Yiannis Levendis
COE Distinguished Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Office
- 303 SN
- 617.373.3806
Lab
- 302 SN and 012F FR
- 617.373.2388
Research Focus
Gasification and combustion of solid fuels, generation and containment of combustion-generated pollution, synthesis and characterization of combustion-generated materials, fire suppression – fire extinction, engine design and operation
Education
- PhD (1987), Environmental Engineering Science, California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
- M.S. (1982) Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
- B.S. (1981) Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
Honors & Awards
- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics STEM Educator Award 2023
- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Associate Fellow 2023
- Constantinos Mavroidis Translational Research Faculty Award 2022
- American Society of Engineering Education Ralph Coats Roe Award 2021
- National Academy of Inventors Fellow 2020
- The Royal Society of Chemistry Fellow 2019
- Fellow, Combustion Institute 2018
- Elected to the Steering committee of the Greek Energy Forum 2016
- ASME/AIME Percy Nicholls Award 2015
- George Westinghouse Gold Medal, American Society of Mechanical Engineers 2013
- Honorable Mention as co-advisor of best engineering thesis, Brazilian Ministry of Education, 2012
- AEA Environmental Award, Brazilian Association of Automotive Engineering, 2012
- Outstanding Oral Presentation Award, SAE International Congress / Exposition, 2010
- Outstanding Teaching Award, ASEE New England Section, 2007
- John J. McCambridge Award, Institute of Hazardous Materials Management, 2007
- Elected Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers SAE, 2007
- Elected Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME, 2006
- Elected Distinguished Professor College of Engineering, Northeastern University, 2006
- SAE Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award, SAE, 2005
- Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Engineering, Northeastern University, 2005
- Outstanding Research Award, College of Engineering, Northeastern University, 2001
- Elected member of ΦΚΦ, Northeastern University, 2000
- Excellence in Teaching Award, University-wide, Northeastern University, 1995
- Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Professor (students’ choice) 2010, 2002, 1998, 1995, 1993
- SAE Faculty Advisor Recognition Award, SAE, 1997
- SAE Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award, SAE, 1994
- Ralph E. Teetor Educational Award SAE, 1993
- Charipar Fellow, Cummins Engine Company, 1982 and 1983
Teaching Interests
- Combustion – Air Pollution
- Energy Harvesting – Power Generation – Sustainability
- Internal Combustion Engines
- Engineering Design
Professional Affiliations
- Fellow of the Combustion Institute
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
- Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors
- Member of the honorary research society Sigma Chi (ƩX)
- Member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
- Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
- Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International
- Member of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE)
- Member of The Combustion Institute
- Member of the honorary societies: TBΠ, ΠTΣ and ΦΚΦ.
Research Overview
Gasification and combustion of solid fuels, generation and containment of combustion-generated pollution, synthesis and characterization of combustion-generated materials, fire suppression – fire extinction, engine design and operation
Selected Research Projects
- A Study on Burning Iron Particles as Carbon-Free Circular Fuels with co-Generation of Value-Added Nanomaterials
- – Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation
- Containment of Greenhouse Gases Through use of Refrigerants that are based on Petroleum-derived Products and Recycled Carbon Dioxide
- – Principal Investigator, Funded by The American Chemical Society
- Synthesis of Carbon Nanotubes from Waste Polymeric Materials using Various Catalysts
- – Principal Investigator, Canon Virginia Inc
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- Panahi, A., Toole, N., Wang, X., Levendis, Y.A. (2020). On the Minimum Oxygen Requirements for Oxy-Combustion of Torrefied Biomass. Combustion and Flame, 213, 426-440.
- Levendis, Y.A., Kowalski, G., Lu, Y., and Baldassarre, G. (2020). A Simple Experiment on Global Warming. Royal Society Open Science, 7, 192075, 1-11.
- Panahi, A., Sun, X., Song, G., Levendis, Y.A. (2020). On the Impact of Carrier Gas Type and Flowrate on the Catalytic Growth of Carbon Nanotubes on Stainless Steel. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 59, 31, 14004–14014.
- Panahi, N. Vorobiev, M. Schiemann, M. Tarakcioglu, M. Delichatsios ,Y.A. Levendis, Combustion Details of Raw and Torrefied Biomass Fuel Particles with Individually-Observed Size, Shape and Mass, Combustion and Flame, 207, 2019, 327-341
- Z. Wang, S.C. Yelishala, G. Yu, H. Metghalchi, Y.A. Levendis Effects of Carbon Dioxide on Laminar Burning Speed and Flame Instability of Methane/Air and Propane/Air Mixtures: A Literature Review, Energy and Fuels, 33, 2019, 9403-9418
- Panahi, Z. Wei, G. Song, Y.A. Levendis, Influence of Stainless-Steel Catalyst Substrate Type and Pretreatment on Growing Carbon Nanotubes from Waste Postconsumer Plastics, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 58, 2019, 3009−3023
Jul 24, 2023
Burning Iron Particles to Generate Clean Energy
MIE Professors Yiannis Levendis, Hameed Metghalchi, and Associate Professor Randall Erb were awarded a $600K NSF grant for “A Study on Burning Iron Particles as Carbon-Free Circular Fuels with co-Generation of Value-Added Nanomaterials.”
Jun 01, 2023
Levendis Receives AIAA STEM Educator Award
MIE Professor Yiannis A. Levendis received the 2023 STEM Educator Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) – New England “for tireless dedication and exceptional contributions to STEM education and training”. Levendis was nominated by FYE Teaching Professor and ASEE-Zone 1 Chair Bala Maheswaran.
Jun 01, 2023
Advancing Concentrated Solar Power Education
MIE Professors Hameed Metghalchi (PI), Yiannis Levendis, and Emeritus Associate Professor Gregory Kowalski were awarded a $265K grant to create “An Educational Program on Concentrated Solar Power and Heliostats for Power Generation and Industrial Processes” from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)’s Heliostat Consortium. This educational program will be developed […]
Dec 14, 2022
Levendis Selected as AIAA Associate Fellow
Yiannis Levendis, Distinguished Professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, was selected as a member of the Class of 2023 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Associate Fellows for his technical contributions to fuel combustion physics, chemistry, and diagnostics, and for educating engineering students in the fields of gas turbine combustion and air pollution.
Nov 02, 2022
2022 Stanford University Annual Assessment of Author Citations
The following COE professors are among the top scientists worldwide selected by Stanford University representing the top 2 percent of the most-cited scientists with single-year impact in various disciplines. The selection is based on the top 100,000 by c-score (with and without self-citations) or a percentile rank of 2% or above. The list below includes […]
Apr 27, 2022
ASEE-NE2022 Conference Awards
The ASEE-NE Chair and FYE/ECE Teaching Professor Bala Maheswaran led the ASEE Northeast 2022 Conference at Wentworth Institute of Technology from April 22 -23, 2022 which was resoundingly successful with extensive participation in the post-pandemic era. The Northeastern University students and faculty contributed their work at the conference (https://wit.edu/ASEENE2022), and won the following awards: Best […]
Apr 15, 2022
Faculty and Staff Awards 2022
Congratulations to all the winners of the faculty and staff awards, and to everyone for their hard work and dedication during the 2021-2022 academic school year.
Dec 23, 2021
COE Professors Selected in Stanford University List of Top 2% Scientists Worldwide
The following COE professors are among the top scientists worldwide selected by Stanford University representing the top 2 percent of the most-cited scientists with single-year impact in various disciplines. The selection is based on the top 100,000 by c-score (with and without self-citations) or a percentile rank of 2% or above. The list below includes […]
Nov 12, 2021
Upcycling Plastics for Clean Energy
Spending his childhood summers on the idyllic island of Hydra, off the coast of Greece, Professor Yiannis Levendis enjoyed daily views of the blue, unspoiled waters of the Aegean Sea. “I was raised with a natural appreciation for nature and, because of that, I have always been passionate about environmental protection,” says Levendis, a distinguished […]
Nov 02, 2021
Levendis Receives 2021 Ralph Coats Roe Award
Yiannis Levendis, Distinguished Professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at Northeastern, received the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) 2021 Ralph Coats Roe Award, which “recognizes an engineering educator who is an outstanding teacher and has made a notable contribution to the profession.”