Roberto Capanna

Dr. Roberto Capanna is a Research Professor in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at the George Washington University, working within Professor Philippe M. Bardet’s group. He holds a Ph.D. focused on fluid–structure interaction (FSI), with an emphasis on potential-flow modeling and experimental thermal-hydraulics in nuclear reactor applications. His research spans fluid dynamics, nuclear reactor safety, experimental and numerical methods, and advanced non-intrusive optical diagnostics.

Dr. Capanna leads experimental efforts in flow-loop mechanical design, high-speed imaging, polymer development for refractive index matching with water, and fiber-based diagnostic systems. His work has also extended into the development of amplitude-only Fourier-optical neural network architectures and microalgae harvesting for biofuel production, demonstrating a cross-disciplinary reach into optical machine learning and sustainable energy. He actively mentors graduate students and contributes to multidisciplinary projects at the intersection of fluid dynamics, nuclear engineering, and applied optics.