Roshith Mittakolu
PhD Candidate, Mechanical Engineering
Thermal-Fluid Systems · Scientific Computing
Experimental Testing and Validation
University of Maryland
Next-Generation Cooling Systems
for Data Centers and Electronics.
I am a mechanical engineering PhD candidate at the University of Maryland. My work focuses on thermal management of data centers and electronics, sitting at the intersection of thermal-fluid systems, numerical methods, scientific computing, and experimental testing and validation.
My PhD revolves around three major projects, two ARPA-E COOLERCHIPS efforts and a Northrop Grumman collaboration. In MOSTCOOL, I develop system-level simulation tools for two-phase data center cooling. Through a collaboration with the University of Florida, I extend these tools to study a novel membrane-assisted heat sink concept. The Northrop Grumman project adds an experimental component for designing and characterizing a novel cold plate with encapsulated phase change materials.
I see myself as a mechanical/thermal engineer. Software became a core part of how I work because the problems I study required tools that need to be developed as the existing ones were insufficient. Outside of my core research, as a hobby, I explore how AI and LLMs might eventually change how thermal engineers simulate, reason, and design.
Open to industry roles in data center thermal management, electronics and power electronics cooling, and advanced thermal systems.
Education
Where I studied and what I built along the way
University of Maryland, College Park
Doctor of Philosophy, Mechanical Engineering
August 2022 – Present · GPA 3.83 / 4.0
Doctoral research in thermal management of data centers and electronics, with emphasis on two-phase cooling, system-level thermal design, scientific simulation tools, and experimental thermal engineering.
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar
Master of Technology, Mechanical Engineering
July 2019 – June 2021 · CPI 8.6 / 10
Graduate research focused on computational fluid dynamics and numerical methods for compressible flow.
National Institute of Technology (NIT) Calicut
Bachelor of Technology, Mechanical Engineering
July 2014 – May 2018 · CGPA 7.46 / 10
Undergraduate training in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and solid mechanics.
Technical Toolkit & Skills
Methods, platforms, and tools I use in research and engineering
