Brian Polagye

Brian Polagye is a Professor at the University of Washington and an Affiliate Investigator at the university's Applied Physics Laboratory, as well as a Professor at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University (2000) and both his M.S. (2005) and Ph.D. (2009) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington. His research focuses on marine renewable energy, particularly the fluid dynamics of cross-flow tidal turbines, wave energy converter hydrodynamics, and the environmental impacts of marine energy devices, including underwater noise attribution. Recent work includes experimental blade-level force identification for cross-flow turbines, data-driven modeling of oscillating surge wave energy converters using SINDy, and mechanical characterization of composite hydro-kinetic turbine blades. He received a $1.9 million award for the Sustainability of Tidal Energy project (2012) and collaborates extensively with institutions across the US, UK, Europe, Australia, and India. He teaches fluid mechanics, energy systems, and engineering thermodynamics.