Assistant Professor
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
241 Link
klaurent@syr.edu
Degrees:
- Ph.D. Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Cornell University, 2023
- B.S. Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2017
Research Interests:
- Experimental Fluid Dynamics
- Bio-Inspired Flight and Swimming
- Bio-Inspired Noise Mitigation
- UAV Flight Performance in Wind
Dr. Laurent’s research focuses on the role of turbulence and fluid dynamics on aerodynamic performance. She explores both biological and man-made vehicle flight. In her work studying golden eagles, she found a strong relationship between the motion of the bird and the small-scale turbulence experienced by the bird when soaring. These results indicate a need to fully incorporate an understanding of turbulence into our understanding of eagle movements, with implications for other natural and artificial fliers. In the Laurent Fluid Dynamics Lab, her research aims to find engineering solutions to challenges in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by exploring both biological flight and swimming.
Selected Publications:
Laurent, K. M., Fogg, B., Ginsburg, T., Halverson, C., Lanzone, M. J., Miller, T. A., … & Bewley, G. P. (2021). Turbulence explains the accelerations of an eagle in natural flight. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(23), e2102588118.
Laurent, K., La Ragione, L., Jenkins, J. T., & Bewley, G. P. (2022). How vertical oscillatory motion above a saturated sand bed leads to heap formation. Physical Review E, 105(5), 054901.