Timothy Charles Lieuwen
Dr. Tim Lieuwen is the executive vice president for Research, Regents’ Professor, holder of the David S. Lewis, Jr. Chair at Georgia Tech. His interests lie in the areas of clean energy and propulsion systems, energy policy, acoustics, fluid mechanics, and combustion. He works closely with industry and government, focusing particularly on fundamental problems that arise out of the development of clean combustion systems or utilization of alternative fuels. If you are a prospective graduate student and like making fire, making noise, and saving the planet --all at the same time-- these are all great problems to work on!
Dr. Lieuwen is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of four major societies. Other national awards include the ASME Westinghouse Gold Medal and AIAA Lawrence Pendray Award. He serves on governing or advisory boards of 3 DOE national labs (ORNL, PNNL, and NREL). He has authored or edited four combustion books, including the textbook Unsteady Combustor Physics, and more than 400 other publications. He has also received five patents, all licensed to industry, and founded and serves as CTO of, TurbineLogic, an analytics firm working in the energy industry. He is a member of the National Petroleum Counsel and is editor-in-chief of an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics book series.
Professor Lieuwen's teaching focuses on core mechanical and aerospace engineering principles, including fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, combustion, and acoustics. His instruction spans undergraduate and graduate courses that prepare students to address challenges in energy conversion and propulsion systems. Emphasis is placed on fundamental theory alongside practical problem-solving skills to support the development of clean energy technologies and alternative fuel utilization.
Professor Lieuwen's research centers on clean energy and propulsion systems, with an emphasis on combustion, acoustics, and fluid mechanics. His work addresses fundamental issues related to the development of clean combustion systems and the use of alternative fuels. Collaboration with industry and government agencies supports investigations into energy policy and technologies aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact.
Lab/Collaborations:
- Ben T. Zinn Combustion Laboratory
- Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI)
Disciplines:
- Propulsion & Combustion
AE Multidisciplinary Research Areas:
- Sustainable Transportation and Energy Systems
Other Lab
- Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI)
- B.S., Engineering, 1995, Calvin College (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
- M.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1997, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, 1999, Georgia Institute of Technology
- S Ha, T Lieuwen, Direct combustion noise: Pressure–heat release coherence of an open turbulent flame, Combustion and Flame 284, 114653, 2026
- HP Rajagopalan, B Emerson, V Acharya, D Noble, T Lieuwen, Measurements of CO and NOx Emissions From Premixed Turbulent Methane/Hydrogen Flames, Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power 148 (4), 041004, 2026
- CD Avila Jimenez, R Cole, D Noble, R Steele, D Wu, B Emerson, ..., Towards The Development of an NH3-RRQL System Part 2: Effects of The Primary Combustion Zone Length and Secondary Stage Number of Holes on Stability and Emissions, Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 1-25, 2026
- R Cole, CD Avila Jimenez, DR Noble, R Steele, D Wu, B Emerson, ..., Toward the Development of an RRQL System—Part I: Swirl Pattern Effect on Exhaust Emissions and Chemiluminescence Distribution for NH3–Air Premixed Swirl …, Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power 148 (7), 071001, 2026
- SJ Patel, DR Noble, B Emerson, T Lieuwen, Back to the Future: Revisiting Nonpremixed Designs for Fuel Flexible (H2/NH3/CH4), Low NOx Combustion, Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power 147 (11), 111008, 2025