• Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research
  • Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
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David Staack

Educational Background

  • PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Drexel University – 2008
  • Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University – 2004
  • BS/MS, Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia – 2001

Research Interests

    • Micro- and nano-scale plasmas and nanosecond pulsed plasmas
    • Non-thermal plasma physics and chemistry
    • Plasma-enhanced materials processing and synthesis, fuel conversion and combustion, and drilling
    • Plasma sterilization
    • Gamma, x-ray and electron beam processing
    • Medical device development and sterilization
    • Environmental remediation
    • Electric propulsion for spacecraft
    • Laser, optical, and x-ray diagnostics
    • High-speed imaging
    • Mass spectroscopy

Awards & Honors

  • Sallie and Don Davis '61 Career Development Professor – 2017-2021
  • Phillips 66 First Year Faculty Fellow Award – 2016
  • Engineering Excellence Award, Texas A&M University – 2015
  • Pioneer Natural Resources Faculty Fellow I – 2014-2017
  • Peggy L. and Charles L. Brittan '65 Teaching Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching – 2014
  • 3M Company Non-Tenured Faculty Award – 2013-2015
  • Select Young Faculty Award, Texas A&M University Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) – 2012, 2014
  • Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, National Science Foundation – 2011

Selected Publications

  • Akhter, M., Mallams, J., Tang, X., & Staack, D. (2021). Underwater plasma breakdown characteristics with respect to highly pressurized drilling applications. Journal of Applied Physics, 129(18), 183309.
  • Campbell, C., Tang, X., Sechrest, Y., Fezzaa, K., Wang, Z., & Staack, D. (2021). Ultrafast x-ray imaging of pulsed plasmas in water. Physical Review Research, 3(2), L022021.
  • Feng, M., Gao, R., Staack, D., Pillai, S. D., & Sharma, V. K. (2021). Degradation of perfluoroheptanoic acid in water by electron beam irradiation. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 1-6.
  • Y.-K. Jo, J. Cho, T.-C. TRathore, K., Bhuiyan, S. I., Slavens, S. M., & Staack, D. (2021). Microplasma ball reactor for JP-8 liquid hydrocarbon conversion to lighter fuels. Fuel, 285, 118943.
  • D. Staack, M.-H. Kang, J.-H. Roh, D.-B. Shin, W. Cromwell, and D. Gross. “A Non-thermal Plasma Seed Treatment Method for Management of a Seedborne Fungal Pathogen on Rice Seed.” Crop Science. (2013).
  • Tang, X., & Staack, D. (2019). Bioinspired mechanical device generates plasma in water via cavitation. Science advances, 5(3), eaau7765.
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