Curriculum vitae

Benjamin Price

Doctoral researcher in mechanical engineering — experimental R&D, high-voltage systems, instrumentation and data automation, plasma technology.

benprice@uw.edu · Seattle, WA · linkedin.com/in/price-ben · github.com/benprice2310
ORCID 0000-0002-2335-6814

benprice@uw.edu LinkedIn ↗ GitHub ↗ Scholar ↗ ORCID ↗

01 Education

Education

  • 2023 – 2027Expected

    Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering

    University of Washington · Seattle, WA

    • Design and experimental characterisation of atmospheric-pressure surface dielectric barrier discharge actuators for active flow control and propulsion.
    • Working dissertation title: Advanced Design and Characterization of Atmospheric Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge Actuators.
    • Combines high-voltage systems, plasma diagnostics, force and flow measurement, signal processing, automated data analysis, and empirical and computational modelling.

  • 2023 – 2025

    M.S., Mechanical Engineering

    University of Washington · Seattle, WA

    • Earned en route to the Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering.

  • 2020 – 2023

    B.S., Mechanical Engineering

    University of Washington · Seattle, WA

    • Undergraduate research in electrohydrodynamic plasma actuators for active flow control and propulsion.
    • Mary Gates Research Scholar.

02 Experience

Research & engineering

  • Sep 2023 –Present

    Doctoral Researcher

    University of Washington, Department of Mechanical Engineering · Seattle, WA

    • Lead experimental dissertation research on plasma actuators for active flow control and electrohydrodynamic propulsion.
    • Design and operate high-voltage experimental systems integrating oscilloscopes, voltage and current diagnostics, intensified high-speed imaging, precision force measurement, motion control, and NI data acquisition.
    • Design and build custom research hardware — including CNC positioning and live thrust-and-drag measurement systems — to improve experimental repeatability and throughput.
    • Develop predictive models and engineering operating maps for discharge ignition, saturation, electrical behaviour, and actuator performance across geometries, materials, voltages, and frequencies.
    • Publish peer-reviewed research, present results internationally, mentor undergraduate researchers, and advise engineering capstone projects.
    • Serve as Chemical Hygiene Officer; improved the laboratory EHS inspection score from 44 to 96 and contributed to laboratory safety recognition.

  • Jun 2025 – Feb 2026

    Mechanical Engineer

    Spectree Inc · Contract

    • Coordinated day-to-day execution of customer-sponsored plasma-actuator R&D for major aerospace and defence organisations, translating programme objectives into research plans, work assignments, experiments, and recurring deliverables.
    • Led weekly technical meetings with customer engineering teams — communicating progress, presenting results, resolving technical questions, and coordinating upcoming work.
    • Planned research, testing, modelling, and analysis across a small technical team; delegated where appropriate and integrated individual contributions into project-level outcomes.
    • Owned biweekly and monthly technical reports synthesising experimental data, modelling results, literature findings, technical risks, and recommendations.
    • Contributed directly to high-voltage test-system development, plasma-actuator characterisation, instrumentation troubleshooting, data analysis, and reduced-order modelling.
    • Designed and executed a controlled comparison of Rogowski-coil and resistive-shunt current measurements, identified major negative-cycle measurement artefacts, and recommended improvements to discharge-current characterisation.

  • Jan 2024 – Jun 2025

    Teaching Assistant

    Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington · Seattle, WA

    • Teaching assistant for ME 323 Thermodynamics, ME 333 Fluid Mechanics, and ME 538 Advanced Fluid Mechanics.
    • Led instructional sessions, supported laboratory and computational work, evaluated technical assignments, and assisted undergraduate and graduate students.
    • Developed and supported an Ansys Fluent project covering transient and moderate- to high-Reynolds-number flows.

  • Sep 2023 – Jun 2024

    Undergraduate Capstone Advisor

    Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington · Seattle, WA

    • Advised a senior mechanical engineering capstone team developing and validating a new in-tunnel test system for plasma-actuated airfoils.
    • Defined technical requirements and conducted design reviews covering mechanical design, high-voltage integration, instrumentation, and wind-tunnel implementation.
    • Guided testing, troubleshooting, data interpretation, and final validation.

  • Mar 2023 – Sep 2023

    Research Scientist / Engineer Assistant

    University of Washington, Department of Mechanical Engineering · Seattle, WA

    • Limited-term professional staff appointment held during the transition between undergraduate and doctoral programmes.
    • Supported the design, fabrication, and testing of atmospheric-pressure plasma systems.

  • Sep 2021 – Mar 2023

    Undergraduate Research Assistant

    University of Washington, Department of Mechanical Engineering · Seattle, WA

    • Investigated dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators for active flow control and propulsion through geometric testing, empirical modelling, and wind-tunnel experiments.
    • Automated experimental procedures using multi-axis CNC motion control and NI data acquisition, reducing collection and processing time by approximately 63%.
    • Designed and manufactured moment-isolation hardware, airfoil test articles, and experimental mounts for force and velocity-profile measurements.
    • Supported wind-tunnel testing at freestream velocities up to 40 m/s and contributed to peer-reviewed research on plasma-actuator momentum injection and flow separation.

03 Publications

Selected publications

Full list, abstracts & links →

04 Honours

Awards & fellowships

  • Mar 2026

    Paul Phelps Continuing Education Grant

    IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society

    Supports participation in the ICOPS 2026 AI Mini-course; recognises exceptional promise in fields represented by the IEEE NPSS.

  • Sep 2023

    Ron and Wanda Crockett Endowed Fellowship

    University of Washington, Department of Mechanical Engineering

    Awarded on academic achievement and potential for success in graduate study; part of a fellowship package supporting a research assistant appointment through stipend, tuition, and health-insurance funding for 2023–2024.

  • Dec 2022

    Mary Gates Research Scholar

    University of Washington

    Competitive undergraduate research scholarship supporting work on dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators for active flow control.

  • —

    Karsten & Louise Solheim Endowed Scholarship

    University of Washington, Department of Mechanical Engineering

05 Service

Teaching & service

  • 2024 – 2025

    Courses taught

    University of Washington, Department of Mechanical Engineering

    ME 323 Thermodynamics · ME 333 Fluid Mechanics · ME 538 Advanced Fluid Mechanics.

  • 2023 –

    Chemical Hygiene Officer

    University of Washington, Department of Mechanical Engineering

    Laboratory safety, chemical hygiene, and EHS compliance; inspection score improved from 44 to 96, contributing to laboratory safety recognition.

  • 2023 –

    Mentorship & capstone advising

    University of Washington, Department of Mechanical Engineering

    Mentor undergraduate researchers in the lab and advise senior mechanical engineering capstone teams on experimental system design and validation.

06 Skills

Technical skills

Experimental & high voltage

  • High-voltage AC systems
  • Plasma diagnostics
  • Oscilloscope measurement
  • Rogowski coil & resistive shunt
  • Intensified high-speed imaging
  • Precision force measurement
  • Velocity-profile measurement
  • Wind-tunnel testing

Automation & data

  • NI data acquisition
  • Multi-axis CNC motion control
  • Python
  • MATLAB
  • Signal processing
  • Automated analysis pipelines

Design, fabrication & simulation

  • SolidWorks
  • CNC machining
  • 3D printing
  • Ansys Fluent (CFD)
  • Empirical & reduced-order modelling

Programme & team

  • Experimental planning
  • Technical project coordination
  • Customer communication
  • Technical reporting
  • Design reviews
  • Mentoring
  • Laboratory safety / EHS

Certification

SolidWorks certification · SolidWorks Authorized Training Centre, April 2021