:767-774. 2005
    2004 Effects of void-induced convection on interface morphology and segregation during low-g solidificationInternational Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer.  47:5129-5137. 2004
    2004 A Review of the Stability of Disconnected Equilibrium Capillary Surfaces 2004
    2003 On the stability of double bubbles and double dropsAdvances in Colloid and Interface Science.  262:212-220. 2003
    2003 Hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes/large-eddy simulations of supersonic turbulent mixing 2003
    2003 Stability diagrams for disconnected capillary surfacesPhysics of Fluids.  15:3532-3545. 2003
    2002 Mass and thermal diffusivity algorithms: Reduced algorithms for mass and thermal diffusivity determinationsAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences.  974:146-156. 2002
    2002 Convective Effects During Diffusivity Measurements in Liquids with an Applied Magnetic FieldInternational Journal of Thermophysics.  23:649-666. 2002
    2002 Draining intraperitoneal gas after laparoscopyAnaesthesia.  57:606-625. 2002
    2002 Stability of connected cylindrical liquid bridgesPhysical Review E.  65. 2002
    2002 The stability margin for stable weightless liquid bridgesPhysics of Fluids.  14:209-224. 2002
    2001 Going with the flow: Microgravity fluid physicsAerospace America.  39:20-22. 2001
    2001 Composition variations induced by g-jitter in Bridgman growth of Sn-Bi alloys in microgravityJournal of Crystal Growth.  226:543-554. 2001
    2001 A perturbation analysis of the stability of long liquid bridges between almost circular supporting disksPhysics of Fluids.  13:2724-2727. 2001
    2001 Some aspects of the fluid flow in a porous media in the microgravity conditions for the space plant production systemsMagnetic Resonance Imaging.  19:593. 2001
    2000 Dynamics of layer growth in protein crystallizationChemical Reviews.  100:2061-2089. 2000
    2000 Investigation of vibrational control of convective flows in Bridgman melt growth configurationsJournal of Crystal Growth.  211:34-42. 2000
    2000 Collapse dynamics of liquid bridges investigated by time-varying magnetic levitationPhysical Review Letters.  84:338-341. 2000
    2000 Experimental confirmation of the insensitivity of mass diffusion measurements to blockages and voids along the diffusion pathReview of Scientific Instruments.  71:4497-4501. 2000
    2000 On the stability limits of long nonaxisymmetric cylindrical liquid bridgesPhysics of Fluids.  12:979-985. 2000
    2000 Stability of disconnected free surfaces in a cylindrical container under zero gravity: Simple casesPhysics of Fluids.  12:2800-2808. 2000
    1999 Contactless directional crystallizationJournal of Crystal Growth.  207:127-137. 1999
    1999 Shape and stability of doubly connected axisymmetric free surfaces in a cylindrical containerPhysics of Fluids.  11:3668-3677. 1999
    1998 Modeling g-sensitivity of low-gravity experiments 1998
    1998 Combined effect of disk inequality and axial gravity on axisymmetric liquid bridge stabilityPhysics of Fluids.  10:2473-2488. 1998
    1998 On the Boussinesq approximation for fluid systems with deformable interfacesAdvances in Space Research.  22:1159-1168. 1998
    1997 A rationale system-dependent advantages and disadvantages of solution crystal growth at low gravity 1997
    1997 An inverse finite element method for pure and binary solidification problemsJournal of Computational Physics.  130:243-255. 1997
    1997 Bifurcation of the equilibrium states of a weightless liquid bridgePhysics of Fluids.  9:1893-1905. 1997
    1997 Chaotic thermovibrational flow in a laterally heated cavityPhysical Review E.  56:4152-4156. 1997
    1997 Modified diffusion-limited aggregation simulation of electrodeposition in two dimensionsPhysical Review E.  56:4317-4327. 1997
    1997 Plateau tank apparatus for the study of liquid bridgesReview of Scientific Instruments.  68:1495-1500. 1997
    1997 Stability of an isorotating liquid bridge in an axial gravity fieldPhysics of Fluids.  9:1880-1892. 1997
    1997 g-Jitter effects on segregation during directional solidification of tin-bismuth in the MEPHISTO furnace facilityJournal of Crystal Growth.  178:657-661. 1997
    1996 Stability of non-axisymmetric liquid bridges 1996
    1996 Nonlinear response of layer growth dynamics in the mixed kinetics-bulk-transport regimePhysical Review E.  54:6650-6660. 1996
    1996 On the effect of gravity perturbations on composition profiles during Bridgman crystal growth in spaceJournal of Crystal Growth.  165:471-481. 1996
    1995 Convective-diffusive transport in protein crystal growthJournal of Crystal Growth.  151:153-162. 1995
    1995 Venting force contributions - quasi-steady acceleration on STS-50 1995
    1994 Dynamic stability of long, axisymmetric liquid bridges 1994
    1994 Residual gravity jitter effects on fluid process 1994
    1994 A Chebyshev collocation method for moving boundaries, heat transfer, and convection during directional solidificationInternational Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat and Fluid Flow.  4:115-129. 1994
    1993 General discussionFaraday Discussions.  95:145-172. 1993
    1993 Monte Carlo studies of the interdependence of crystal growth morphology, surface kinetics and bulk transportFaraday Discussions.  95:85-95. 1993
    1993 Detailed analysis of Honeywell In-Space Accelerometer data - STS-32 1993
    1993 A residual acceleration data analysis and management systemAdvances in Space Research.  13:261-265. 1993
    1992 Convection in an asymmetrically heated cylinderInternational Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer.  35:2119-2130. 1992
    1992 Effects of buoyancy-driven flow and thermal boundary conditions on physical vapor transportJournal of Crystal Growth.  118:49-59. 1992
    1992 Microscopic-growth morphologies in binary systemsPhysical Review A.  45. 1992
    1992 Surface tension and buoyancy‐driven flow in a non‐isothermal liquid bridgeInternational Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids.  14:197-215. 1992
    1991 Simulation of surface morphologies in crystal growth from the vaporJournal of Crystal Growth.  109:43-49. 1991
    1991 Analysis of spacelab 3 residual acceleration dataJournal of Spacecraft and Rockets.  28:707-712. 1991
    1991 Analysis of the low gravity tolerance of Bridgman-Stockbarger crystal growth II. Transient and periodic accelerationsJournal of Crystal Growth.  113:21-38. 1991
    1991 Growth morphologies of crystal surfacesPhysical Review A.  43:2977-2992. 1991
    1990 Modelling the solution growth of TGS crystals in low gravityJournal of Crystal Growth.  104:218-232. 1990
    1990 Epidural and intravenous infusions of diamorphineEuropean Journal of Anaesthesiology.  7:309-315. 1990
    1990 Growth morphology with anisotropic surface kineticsJournal of Crystal Growth.  100:313-329. 1990
    1990 Sensitivity of liquid bridges subject to axial residual accelerationPhysics of Fluids.  2:1966-1974. 1990
    1989 Fluid flow in solidifying monotectic alloys 1989
    1989 Analysis of the low gravity tolerance of Bridgman-Stockbarger crystal growth. I. Steady and impulse accelerationsJournal of Crystal Growth.  97:285-302. 1989
    1989 Microfolding in the Permian Castile formation: an example of geometric systems in multilayer folding, Texas and New MexicoGeological Society of America Bulletin.  101:742-750. 1989
    1989 Morphological evolution of crystals growing in the presence of a uniform drift: A Monte Carlo simulationPhysical Review A.  39:6397-6401. 1989
    1988 Hydrodynamic and free boundary instabilities during crystal growth: The effect of a plane stagnation flowCommunications on Pure and Applied Mathematics.  41:683-706. 1988
    1988 Morphological evolution of growing crystals: A Monte Carlo simulationPhysical Review A.  38:2447-2456. 1988
    1988 Motions in fluids caused by microgravitational acceleration and their modification by relative rotation 1988
    1986 The effect of latent heat on weakly non-linear morphological stabilityJournal of Crystal Growth.  79:849-865. 1986
    1986 Interfacial conditions for thermomechanical equilibrium in two-phase crystalsJournal of Applied Physics.  59:2735-2746. 1986
    1985 Thermomechanical equilibrium in solid-fluid systems with curved interfacesJournal of Applied Physics.  58:816-824. 1985
    1981 A Newtonian fluid model of the onset of plane folding in a single rock layer with surface tension effectsMathematical modelling.  2:319-348. 1981

    Research Overview

  • Heat, mass and momentum transport in energy systems
    Energy storage systems
    Computational simulation
    Heat, mass and momentum transport in fluid, phase change and multi-phase systems
    Smart sensors and systems
    Wind Array dynamics and performance
    Dynamics and static behavior of fluid surfaces and interfaces
    Spacecraft residual acceleration
    Spacecraft life support systems
  • Teaching Overview

  • Courses taught at UAB:
    EGR 602 Methods for Engineering Practice
    EE 610 Technical Communication
    EGR 110 Introduction to Engineering
    HC 111 Honors Seminar Engineering
    ME 322 Introduction to Heat Transfer
    EGR 111 Introduction to Engineering
    EGR 150 Computer Methods in Engineering

    Other teaching experience:
    1998-2013 Case Western Reserve University, Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering: :Computational Fluid Dynamics, Engineering Analysis, Dynamics, Introduction to Thermodynamics, Mass and Heat Transfer, Introduction to Design and Manufacturing
    1995-1997 University of Alabama in Huntsville: Department of Physics: Solid State Physics I, Solid State Physics II, Mathematical Methods for Physicists
    1985 Carnegie-Mellon University: Department of Mathematics. Stability Theory Applied to Problems in Hydrodynamics and Solidification.
    1981-82 Florida Institute of Technology, Department of Ocean Engineering: Introduction to Oceanography, Mineralogy, Petrology, Optical Mineralogy, Plate Tectonics, Marine Geology.
  • Education And Training

  • Doctor of Philosophy in Geology / Earth Science, Washington State University at Pullman 1981
  • Full Name

  • J. Iwan Alexander