Laura Paquin

Laura Paquin received her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland in 2022. Prior to that, she received her B.S. in aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame and her M.S. (2019) from the University of Maryland. Her graduate degree was supported by the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) fellowship, and her thesis work investigated the effects of cooling on hypersonic boundary-layer instabilities. After completing a post-doctoral research project at UMD which leveraged the T5 high-enthalpy tunnel at Caltech, Paquin joined the Spacecraft Engineering Division at the Naval Research Lab (NRL) in Washington, DC. As a Karles fellow at NRL, Paquin independently established an ultrafast laser diagnostics lab, constructed a supersonic free jet facility, and measured flow velocity of the jet using Femtosecond Laser Electronic Excitation Tagging (FLEET) through a collaboration with the West Virginia Center for KINETIC Plasma Physics at WVU.

Paquin’s research experience is largely concentrated in the field of hypersonic aerothermodynamics. Interested in external aerodynamics on hypersonic vehicles, she plans to establish a laboratory capable of testing wind-tunnel models at flight-relevant enthalpies. Her background is in optical diagnostics such as schlieren imaging, temperature-sensitive paint, particle image velocimetry, and FLEET. She plans to break ground in the areas of high-enthalpy boundary layer transition, ultrafast laser diagnostic system development, and non-intrusive gas velocity/temperature measurements.

Publications

• Paquin, Laura A., et al. “Time-resolved wave packet development in highly cooled hypersonic boundary layers.” Journal of Fluid Mechanics 983 (2024): A36.

• Paquin, Laura A., Shaun N. Skinner, and Stuart J. Laurence. “Hypersonic boundary-layer disturbances on a cooled, slender cone at Mach 6.” Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets 60.2 (2023): 533-544.

• Juliano, Thomas J., Laura A. Paquin, and Matthew P. Borg. “HIFiRE-5 boundary-layer transition measured in a Mach-6 quiet tunnel with infrared thermography.” AIAA Journal 57.5 (2019): 2001-2010.

• Paquin, Laura A., Shaun Skinner, and Stuart J. Laurence. “Boundary-Layer Disturbances and Surface Heat-Flux Profiles on a Cooled Slender Cone.” AIAA SciTech 2022 Forum. 2022.

• Paquin, Laura A., et al. “Hypersonic boundary-layer instability on a highly cooled cone. Part II: schlieren analysis of boundary-layer disturbances.” AIAA SciTech 2022 Forum. 2022.