Jason Rabinovitch (jrabinov)

Jason Rabinovitch

Assistant Professor

Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Education

  • PhD (2014) California Institute of Technology (Aeronautics)
  • MS (2010) École Polytechnique (Fluid Mechanics)
  • MS (2009) California Institute of Technology (Aerospace Engineering)
  • BS (2008) Yale University (Mechanical Engineering)

Research

In my research group, we combine an interest in space exploration with fundamental computational fluid dynamics research. Our areas of interest include, but are not limited to, investigating plume-surface interactions during powered descent of spacecraft, modeling supersonic parachute inflations, and modeling geophysical phenomena, such as the plumes on Enceladus or Yardangs on Earth and Mars.

Experience

Assistant Professor, Stevens Institute of Technology (2021-present)
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Fellow, JPL Faculty Research Program (JFRP, summer 2023)
Mechanical Systems Engineering, Fabrication And Test Division

Fellow, JPL Faculty Research Program (JFRP, summer 2022)
Mechanical Systems Engineering, Fabrication And Test Division

Fellow, JPL Faculty Research Program (JFRP, summer 2021)
Robotic Vehicles & Manipulators Group

Mechanical Engineer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (2014-2021)
Entry, Descent, & Landing and Formulation Group

Postdoctoral Scholar, California Institute of Technology (2014)
Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering

Professional Service

  • AIAA Thermophysics Technical Committee Chair
  • Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG) Steering Committee Member (emeritus)
  • AIAA Thermophysics Technical Committee Member
  • AIP Physics of Fluids, Icarus, Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, Journal of Propulsion and Power, Journal of Aerospace Engineering, Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer, Acta Astronautica, Advances in Space Research Reviewer
  • ASME Propulsion Technical Committee Member

Professional Societies

  • AIAA – American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Associate Fellow
  • ASME – American Society of Mechanical Engineers Member
  • ASEE – American Society for Engineering Education Member
  • Tau Beta Pi Member

Patents and Inventions

Patent # 11,578,682, Issued 02/14/2023, A. C. Karp, E. Jens, J. Rabinovitch, B. Nakazono, A. Conte, “SmallSat Hybrid Propulsion System” (https://patentcenter.uspto.gov/applications/16455532)

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Rabinovitch, J.; Santana, S. A.; Karlgaard, C. D.; Jens, E. T.; Stack, K. M.; Turner, D. M.; Chambers, W. A.; Mehta, M.; Korzun, A. M. (2023). Observed High-Altitude Surface Erosion During the Mars Science Laboratory and Mars 2020 Landings. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets (pp. 1-6). American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
    http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/1.a35748.
  2. Gorman, M. T.; Rubio, J. S.; Diaz-Lopez, M. X.; Chambers, W. A.; Korzun, A. M.; Rabinovitch, J.; Ni, R. (2023). Scaling laws of plume-induced granular cratering. PNAS nexus (9 ed., vol. 2, pp. pgad300).
    https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad300.
  3. Dhandapani, C.; Blanquart, G.; Karp, A. C.; Jens, E. T.; Rabinovitch, J. (2023). Combustion studies of MMA/GOx for a hybrid rocket motor. Combustion and Flame (vol. 256, pp. 112994). Elsevier.
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001021802300370X.
  4. Lemmon, M.; Lorenz, R.; Rabinovitch, J.; Newman, C.; Williams, N.; Sullivan, R.; Golombek, M.; Bell, III, J.; Maki, J.; Vicente-Retortillo, A. (2022). Lifting and transport of Martian dust by the Ingenuity helicopter rotor downwash as observed by high-speed imaging from the Perseverance rover. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (e2022JE007605 ed., vol. 127).
    https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2022JE007605.
  5. Jo, J.; Xu, A.; Mishra, A. K.; Bai, H.; Derkevorkian, A.; Rabinovitch, J.; Park, H.; Shepherd, R. F. (2022). Measurement of Parachute Canopy Textile Deformation Using Mechanically Invisible Stretchable Lightguides. Advanced Materials Technologies (pp. 2200437). Wiley.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/admt.202200437.
  6. Hall, J. L.; Melko, J.; Sherrill, K.; Rehnmark, F.; Bailey, J.; Cloninger, E.; Yen, B.; Tims, J.; Rabinovitch, J.; Lambert, J.; Zacny, K. (2022). A fast and robust surface sample acquisition system for a Venus lander. Planetary and Space Science (pp. 105473). Elsevier BV.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2022.105473.
  7. Veismann, M.; Dougherty, C.; Rabinovitch, J.; Quon, A.; Gharib, M. (2021). Low-density multi-fan wind tunnel design and testing for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. Experiments in Fluids (9 ed., vol. 62). Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00348-021-03278-5.
  8. Rabinovitch, J.; Stack, K. M. (2021). Characterizing landing site safety on Venus using Venera panoramas and Magellan radar properties. Icarus (vol. 363). Icarus.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2021.114429.
  9. Rabinovitch, J.; Lorenz, R.; Slimko, E.; Wang, K. C. (2021). Scaling Sediment Mobilization Beneath Rotorcraft for Titan and Mars. Aeolian Research (vol. 48, pp. 100653). Aeolian Research.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aeolia.2020.100653.
  10. Dyrda, D. M.; Mechentel, F. S.; Cantwell, B. J.; Karp, A. C.; Rabinovitch, J.; Jens, E. T. (2020). Diode laser ignition of a poly(Methyl methacrylate) and gaseous oxygen hybrid motor. Journal of Propulsion and Power (5 ed., vol. 36, pp. 773-782). Journal of Propulsion and Power.
    https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/1.B37832.
  11. Rabinovitch, J.; Griffin, G. S.; Seto, W.; O’farrell, C.; Tanner, C. L.; Clark, I. G. (2020). Full-scale supersonic parachute shape reconstruction using three-dimensional stereo imagery. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets (6 ed., vol. 57, pp. 1139-1152). Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets.
    https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/1.A34717.
  12. Borker, R.; Huang, D.; Grimberg, S.; Farhat, C.; Avery, P.; Rabinovitch, J. (2019). Mesh adaptation framework for embedded boundary methods for computational fluid dynamics and fluid-structure interaction. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids (8 ed., vol. 90, pp. 389-424). International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids.
    https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/fld.4728.
  13. Rabinovitch, J.; Katz, I. (2019). Surface deposition of molecular contaminants in the mars 2020 rover wake. Planetary and Space Science (vol. 168, pp. 1-14). Planetary and Space Science.
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032063318302654.
  14. Scoggins, J.; Rabinovitch, J.; Barros-Fernandez, B.; Martin, A.; Lachaud, J.; Jaffe, R.; Mansour, N.; Blanquart, G.; Magin, T. (2017). Thermodynamic properties of carbon–phenolic gas mixtures. Aerospace Science and Technology (vol. 66, pp. 177-192). Aerospace Science and Technology.
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1270963816307945.
  15. Rabinovitch, J.; Blanquart, G. (2017). Rate-controlled constrained equilibrium for nozzle and shock flows. Journal of Propulsion and Power (3 ed., vol. 33, pp. 776-792). Journal of Propulsion and Power.
    https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/1.B36226.
  16. Regele, J. D.; Rabinovitch, J.; Colonius, T.; Blanquart, G. (2014). Unsteady effects in dense, high speed, particle laden flows. International Journal of Multiphase Flow (vol. 61, pp. 1-13). International Journal of Multiphase Flow.
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301932214000020.
  17. Parziale, N.; Rabinovitch, J.; Blanquart, G.; Hornung, H. G.; Shepherd, J. E. (2013). Proposed vertical expansion tunnel. AIAA Journal (12 ed., vol. 51, pp. 2792-2799). AIAA Journal.
    https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/1.J052389.
  18. Rabinovitch, J.; Brion, V.; Blanquart, G. (2012). Effect of a splitter plate on the dynamics of a vortex pair. Physics of Fluids (7 ed., vol. 24). Physics of Fluids.
    https://aip.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1063/1.4737878.

Courses

ME 342 (Fluid Mechanics)
ME 674 (Advanced Fluid Dynamics)
ME 675 (Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer)