Ashok Gopalarathnam

Professor

Dr. Gopalarathnam directs the NCSU Applied Aerodynamics Group. Dr. Gopalarathnam (referred to by his students as Dr. G) is committed to the development of innovative and useful ideas, concepts, and methodologies for the design of aircraft, other types of vehicles, and for alternative-energy systems. He is interested in applied aerodynamics, flight mechanics, aircraft design, adaptive aircraft, and design methodologies.

At the graduate level, Dr. G teaches Airfoil Theory (MAE 551) and Wing Theory (MAE 561). In these courses, the students look beyond theoretical methods in aerodynamics and address practical requirements in the design of airfoils and wings. At the undergraduate level, Dr. G teaches Aerodynamics of V/STOL vehicles (MAE 452) and Flight Vehicle Stability and Control (MAE 462). In MAE 462, his students do team projects in which they design/build/fly micro-gliders.

The graduate students who work with Dr. G are motivated and have an interest in flight and aerodynamics. During their studies, they are exposed to a mixture of theoretical, experimental, and computational methods applied to the design of a wide range of aero-hydrodynamic systems. His students work on sail boats, race cars, aircraft, and wind turbines, to name a few.

Outside of work, Dr. G spends time with his family and enjoys recreational flying when time permits.

Publications

Discrete vortex-based broadcast mode analysis for mitigation of dynamic stall
Patel, H. D., Lee, Y. T., Gopalarathnam, A., & Yeh, C.-A. (2026, January 2), Journal of Fluid Mechanics. https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2025.11019
Investigation of thrust augmentation in multi-foil flapping propulsion systems using a low-order hydrodynamic model
Babu, A. V. S., Mistele, A., & Gopalarathnam, A. (2026, February 17), Ocean Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2026.124539
An analytical model for two-dimensional aerodynamic predictions of vertical axis wind turbines
Babu, A. V. S., Narsipur, S., & Gopalarathnam, A. (2025, September 27), Renewable Energy, Vol. 256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2025.124429
Automatic Limit Cycle Oscillation Annihilation in Aeroelastic Wings Using Prescribed Impinging Vortices
Hughes, M. T., Gopalarathnam, A., & Bryant, M. (2025, October 28), AIAA Journal. https://doi.org/10.2514/1.j065541
Discrete vortex-based broadcast mode analysis for mitigation of dynamic stall
Patel, H. D., Lee, Y. T., Gopalarathnam, A., & Yeh, C.-A. (2025). , . https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2506.01835
Effect of rounded trailing edges on unsteady airfoil loading at low reynolds numbers
Lee, Y. T., Ramesh, K., & Gopalarathnam, A. (2025, July 5), Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics, Vol. 39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00162-025-00747-z
Optimal Cyclic Control of a Structurally Constrained Morphing Energy-Harvesting Kite Using an Experimentally Validated Simulation Model
Fine, J. B., McGuire, C. M., Williams, V. O., Jenkins, M., McDaniel, H., Keele, M., … Vermillion, C. (2025, January 9), IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, Vol. 1. https://doi.org/10.1109/TCST.2024.3520438
Lift tailoring on unsteady airfoils with leading-edge vortex shedding using an inverse aerodynamic approach
Babu, A. V. S., Narsipur, S., & Gopalarathnam, A. (2024, May 1), Physics of Fluids, Vol. 36. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0208567
Discrete vortex modeling of perching and hovering maneuvers
Narsipur, S., Ramesh, K., Gopalarathnam, A., & Edwards, J. R. (2023, May 31), Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics, Vol. 5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00162-023-00653-2
Modulation and Annihilation of Aeroelastic Limit-Cycle Oscillations Using a Variable-Frequency Disturbance Generator
Hughes, M. T., Gopalarathnam, A., & Bryant, M. (2023, February 13), AIAA Journal, Vol. 61, pp. 1447–1461. https://doi.org/10.2514/1.J062295

View all publications via NC State Libraries

Ashok Gopalarathnam