UC Awards Fellowship to Mechanical Engineering Student for Drone Research

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are a big part of our society. Their benefits in advancing civilization and making life easier are countless.

Mohammadreza Radmanesh, a PhD candidate in the University of Cincinnati's mechanical engineering program, is researching how to make UAVs part of our daily life, capable of performing tasks ranging from package delivery to emergency aid.

His work recently earned him the prestigious UC Graduate School Dean’s Fellowship. This annual award grants five doctoral students a fellowship “to support superior scholarship that enhances the reputation of their program, department and the University of Cincinnati.”

The award includes a $20,000 fellowship and a full one-year tuition scholarship.

“This is a huge honor for me,” Radmanesh said. “Awards like these motivate students to works harder.”

Radmanesh has always been passionate about the field of flight. By combining this passion with his love of equations, algorithms and mechanics, Radmanesh found an interest in drones and the large-scale planning problems associated with them.

Through his PhD work, Radmanesh develops novel algorithms that would allow a large number of drones to engage in many different applications such as package delivery, traffic management and law enforcement. Radmanesh hopes this research eventually can create drones that save lives.

“My dissertation and research are based on a futuristic vision that connects UAVs to our lives,” Radmanesh said. “When a fire breaks out, for example, UAVs can help first responders and emergency crews.”

UAVs can gather information about the location and magnitude of a fire and then use that information to direct first responders out of a dangerous environment.

Radmanesh works under the direction of engineering professor Manish Kumar in UC’s Cooperative Distributed Systems Lab.

“Professor Kumar is one of the best advisers a student can have,” Radmanesh said. “His good nature coupled with his passion for research makes for a great work environment.”

Radmanesh’s pursuit of knowledge is impressive. He has a master of science in Mechanical Engineering from UC and in the spring of 2019, he is set to graduate with a master of science in aerospace engineering and a PhD in mechanical engineering.

UC and the College of Engineering and Applied Science helped make this academic pursuit possible, Radmanesh said.

“The UC faculty are outstanding, and the whole experience has been enjoyable,” he said.

Upon graduating, Radmanesh hopes to continue transferring his knowledge and expertise in a classroom setting. He has taught at CEAS for over a year and enjoys the rewards that come with academia and research.

Radmanesh’s thirst for knowledge will pave the way for future advances. His work with drones and traffic management can make lives easier. Applied to emergency aid, this research someday may even save lives.