Education

Received:  Ph.D. in Aeronautical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, May 2013
Received:  M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechinic Institute, May 2010 
Received:  B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, May 2008

Employment:

• Research, Specialist, Princeton University, January 2014 - present
• Lecturer, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, August 2013 - December 2013 

Current Research:

Currently, I am on multiple projects as a researcher for Professor Alexander Smits at Princeton University.  These include:

1. Bio-inspired propulsion systems for designing efficient and quiet underwater vehicles where we study the fundamentals of oscillatory propulsion. 
2. Drag reduction using liquid infused surfaces where we’ve shown 30% reduction in turbulent skin friction drag in Taylor-Couette flow.
3. Turbulence induced blood damage where we study the interaction of blood cells with high shear, a salient feature of turbulence. We are designing new equipment for detecting blood damage through measurements of conductivity.
4. Harvesting wind energy using Helmholtz resonators, a new energy harvesting technique which has more available power per unit area than our best performing wind farms. This new technique is can be a viable way to harvest wind energy in cities and urban environments.
5. Fundamental turbulence research including analyzing coherent structures in turbulent pipe flow, stratified turbulent boundary layers, and the response of turbulent flow to sudden perturbations.​

Research Area of Interest:

I am interested in areas of research where I can combine my background in fundamental fluid dynamics and flow control. Primarily, I enjoy studying: unsteady flows, the response of flow to sudden changes, wall-bounded turbulence, and closed loop control strategies. 

Joined CeFPaC

August 2005

CeFPaC Experience

I started working with Professor Amitay as an undergraduate sophomore well before CeFPaC existed, where I learned the basics of an aerospace research lab working with nano-air vehicles on a project for the Air Force.  I continued onto graduate school in his lab, where I obtained my MS on a project focusing on controlling transitional boundary layers using electro-active polymers in another project through AFOSR.  My Ph.D. was studying the fundamental of synthetic and steady jets, as well as improving synthetic jet design for better performance characteristics to prepare them for application.  This was funded by Boeing.  I finished my work with Professor Amitay as a postdoc in the summer of 2013, where we invented the Piezoelectric Driven Oscillating Surface (PDOS) and conducted preliminary research that led to a project funded by Northrop Grumman.  

Selected Publications

Refereed Publications:

1. Van Buren, T., Beyar, M., Leong, C., and Amitay, M. (2015), “Three-dimensional interaction of a finite-span synthetic jet in a cross flow”, Physics of Fluids.
2. Van Buren, T., Leong, C., Whalen, E., and Amitay, M. (2015), “Impact of orifice orientation on a finite-span synthetic jet interaction with a cross flow”, Physics of Fluids.
3. Van Buren, T., and Amitay, M. (2015), “Comparison of finite-span steady and synthetic jets in free air'', Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 75, pp. 16-24.
4. Rosenberg, B. J., Van Buren, T., Fu, M. K., and Smits, A. (2015), “Turbulent drag reduction over air- and liquid-impregnated surfaces”, Physics of Fluids, 28 1, 015103.
5. Van Buren, T., Whalen, E., and Amitay, M. (2015), “Interaction between a vortex generator and a synthetic jet in a crossflow”, Physics of Fluids, 27, 10, 107101.
6. Van Buren, T., Whalen, E., and Amitay, M. (2015), “Synthetic jet actuator cavity acoustics: Helmholtz vs. quarter-wave resonance”, Journal of Vibration and Acoustics, 137, 5, pp. 1-5.
7. Van Buren, T., Whalen, E., and Amitay, M. (2015), “On achieving a high speed and momentum synthetic jet actuator”, Journal of Aerospace Engineering, 040150-40.
8. Ashok, A., Van Buren, T., and Smits, A. (2015), “Asymmetries in the wake of a submarine model in pitch”, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 774, pp. 416- 442.
9. Ashok, A., Van Buren, T., and Smits, A. (2015), “The structure of the wake generated by a submarine model in yaw”, Experiments in Fluids, 56, 6, pp. 1-9.
10. Fan, Y., Arwatz, G, Van Buren, T., and Hultmark, M. (2015), “Nano-scale sensing devices for turbulence measurements”, Experiments in Fluids, 56, 7, pp. 56-138.
11. Williams, T., Van Buren, T., and Smits, A. (2015), “A new method for measuring turbulent heat fluxes using PIV and fast response cold-wires”, Experiments in Fluids, 56, 7, pp. 1-10.
12. Hohman, T., Van Buren, T., Martinelli, L., and Smits, A. (2015), Generating an artificially thickened boundary layer to simulate the atmospheric boundary layer”, Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 145, pp. 1-16.
13. Van Buren, T., Whalen, E., and Amitay, M. (2014), “Vortex evolution of a finite-span synthetic jet: effect of rectangular orifice geometry”, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 745, pp. 180-207.
14. Van Buren, T., Whalen, E., and Amitay, M. (2014), “Vortex evolution of a finite-span synthetic jet: high Reynolds numbers”, Physics of Fluids,  26, pp. 014101-22.
15. Van Buren, T. and Amitay, M. (2012), “Control of laminar boundary layers using electro-active polymers”, International Journal of Flow Control,  4, 3+4, 133-145.

Non-Refereed Publications:

1. Van Buren, T., Leong, C., and Amitay, M. (2014), “Interaction of a finite-span synthetic jet with a laminar boundary layer: the effect of jet geometry and orientation”, AIAA Paper 2014-1141.
2. Van Buren, T., Whalen, E., and Amitay, M. (2012), “Vortex formation of finite-span synthetic jets”, AIAA Paper 2012-1245.