Ahmed Abdelaal

Dr. Ahmed Abdelaal is an Assistant Professor in the College of Engineering at SUNY Polytechnic Institute specializing in thermofluid sciences, fluid power systems, atmospheric icing, climate-informed structural design, and engineering education. His research focuses on severe weather mitigation, infrastructure resilience, computational fluid dynamics, fluid power technologies, and climate change impacts on structural loads.

Dr. Abdelaal leads and collaborates on projects supported by organizations including the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Fluid Power Association. He also serves as the lead of the Ice Loads in Future Conditions Subcommittee for ASCE 7–2028, contributing to the development of climate-informed engineering standards.

In addition to his research, he is actively involved in curriculum development, student mentoring, and experiential learning through the establishment of SUNY Poly’s Fluid Power Technology laboratory and nationally recognized student competition teams.

Education

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Toledo, 2017
• B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (Degree with Honors), Alexandria University, 2009
   

Research Interests

• Thermofluid sciences
• Fluid power systems and applications
• Atmospheric icing and ice accretion
• Climate-informed structural design
• Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
• Engineering Education
   

Selected Grants

• Climate Change Effect on Atmospheric Icing and Its Impact on the Codes and Standards for Structural Design, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Principal Investigator, 2024–2026, $397,410
• Advancing Climate-Informed Structural Design with Big Data and AI Using the SUNY AI Platform and Google Cloud, State University of New York, Principal Investigator, 2025–2026, $75,000
• Implementing Fluid Power in Engineering Education at SUNY Poly, National Fluid Power Association, Principal Investigator, 2025–2027, $20,000
• Establishing a Fluid Power HUB at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, SUNY Poly Seed Grant, Principal Investigator, 2025–2027, $10,000
• Prediction of Non-Newtonian Flow Instabilities in Complex Geometries Towards an Improved Understanding of Respiratory Dynamics, SUNY Poly Seed Grant, Co-Principal Investigator, 2024–2026, $32,000

Selected Publications
 

• Harmon, G. B., Nzebuka, G. C., Jin, C., Abdelaal, A., Alvarado, J., & Patterson, A. E. (2026). A Design Framework for Engineered Roughness in Additively Manufactured Thermoplastic Pipes. International Journal on Interactive Design and Manufacturing (IJIDeM). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12008-026-02572-y
• Tye, M. R., McCrary, R. R., Stuivenvolt-Allen, J., Abdelaal, A., & Liel, A. (2025). Evaluating the Time of Occurrence of Selected Global Warming Levels for CMIP5 and CMIP6 Models. NCAR Technical Note No. NCAR/TN-591+STR. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO. https://doi.org/10.5065/c62c-ay86
• Sekaran, A., & Abdelaal, A. (2025). Computational and Experimental Characterization of Flow in an Intubated Human Trachea. Fluids, 10(12), 312. https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids10120312
• Sekaran, A., Abdelaal, A., & Mandic, A. (2025). Flow Through an Intubated Human Trachea Analyzed via Computational Fluid Dynamics and Matched Experiments. Proceedings of the ASME 2025 Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting (FEDSM2025).
• Abdelaal, A., Nims, D., & Jones, K. (2024). A Timeline Study of Freezing Rain Events in Toledo, Ohio Using Toledo Express Airport Weather Station [1955–2023]. Proceedings of the 20th International Workshop on Atmospheric Icing of Structures (IWAIS).
• Sharma, D., Abdelaal, A., & Nims, D. (2022). A CFD Analysis of the Effect of Ice and Snow Accretion on the Aerodynamic Behavior of Bridge Cables. Proceedings of the 19th International Workshop on Atmospheric Icing of Structures (IWAIS).
• Abdelaal, A., Sarayloo, M., Nims, D., & Sojoudi, H. (2022). A Flexible Surface-Mountable Sensor for Ice Detection and Non-Destructive Measurement of Liquid Water Content in Snow. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 195, 103469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2021.103469
• Mohammadian, B., Sarayloo, M., Abdelaal, A., Raiyan, A., Nims, D., & Sojoudi, H. (2020). Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Wet Snow Accumulation on Inclined Cylindrical Surfaces. Modelling and Simulation in Engineering, 2020, 9594685. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9594685
• Abdelaal, A., Sarayloo, M., & Nims, D. (2019). Experimental Study of Precipitation Icing on an Architectural Polycarbonate Open Mesh. Proceedings of the 18th International Workshop on Atmospheric Icing of Structures (IWAIS).
• Abdelaal, A., Nims, D., Jones, K., & Sojoudi, H. (2019). Prediction of Ice Accumulation on Bridge Cables During Freezing Rain: A Theoretical Modeling and Experimental Study. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 164, 102782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2019.102782
• Rizvi, R., Nguyen, E., Kowal, M., Mak, W., Rasel, S., Islam, M., Abdelaal, A., Joshi, A., Zekriardehani, S., Coleman, M., & Kaner, R. (2018). High Throughput Continuous Production of Shear Exfoliated 2D Layered Materials Using Compressible Flows. Advanced Materials, 30(30), 1800200. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201800200
• Nemani, S. K., Annavarapu, R. K., Mohammadian, B., Raiyan, A., Heil, J., Haque, M. A., Abdelaal, A., & Sojoudi, H. (2018). Surface Modification of Polymers: Methods and Applications. Advanced Materials Interfaces, 5(24), 1801247. https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.201801247
• Mirto, C., Abdelaal, A., Nims, D., Ng, T., Hunt, V., Helmicki, A., Ryerson, C., & Jones, K. (2015). Icing Management on the Veterans' Glass City Skyway Stay Cables. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2482(1), 74–81. https://doi.org/10.3141/2482-10
• Abdelaal, A., Mirto, C., Nims, D., Ng, T., Jones, K., Ryerson, C., Helmicki, A., & Hunt, V. (2015). Investigation of Using Icephobic Coatings on a Cable-Stayed Bridge. Proceedings of the 16th International Workshop on Atmospheric Icing of Structures (IWAIS), pp. 133–138.