An expert in experimental fluid mechanics with an emphasis in vortex dynamics, he studies vortex ring formation, pulsed jets, flow control and biological locomotion. Currently, he works with squid biologists and other researchers at Old Dominion University and Franklin & Marshall College to evaluate the methods by which cephalopods swim as they swim at different speeds. He plans to use those studies to discover ways to enhance key features of unsteady flows and understand how to apply them to propulsion problems in engineering. His awards include a 2004 National Science Foundation CAREER Award and a 2001 Richard Bruce Chapman Memorial Award for Distinguished Research in Hydrodynamics.