• Associate Department Head of Undergraduate Programs, Mechanical Engineering
  • Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  • Holdredge/Paul Professor
  • Chancellor EDGES Fellow
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Waruna Kulatilaka

Educational Background

  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University – 2006
  • M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University – 2002
  • B.Sc., Mechanical Engineering, University of Moratuwa – 2000

Research Interests

    • Optical diagnostics and imaging
    • Laser spectroscopy and ultrafast lasers
    • Combustion and energy conversion
    • Hypersonics and high-speed propulsion
    • Propellants and energetics
    • Extreme materials
    • Remote sensing
    • Fluid flow and plasma diagnostics
    • Gas turbine combustion and internal combustion (IC) engines

Certifications & Memberships

  • Senior Member, The Optical Society (OSA) – 2015
  • Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) – 2014

Awards & Honors

  • Chancellor Enhancing Development and Generating Excellence in Scholarship (EDGES) Fellow - 2025
  • Fellow, The Combustion Institute - 2025
  • Walker Outstanding Service Award in Mechanical Engineering - 2025
  • Morris E. Foster Faculty Fellow I, Texas A&M University College of Engineering – 2017-2024
  • Aerodynamic Measurement Technology Innovation Award, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) – 2024
  • James J. Cain ‘51 Faculty Graduate Teaching Award, J. Mike Walker ‘66 Department of Mechanical Engineering – 2022
  • Engineering Genesis Award, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) – 2019
  • Forty Under 40 Award, Dayton Business Journal – 2013
  • Invited Speaker on Laser Diagnostics in Combustion, Gordon Research Conference (GRC) – 2013
  • Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) – 2012
  • Outstanding Technical Contribution Award, Dayton Section of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) – 2012

Selected Publications

  • M. Hay*, P. Parajuli*, W. D. Kulatilaka, “Simultaneous Detection of Three Chemical Species (NO, O, O2) Using a Single Broadband Femtosecond Laser,” Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 39, 1435–1444 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proci.2022.08.090.
  • C. Schweizer*, C. V. Mashuga, and W. D. Kulatilaka, “Investigation of Aluminum Dust Cloud Dispersion Characteristics in an Explosion Hazard Testing Device Using Laser-Based Particle and Flow Diagnostics,” Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 166, 320, (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2022.08.013.
  • P. Parajuli*, T. T. Paschal*, M. A. Turner, Y. Wang*, E. L. Petersen, and W. D. Kulatilaka, “High-Speed Hydroxyl and Methylidyne Chemiluminescence Imaging Diagnostics in Spherically Expanding Flames,” AIAA Journal, 59(8) 3118–3126. (2021). https://doi.org/10.2514/1.J060103.
  • M. O. O’Neil*, N. A. Niemiec*, A. Demko, E. L. Petersen, and W, D. Kulatilaka, “Laser-Induced-Breakdown-Spectroscopy-Based Detection of Metal Particles Released into the Air During Combustion of Solid Propellants,” Applied Optics, 57, 1910–1917 (2018), https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.57.001910.
  • W. D. Kulatilaka, J. R. Gord, V. R. Katta, and S. Roy, “Photolytic-Interference-Free, Femtosecond Two-Photon fluorescence Imaging of Atomic Hydrogen,” Optics Letters, 37, 3051–3053 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.37.003051.
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