Principal Investigator

Jackson Crane, PhD
SB, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MSc, Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
Dr. Jackson Crane is interested in low-carbon combustion, electrocatalysis, and renewable energy conversion technologies. His current research focuses on detonation fundamentals with application to high-efficiency engines. He is also active in the area of alternative fuel synthesis via CO2-reduction electrocatalysis.
Dr. Crane did his postdoctoral work at Queen’s University in electrocatalysis with Dr. Cao-Thang Dinh. He received his PhD and MSc from Stanford University with Prof. Hai Wang where he studied detonation kinetics and was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow and a Stanford Graduate Fellow. Dr. Crane also worked as an Associate at the sustainability-focused non-profit Rocky Mountain Institute, and as an engineering consultant in the nuclear power industry.

Graduate Students

Reza Paknahad, PhD Student
B.S. Iran University of Science and Technology
M.S. Iran University of Science and Technology
Reza is working on predicting detonation structure using computationally inexpensive physics-based modelling.

Anna Foreman-Willms, MASc Student
B.S., Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Queen’s University
Anna is studying how to modulate detonation using reactive additives.

Rajan Punna, MASc Student
B.S., Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Queen’s University
Raj, in collaboration with Gaby Ciccarelli at Queen’s, is investigating geometric modulation of detonation structure.

Sam Williamson, MASc Student
B.S., Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Queen’s University
Sam, in collaboration with Shem Lau-Chapdelaine at RMC, is studying how to create mixture inhomogeneity using reproducible and generalizable experiments.
Undergraduate Students

Drew Crix, VPGE USSRF Undergraduate Fellow & ENPH455 Student
Drew is working on detonation instrumentation.