Steven Collicott

A Ph.D. researcher focusing on low-gravity fluid dynamics and capillary fluid physics topics in the field of two-phase fluids research.

Capillary effects dominate liquid positioning in the weightless portions of spaceflight and in small-scale two-phase fluids systems on Earth. Beginning with work in support of the Gravity Probe-B satellite in 1993, Professor Collicott has become the leading expert in the use of the capillary fluids statics code, Surface Evolver, for both research and real-world engineering in two-phase fluids problems. Research includes designing the “Vane-Gap” experiments for the Capillary Fluids Experiment (CFE) presently in the second set of tests in orbit in the International Space Station, exploring the existence and stability of water droplets in lung passages, designing and building a three-dimensional critical wetting experiment - one of the first experiments to fly on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, and many others. Engineering solutions that have grown from research include the best on-orbit propellant-gauging service available for satellites and presently available for owners and operators of satellites.