Rate My Professor Beverley McKeon

Beverley J. McKeon served as the Theodore von Kármán Professor of Aeronautics in the Division of Engineering and Applied Science at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). She received her Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in 2003, an M.A. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in 1999, an M.A. in Engineering from the University of Cambridge in 1999, an M.Eng. in Fluid Mechanics with Distinction from the University of Cambridge in 1995, and a B.A. (Hons) in Engineering from the University of Cambridge in 1995. Following postdoctoral research and a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship at Imperial College London, she joined the Caltech faculty in 2006 as Assistant Professor of Aeronautics, advancing to full professor. She held significant administrative positions, including Associate Director of the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories (GALCIT) from 2012 to 2017 and Deputy Chair of the Division of Engineering and Applied Science from 2020 to 2022.

Professor McKeon's research focuses on fluid mechanics, with emphasis on experimental and theoretical approaches to wall-bounded turbulent flows at high Reynolds numbers, flow control using smart morphing surfaces, resolvent analysis for reduced-order modeling of turbulent and transitional flows, and data assimilation of experimental measurements for low-order flow models. Her work investigates fundamental flow physics to address efficiency challenges in aerospace vehicle design, such as reducing drag, noise, and structural loading through boundary layer manipulation. Key publications include "A critical-layer framework for turbulent pipe flow" (Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 2010), "Controlling turbulence" (Science, 2010), "Wall-bounded turbulent flows at high Reynolds numbers: Recent advances and key issues" (Physics of Fluids, 2010), and "A streamwise constant model of turbulence in plane Couette flow" (Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 2010). Her contributions have unlocked secrets behind turbulence mechanisms, influencing advancements in flow control and aerospace performance. Honors include election as Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (2020), Fellow of the American Physical Society (2016), Northrop Grumman Prize for Excellence in Teaching (2018), Graduate Student Excellence in Mentoring Award (2017), Fred Shair Program Diversity Award (2016), Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2009), and NSF CAREER Award (2008).