Theodosios Alexander is an American academic, engineer and author. He has served as faculty and in academic administration in four universities, in the UK and USA, following the award of four graduate degrees from MIT, and work in engineering industry.

Education

Graduating with a first class honors bachelor of science degree in

Marine Engineering Marine engineering is the engineering of boats, ships, submarines, and any other marine vessel. Here it is also taken to include the engineering of other ocean systems and structures – referred to in certain academic and professional circl ...

from the

University of Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick unive ...

in 1981, Alexander went on to complete three Master of Science degrees in

naval architecture Naval architecture, or naval engineering, is an engineering discipline incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety engineering as applied to the engineering design process, shipbuilding, maintenance, and ...

and marine engineering, ocean systems management, and

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, ...

, all from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern t ...

(MIT). These were followed by a doctorate in mechanical engineering, also from MIT.

Career

In 1988, Alexander joined the Mechanical Engineering department at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University i ...

, Missouri where he was Director of the Internal Combustion Engines Lab and taught until 2001. From there he moved to the UK and was the James Watt Professor of Thermodynamics at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

until 2006. At the University of Glasgow, he developed the Center for Emerging Technologies and the Power and Propulsion Laboratory. From February 2006 until August 2012 he served as Chair of Energy Engineering at

Queen Mary, University of London , mottoeng = With united powers , established = 1785 – The London Hospital Medical College1843 – St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College1882 – Westfield College1887 – East London College/Queen Mary College , type = Public researc ...

. He returned to St. Louis in 2012 to become Dean of

Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology is a college within Saint Louis University. History de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver restored by Parks students in 1991 Founding Parks Air College was founded by Oliver Parks in the city o ...

of Saint Louis University in September 2012. He has also served as director of interdisciplinary research collaborations, as executive for new initiatives, and he also serves as a professor of

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...

and

. Alexander has worked for

Hellenic Shipyards Co. Hellenic Shipyards S.A. is a large shipyard in Skaramagas, in West Athens regional unit, Greece. History Commonly known as Skaramaga Shipyards (Greek: Ναυπηγεία Σκαραμαγκά), from the area where they are located, its origin ...

, U.S. Navy Consultants John J. McMullen & Associates in Washington D.C., at the Northern Research and Engineering Corporation in Woburn, Massachusetts, and at

McDonnell Douglas Corp. McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own merger with Boeing in 1997, it prod ...

and

The Boeing Company The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

in St. Louis on propulsion-system studies. He remains active in numerous international consulting activities.

Research

Alexander’s research career has focused on thermal or fluid sciences and applications on the design of power and propulsion systems,

energy conversion systems Energy transformation, also known as energy conversion, is the process of changing energy from one form to another. In physics, energy is a quantity that provides the capacity to perform work or moving, (e.g. Lifting an object) or provides heat. ...

, renewable energy and engineering systems and components. He also conducted research on unsteady thermo-fluid dynamics and unsteady transport phenomena within those areas, the performance of

turbomachinery Turbomachinery, in mechanical engineering, describes machines that transfer energy between a rotor (turbine), rotor and a fluid, including both turbines and gas compressor, compressors. While a turbine transfers energy from a fluid to a rotor, a ...

and

airfoils An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine. ...

, a novel method to predict

gas turbine A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the directio ...

and piston engine emissions, development of a novel

Nutating disc engine A nutating disc engine (also sometimes called a disc engine) is an internal combustion engine comprising fundamentally of one moving part and a direct drive onto the crankshaft. Initially patented in 1993, it differs from earlier internal combu ...

for

unmanned aerial vehicles An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controlle ...

and on fluid-dynamic modeling of the

cardiovascular system The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...

, and development of mechanical circulatory support devices. Alexander holds two patents on biomedical devices, he is a co-author of a textbook on turbomachinery design and has published more than 120 research papers in archival scientific journals.

Honors and awards

The UK National Health Service (NHS) Innovations Program awarded Alexander with the Innovator of the Year Award in 2008 and 2009 for his personal research on mechanical circulatory support devices. 2014 Kenneth Harris James Prize in Aerospace Engineering, Institute of Mechanical Engineers, UK. 2018 Literati Highly Commended Award.

Professional memberships and associations

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

(ASME) *

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA is the U.S. representative on the International Astronautical Federation and the International Council of ...

(AIAA) *

Society of Automotive Engineers SAE International, formerly named the Society of Automotive Engineers, is a United States-based, globally active professional association and standards developing organization for engineering professionals in various industries. SAE Internatio ...

(SAE International) *

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is a highly prestigious, non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a small group of graduate students in 1886 ...

, the Scientific Research Society

Representative publications

* “Optimization of axial pump characteristic dimensions and induced hemolysis for mechanical circulatory support devices” ASAIO journal, Vol 64, Issue 6, Nov 2018, pp. 727–734 DOI: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000000719 *“The Effect of Geometry on the Efficiency and Hemolysis of Centrifugal Implantable Blood Pumps” ASAIO Journal, Vol 63, issue 1, Jan 2017, DOI: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000000457 *“In-vitro investigation of hemodynamic responses of the cerebral, coronary and renal circulations with a rotary blood pump installed in the descending aorta” Medical Engineering & Physics, Vol 40, No. 1, p. 2-10, 2017, DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2016.11.006 *“Optimization of Centrifugal Pump Characteristic Dimensions for Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices” ASAIO journal, Vol 62, issue 5, p 545-551, Sep 2016, DOI: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000000393. *“The effects of ambulatory accelerations on the stability of a magnetically suspended impeller for an implantable blood pump” Artificial Organs, Aug 2016, DOI: 10.1111/aor.12749 *“Experimentally tested performance and emissions advantages of using natural-gas and hydrogen fuel mixture with diesel and rapeseed methyl ester as pilot fuels” Applied Energy, Volume 229, 1 Nov 2018, pp. 1260–1268. DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.08.052 *“Hydraulic characterization of diesel and water emulsions using momentum flux” Fuel, Vol 162, pp. 23–33. 2015, DOI: 10.1016/j.fuel.2015.08.016 *“Natural gas fueled compression ignition engine performance and emissions maps with diesel and RME pilot fuels” Applied Energy, Vol 124, pp. 354–365, 2014. DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.02.067 *“Assessment of elliptic flame front propagation characteristics of iso-octane, gasoline, M85 and E85 in an optical engine”, Combustion and Flame, Vol 161, No (3), pp. 696–710, 2014, DOI: 10.1016/j.combustflame.2013.07.020 *“Design of high-efficiency turbomachinery blades for energy conversion devices with the three dimensional prescribed surface curvature distribution blade design (CIRCLE) method” Applied Energy, Vol 89, No. 1, pp. 215–227, Jan 2012, DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2011.07.004

References

External links

Alexander's faculty profile at Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Theodosios Year of birth missing (living people) American university and college faculty deans Engineers from Athens Living people Saint Louis University faculty Washington University in St. Louis faculty Alumni of Newcastle University Greek emigrants to the United States