Hi, I'm Derek Nichols
Engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division
About Me
I graduated with a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech in 2024 specializing in experimental fluid mechanics. My research in Professor Ari Glezer's Fluid Mechanics Research Laboratory focused on understanding how aircraft nacelles behave in a crosswind while close to the ground and was funded by The Boeing Company, Georgia Tech, and the NSF GRFP. After graduation, I decided to continue research in experimental fluid mechanics by accepting a job as an engineer for the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division with a focus on hydroacoustics.
Outside of research, I've been working on enhancing my coding skills by taking on small coding projects to learn new languages and get better at the ones that I already know. In my free time, I love to cook, train Muay Thai (i.e., kickboxing), enjoy long distance cycling, and hiking around Maryland.