• Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  • Associate Vice Chancellor for Research
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David Staack

Educational Background

  • PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Drexel University — 2008
  • Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University — 2004
  • BS/MS, Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia — 2001

Research Interests

    • Micro- and Nano-Scale Plasmas
    • Nanosecond Pulsed Plasmas
    • Non-thermal Plasma Physics and Chemistry
    • Plasma Enhanced Materials Processing and Synthesis
    • Plasma Enhanced Fuel Conversion and Combustion
    • Plasma Enhanced Drilling
    • Plasma Sterilization
    • Gamma, X-Ray and Electron Beam Processing
    • Medical Device Development and Sterilization
    • Environmental Remediation
    • Electric Propulsion for Spacecraft
    • Laser, Optical, and X-ray Diagnostics
    • High-Speed Imaging
    • Mass Spectroscopy

Industry Experience

    • Principle Investigator on over $4.5M in industry-funded university research grants
    • 11+ Patents
    • 10+ years in technology transfer and translational research

Awards & Honors

  • 2017-2021 Sallie and Don Davis '61 Career Development Professor
  • 2016 Phillips 66 First Year Faculty Fellow Award
  • 2015 Texas A&M University Engineering Excellence Award
  • 2014 Texas A&M University Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Select Young Faculty Award
  • 2014-2017 Pioneer Natural Resources Faculty Fellow I
  • 2014 Brittan Undergraduate Teaching Award
  • 2013-2015 3M Company Non-Tenured Faculty Award
  • 2012 Texas A&M University Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Select Young Faculty Award
  • 2011 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (NSF CAREER)

Selected Publications

  • Akhter, M., Mallams, J., Tang, X., & Staack, D. (2021). Underwater plasma breakdown characteristics with respect to highly pressurized drilling applications. Journal of Applied Physics, 129(18), 183309. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0044410
  • Campbell, C., Tang, X., Sechrest, Y., Fezzaa, K., Wang, Z., & Staack, D. (2021). Ultrafast x-ray imaging of pulsed plasmas in water. Physical Review Research, 3(2), L022021. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.L022021
  • Feng, M., Gao, R., Staack, D., Pillai, S. D., & Sharma, V. K. (2021). Degradation of perfluoroheptanoic acid in water by electron beam irradiation. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-021-01195-x
  • Y.-K. Jo, J. Cho, T.-C. TRathore, K., Bhuiyan, S. I., Slavens, S. M., & Staack, D. (2021). Microplasma ball reactor for JP-8 liquid hydrocarbon conversion to lighter fuels. Fuel, 285, 118943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2020.118943sai, D. Staack, M.-H. Kang, J.-H. Roh, D.-B. Shin, W. Cromwell, and D. Gross. “A Non-thermal Plasma Seed Treatment Method for Management of a Seedborne Fungal Pathogen on Rice Seed.” Crop Science. (2013).
  • Tang, X., & Staack, D. (2019). Bioinspired mechanical device generates plasma in water via cavitation. Science advances, 5(3), eaau7765. http://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau7765
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