David MurphyUniversity of South FloridaTampa, FLResearch Summary: Dr. Murphy is an expert in fluid mechanics whose research has biological, ecological, and environmental applications. For example, he has worked on crude oil spill dispersion in marine environments and potential human health effects of exposure to oily marine aerosols. Through a variety of methods, including advanced flow visualization and measurement techniques, he has also investigated zooplankton swimming, insect flight, and prosthetic heart valves. In a recent project, he explored the swimming of sea butterflies, also known as pteropods. The specifics of their movement may help inspire the design of new micro aerial vehicles. Biography: Dr. Murphy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of South Florida. He completed a double B.S. in mechanical and biomedical engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2004, an M.Phil. in biological science from Cambridge University in 2005, and an M.S. in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2008. He received his Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from Georgia Tech in 2012. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. His research has been featured in national publications like the New York Times as well as in the 2016 documentary, Dispatches from the Gulf, narrated by Matt Damon. He is an active member of the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics and recently received two research awards from the National Academies of Science Keck Futures Initiative.
