Beckett Zhou
Dr. Beckett Zhou is an Assistant Professor at the Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research team focuses on developing efficient aerodynamic and aeroacoustics simulation and optimization frameworks, supported by multi-fidelity methodologies and data-driven methods. Dr. Zhou received his master's degree from MIT in 2012 and his Ph.D. from the RWTH Aachen University in 2018 with a thesis entitled ‘Numerical Optimization for Airframe Noise Reduction'. He subsequently performed post-doctoral research with NASA Langley Research Center (hosted by the National Institute of Aerospace) on the topic of adjoint-based broadband noise reduction via stochastic noise generation. Prior to joining Georgia Tech in November 2024, he was a Lecturer in Aeroacoustics at the University of Bristol between March 2021 and October 2024, leading the computational aeroacoustics research in the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
Professor Zhou’s teaching interests encompass foundational and advanced topics in aerospace engineering, including aerodynamics, fluid mechanics, and aeroacoustics. His instruction integrates theoretical concepts with hands-on computational experience to prepare undergraduate and graduate students for research and professional practice. Professor Zhou emphasizes the development of analytical and computational skills essential for addressing complex aerospace engineering challenges.
Professor Zhou’s research is centered on computational aerodynamics and aeroacoustics with a focus on understanding flow physics and noise generation mechanisms, as well as innovative methods for flow and noise control. Professor Zhou’s research actively involves graduate and undergraduate students, fostering the development of numerical methodologies to investigate fundamental and applied problems in aerodynamics and aeroacoustics.
Disciplines:
- Aerodynamics & Fluid Mechanics
- Systems Design & Optimization
AE Multidisciplinary Research Areas:
- Vertical Lift and Urban Air Mobility
- Large-Scale Computations, Data, and Analytics
- Sustainable Transportation and Energy Systems
Lab/Collaborations:
- Computational Laboratory for Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics Research (CLAAR)
- Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence (VLRCOE)
- Computational and Experimental Rotorcraft Engineering and Aerodynamics Laboratory (CEREAL)
- Nonlinear Computational Aeroelasticity Lab
- Structural Dynamics and Aeroelasticity Research Laboratory
- B.A.Sc., Engineering Science (Aerospace Engineering Major), University of Toronto, 2005
- S.M., Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012
- Ph.D. (Dr.-Ing.), Computational Engineering Sciences, RWTH Aachen University, 2018
- L. Trascinelli, G. Romani, L. P. Hanson, D. Casalino, B. Zang, B. Y. Zhou and M. Azarpeyvand, “Numerical Simulations of Large-Scale Turbulence Ingestion in a Forward Flight Pro- peller”, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 158, No. 1, pp. 826-837, 2025
- L. Abergo, B. Y. Zhou, and A. Guardone, “Tonal Noise Optimization of Propeller using a Steady Adjoint Method”, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 158, No. 1, pp. 651-662, 2025
- B. Y. Zhou, L. P. Hanson, S. F. Pullin, B. Zang, J. Hauth, and X. Huan, “Data-Driven Propeller Noise Prediction Approach Using Simulations and Experiments with Transfer and Active Learning”, AIAA Journal, Vol. 63, No. 12, pp.5393-5404, 2025
- M. J. Groom, B. Y. Zhou, and L. V. Lopes, “Numerical Investigation of Scattering and Shielding in a Propeller-Wing Configuration”, In 31st AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference, No. 2025-3369, Las Vegas, 2025.
- L. Ugur, S. B. Karpe, P. Huang, and B. Y. Zhou, “PINN-LEE: Physics-Informed Neural Networks Framework to Solve Linearized Euler Equations for Aeroacoustic Predictions”, In 31st AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference, No. 2025-3219, Las Vegas, 2025.