Gaetano Magnotti joined KAUST and the Clean Combustion Research Center in November 2016 as an Assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering. He is the PI of the Advanced Laser Diagnostics Laboratory, leading a group of enthusiastic PhD students and postdocs developing and applying novel laser diagnostics to combustion applications ranging from laminar flames to heavy duty internal combustion engines.  

Professor Magnotti investigates sustainable combustion solutions to decarbonize the energy and the heavy-duty transportation sector.

At the core of Professor Magnotti’s research is the development of novel, cutting-edge, laser diagnostics methods for measurements of temperature, and major and minor species in reactive flows. Areas of particular interest are the development of Raman/Rayleigh scattering, high-precision, kHz rate, pulse-burst laser diagnostics, and quantitative laser-induced fluorescence.

By applying advanced laser diagnostics to combustion test cases ranging from small laminar flames to meter-long turbulent jet flames, his group obtains unprecedented insight into the combustion physics of carbon-free and carbon-neutral fuel. Current active research areas include the combustion of ammonia, and hydrogen at atmospheric and elevated pressures, oxy-fuel combustion in supercritical CO2, and supersonic combustion.

Through imaging and laser diagnostics in optically accessible, heavy-duty internal combustion engines, Professor Magnotti’s group investigates novel strategies to increase engine efficiency, including pre-chamber assisted combustion for ultra-lean operation, and isobaric combustion. Upcoming projects focus on heavy-duty internal combustion engines fueled by carbon-free (hydrogen and ammonia) and carbon-neutral (methanol) fuels.