Dr. Yue Jin Receives NSF CAREER Award to Advance Understanding of Boiling Heat Transfer and Two-Phase Flows

June 2026

The Thermal-Fluids and Energy Systems Laboratory is proud to announce that Dr. Yue Jin has received a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award.

The CAREER Program is NSF's most prestigious award in support of early-career faculty who demonstrate the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in their fields.

Dr. Jin's CAREER project, "Unveiling Liquid Droplet Entrainment and Heat Transfer Mechanisms in Two-Phase Annular Flow Boiling and Rewetting Using Advanced Laser-Based Diagnostics," seeks to advance the fundamental understanding of boiling heat transfer and two-phase flow phenomena that govern the performance of many advanced thermal systems.

The project will employ state-of-the-art laser-based diagnostics to visualize and quantify microscale liquid-vapor interactions, droplet entrainment, liquid-film dynamics, and rewetting processes under extreme thermal conditions. The resulting experimental data and physics-based models will help improve predictive capabilities for next-generation thermal-fluid technologies.

The research has broad relevance to advanced nuclear reactors, data center and AI-computing cooling, semiconductor thermal management, high-power-density electronics, and other energy and thermal systems where efficient heat removal is critical.

In addition to advancing fundamental science, the CAREER Award will support the integration of research, education, and outreach through student training, curriculum development, and activities designed to broaden participation in thermal-fluid science and engineering.

"We are grateful to the NSF CBET Thermal Transport Processes Program for its support and confidence in this research vision," said Dr. Jin. "This award provides an exciting opportunity to deepen our understanding of complex boiling phenomena while training future engineers and researchers who will contribute to next-generation energy and thermal-management technologies."

The laboratory thanks its students, collaborators, research sponsors, and the University of Missouri College of Engineering and Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering for their continued support.

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Official Mizzou Engineering announcement:https://engineering.missouri.edu/2026/mechanical-engineering-researcher-receives-nsf-career-award/