Dr. Krishna Kota

Professional Experience

Associate Professor, New Mexico State University, 2018 onward

Assistant Professor, New Mexico State University, 2012-2018

Researcher (Enabling Physical Technologies Research Division), Bell Labs, 2010-2012

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008-2010; Advisor: Dr. Yogendra Joshi

Graduate Research Assistant, University of Central Florida, 2002-2008; Advisor: Dr. Louis Chow, Co-Advisor: Dr. Jay Kapat

Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Central Florida, 2004-2007

Research Interests

Interdisciplinary research at the intersection of thermal sciences, surface engineering, and complex systems. Focus on developing functional surfaces and thermodynamic frameworks to address challenges in energy systems, public health, and biological processes.

Surface-environment interactions: Engineered surfaces for thermal management, pathogen control, corrosion mitigation, water desalination, fluid manipulation

Thermal systems design: Heat exchangers, cooling systems, energy storage, space thermal management, system optimization

Thermodynamics of complex systems: Physics of life, evolution, infection dynamics

Lab: Thermal Research Into Vital Environments Laboratory (THRIVE Lab) located in JH 244

Media Coverage of Research

THRIVE Lab's research has received media coverage in 95+ national and international news outlets such as CNN, BBC, Daily Mail UK, New York Times, Science Daily, US News & World Report, AFRL News, Electronics Cooling Magazine, News-Medical, ABC News, KRWG TV, Yahoo, MSN, etc. and was cited by the OSHA Policy Document on COVID-19.

Research Funding

Total research funding as PI/Co-PI: $10.7 million (95% external/federal share), PI share is ~$2.8 million

List of external/federal funding agencies (alphabetic): AFOSR, AFRL, DOE, MDA, NASA, NNSA, NSF, USBR, Sandia; and industry

Patents

  • An Approach for Altering Wetting Properties of Metallic Surfaces, Inventor: Krishna Kota, US 10,907,258.
  • Cooling Technique, Co-Inventor: Krishna Kota, US 9,557,118.
  • A Mechanically-Reattachable Liquid-cooled Cooling Apparatus, Co-Inventor: Krishna Kota, US 8,542,489.
  • Cooling Apparatus for Communications Platforms, Co-Inventor: Krishna Kota, US 20120279683 A1.
  • Miniature High Speed Compressor Having Embedded Permanent Magnet Motor, Co-Inventor: Krishna Kota, US 7,942,646 B2.

Journal Publications (2017-2023)

  • Erick Moreno Resendiz, Javed Akhtar, Young Ho Park, Huiyao Wang, Pei Xu, Krishna Kota, Sarada Kuravi, “Analysis of a small-scale modified beam-down solar concentrator system for low temperature applications,” Renewable Energy, Vol. 215, pp. 119007, 2023.
  • Abner Luna Garcia, Javed Akhtar, Leonardo Saenz, Fangjun Shu, Sarada Kuravi, Krishna Kota, “Waviness-induced passive particle manipulation of very dilute suspensions in confined microfluidic flows,” Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, Vol. 27, No. 5, Article Number: 30 (14 pages), 2023.
  • A.V.V.R. Prasad Yandapalli, Erick Moreno Resendiz, Sarada Kuravi, Sathyabhama Alangar, Krishna Kota, “Enhanced boiling heat transfer of water on a liquid-infused surface,” Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 226, pp. 120219, 2023.
  • Lazar Cvijovic Pranav Sivakumar, Sarada Kuravi, Vimal Chaitanya, Joseph Teague, Sean Ross, Krishna Kota, “Infused liquid selection criteria for achieving boiling enhancements on liquid-infused surfaces,” AIAA Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 784-788, 2022.
  • Lei Mu, Lin Chen, Lu Lin, Young Ho Park, Huiyao Wang, Pei Xu, Krishna Kota, Sarada Kuravi, “An overview of solar still enhancement approaches for increased freshwater production rates from a thermal process perspective,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 150, pp. 111458, 2021.
  • Lin Chen, Pei Xu, Krishna Kota, Sarada Kuravi, Huiyao Wang “Solar distillation of highly saline produced water using low-cost and high-performance carbon black and airlaid paper-based evaporator (CAPER),” Chemosphere, Vol. 269, pp. 129372, 2021.
  • Javed Akhtar, Abner Luna Garcia, Leonardo Saenz, Sarada Kuravi, Fangjun Shu, Krishna Kota, “Can face masks offer protection from airborne sneeze and cough droplets in close-up, face-to-face human interactions? – A quantitative study,” Physics of Fluids, Vol. 32, No. 12, pp. 127112, 2020.
  • Lin Chen, Huiyao Wang, Sarada Kuravi, Krishna Kota, Young Ho Park, Pei Xu, “Low-cost and reusable carbon black based solar vapor generator for effective water desalination and purification,” Desalination, Vol. 483, pp. 114412, 2020.
  • Ana Johnson, Lei Mu, Young H. Park, Delia J. Valles, Huiyao Wang, Pei Xu, Krishna Kota, Sarada Kuravi, “A Thermal Model for Predicting the Performance of a Solar Still with Fresnel Lens,” Water, Vol. 11, No. 9, pp. 1860 (20 pages), 2019.
  • Lei Mu, Rocio Castillo Gomez, Lin Chen, Young-Ho Park, Huiyao Wang, Krishna Kota, Pei Xu, Sarada Kuravi, “Performance Enhancement of a Single Basin Single Slope Solar Still Using Fresnel Lens," Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 239, pp. 118094 (13 pages), 2019.
  • Nicolas DeLovato, Kavin Sundarnath, Lazar Cvijovic, Krishna Kota, Sarada Kuravi, “A Review of Heat Recovery Applications for Solar and Geothermal Power Plants,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 114, pp. 109329 (19 pages), 2019.
  • Lazar Cvijovic, Krishna Kota, “Creating highly wettable paper towel-like aluminum surfaces through tuned bulk micro-manufacturing,” The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 2018.
  • Roberto Venegas, Sarada Kuravi, Krishna Kota, Mary McCay, “Comparative Design Analysis of Geothermal and Solar Thermal Power Plants: A Case Study,” International Journal of Renewable Energy Research , Vol. 8, No. 1, pp.  625-634, 2018.
  • Jessica Reyes, Krishna Kota, “Convective Performance of a Dielectric Liquid in a Channel with Conducting-Lubricating (CO-LUB) Walls for Liquid Cooling of Electronics,” International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 89, No. 12, pp. 147-153, 2017.
  • Seyedali Seyedkavoosi, Saeed Javan, Krishna Kota, “Exergy-based Optimization of an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for Waste Heat Recovery from an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE),” Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 126, No. 11, pp. 447-457, 2017.
  • Ryan Holguin, Krishna Kota, Stephen Wootton, Ruey-Hung Chen, Sean Ross, “Enhanced Boiling Heat Transfer on Binary Surfaces,” International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 114, No. 11, pp. 1105-1113, 2017.
  • Nicholas Clegg, Krishna Kota, Xin He, Sean Ross, “Achieving Ultra-Omniphilic Wettability on Copper using a Facile, Scalable, Tuned Bulk Micromanufacturing Approach,” ASME Journal of Micro- and Nano-Manufacturing, Vol. 5, No. 3, 031003 (1-7), 2017.