Mungal, Godfrey - School of Engineering

Biography

Professor Godfrey Mungal was born and raised in Trinidad, West Indies and received his undergraduate education in Engineering Science at the University of Toronto (B.A.Sc. 1975, Hons.) and his graduate education in Aeronautics at the California Institute of Technology (M.S. 1977, Ph.D. 1983). He also served on the faculty of the University of the West Indies from 1975-76 as a lecturer in Mathematics, and as a post-doctoral research fellow from 1983-85 at the California Institute of Technology, before joining Stanford University. He has served as director of the High Temperature Gasdynamics Laboratory from 1993-97, the Associate Chair for Student Services in Mechanical Engineering from 1997-2001, the Associate Dean for Graduate Policy from 2002-2005 and a Stanford Resident Fellow from 2001-2007. He became Professor Emeritus at Stanford University in 2007. From 2007-2017 he served as the Sobrato Professor and Dean of Engineering at Santa Clara University. He is currently Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

Areas of Expertise

Turbulent Mixing, Turbulent Reaction, Flame Stability, Drag Reduction, Separated Flows

Courses Taught

MECH 45/L - Applied Programming in MATLAB
MECH 121 - Thermodynamics I
MECH122/L - Fluid Mechanics
MECH123/L - Heat Transfer
MECH160/L - Modern Instrumentation for Engineers
MECH 225 - Gas Dynamics
MECH 266 - Viscous Flow & Advanced Fluid Mechanics
MECH 290 - Graduate Research/Project
MECH 297 - Seminar
MECH 298 - Independent Study
MECH 299 - Master’s Thesis

Research Interests

Professor Mungal's research efforts have covered supersonic and subsonic mixing and combustion, turbulent reacting jets in coflow and crossflow, image processing (volume rendering) of turbulent flow structure, drag reduction of bluff bodies, flame stability – liftoff and blowout, flow in microchannels, studies of drag reduction in boundary layers with injected polymers, the use of pulsed plasmas to control flame stability and most recently, aerodynamic flows with separation.

Awards

Special Faculty Senate Council Award, in recognition of "outstanding contribution to the mission of the University," (first ever such award in the history of SCU), 2017.
Tau Beta Pi, inducted as Eminent Engineer, 2014.
AIAA Best Paper, AIAA Propellants and Combustion Technical Committee, 2011.
Sobrato Professor, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, 2007 – 2017.
Fellow of the APS, 2006.
Fellow of the ASME, 2003.
Associate Fellow of the AIAA, 1999.
Excellence in Teaching Award, Stanford Society of Women Engineers, Stanford University, 1992.
Faculty Education Award, Stanford Society of Chicano/Latino Engineers and Scientists, Stanford University, 1992.
Faculty Safety Award, School of Engineering, Stanford University, 1992.
Tau Beta Pi Excellence in Teaching Award,* School of Engineering, Stanford University, 1991.
School of Engineering Distinguished Advisor Award,* Stanford University, 1991. (*The first time in the history of Stanford that the same faculty member has won the teaching and advising awards simultaneously).
Excellence in Teaching Award, Stanford Society of Black Scientists and Engineers, Stanford University, 1989.
E. E. Sechler Memorial Award, Calif. Inst. of Tech., 1982. (Awarded to the graduate student who has contributed the most to research and teaching in Aeronautics).
J. A. D. McCurdy Prize, University of Toronto, 1974.
First Wallberg Undergraduate Scholarship, University of Toronto, 1972.
Jerningham Gold Medal, Trinidad, 1971 (Awarded to the top graduating high school senior).
University of the West Indies Scholarship, Trinidad, 1971.
Open Island Mathematics Scholarship, Trinidad, 1971.

Notable Publications

Over 200 journal and conference publications. Over 12,000 citations on Google Scholar
M. G. Mungal & P. E. Dimotakis (1984) “Mixing and Combustion with Low Heat Release in a Turbulent Shear Layer,” J. Fluid Mech., 148, 349-382.
T. Poinsot, T. Echekki & M. G. Mungal (1992) “A Study of the Laminar Flame Tip and Implications for Premixed Turbulent Combustion,” Comb. Sci. & Tech., 81, 45-73.
N. T. Clemens & M. G. Mungal (1995) “Large Structure and Entrainment in the Supersonic Mixing Layer,” J. Fluid Mech., Vol. 284, 171-216.
L. Muñiz & M. G. Mungal (1997) “Instantaneous Flame-Stabilization Velocities in Lifted Jet Diffusion Flames,” Comb. Flame, 111, 16-31.
S. H. Smith & M. G. Mungal (1998) “Mixing, Structure and Scaling of the Jet in Crossflow,” J. Fluid Mech., 357, 83-122.
Donghee Han & M. G. Mungal (2001) “Direct Measurement of Entrainment in Reacting/Non-Reacting Turbulent Jets,” Comb. Flame, 124: 370-386.
L. K. Su, O. S. Sun and M. G. Mungal (2006) “Experimental Investigation of Stabilization Mechanisms in Turbulent, Lifted Jet Diffusion Flames,” Comb. Flame 144, 494–512.
Wookyung Kim, Hyungrok Do, M. G. Mungal & M. A. Cappelli (2006) “Plasma-Discharge Stabilization of Jet Diffusion Flames,” IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, 34 (6), December 2006, 2545-2551
C. M. White & M. G. Mungal (2008) “Mechanics and Prediction of Turbulent Drag Reduction with Polymer Additives,” Annual Reviews of Fluid Mechanics, 40, 235–256.
Hyungrok Do, Mark A. Cappelli & M. G. Mungal (2010) “Plasma assisted cavity flame ignition in supersonic flows,” Comb. Flame, 157, 1783-1794
V. S. R. Somandepalli, Y. X. Hou, & M. G. Mungal (2010) “Concentration Flux Measurements in a Polymer Drag-Reduced Turbulent Boundary Layer,” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 644, 281-319.
M. Gamba & M. G. Mungal (2015) “Ignition, Flame Structure and Near-Wall burning in Transverse Hydrogen Jets in Supersonic Crossflow,” J. Fluid Mechanics, Vol 780, 226-273
Michael Fanton, Hossein Vahid Alizadeh, August G. Domel, Matthew Devlin, Mehmet Kurt, M. Godfrey Mungal, David B. Camarillo, Elliot Hawkes (2020), “Variable area, constant force shock absorption motivated by traumatic brain injury prevention”, Smart Materials and Structures, 29 (8), 085023.
M. G. Mungal & Tioga Benner (2022) “The forward-facing fin - An unusual hydrodynamic design,” 12th International Symposium on Turbulence and Shear Flows (TSFP12), Osaka Japan, 19-22 July, 2022.
M. G. Mungal & A. K. Mahler (2024) “Study of Crescent Wings in Backward and Forward Configurations,” 13th International Symposium on Turbulence and Shear Flows (TSFP13), Montreal, Canada, 25-28 June, 2024.