About

Jesse Capecelatro is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, with a joint appointment in Aerospace Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University, obtained in 2014, along with master's degrees from Cornell and the University of Colorado, and a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from SUNY Binghamton. His research focuses on fluid mechanics, emphasizing multiphase flow, turbulence, reacting flows, and high-performance computing. His work has applications in renewable energy, disease transmission, and space exploration. Recognized for his contributions to the field, Capecelatro has received several awards, including the ASME Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal and the Mechanical Engineering Department Achievement Award. He is involved in advancing computational modeling techniques and has been acknowledged for his outstanding research, development, and teaching efforts within the College of Engineering.

Research topics

• Physics
• Mechanics
• Computer Science
• Mathematics
• Statistics
• Geology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• Statistical physics
• Surgery
• Mathematical analysis
• Chemistry
• Applied mathematics
• Algorithm
• Materials science
• Anesthesia
• Acoustics
• Chromatography
• Medicine

Selected publications

• Correction: Data-driven Framework to Characterize Crater Dynamics During Plume-Surface Interactions

  2026-01-12

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Data-driven Framework to Characterize Crater Dynamics During Plume-Surface Interactions

  2026-01-08

  article

  During propulsive landings on the Moon, Mars, or other terrestrial bodies, high-speed thruster plumes erode the regolith surface, generating ejecta that lift off and pose hazards to the vehicle and surroundings. The volume and shape of craters formed during plume-surface interactions (PSI) depend on thruster characteristics, ambient conditions, and regolith properties. We review existing analytical, empirical, and data-driven models of plume-induced granular erosion, highlighting the need for models that accurately capture PSI across a broader range of conditions. In this work, low-pressure, high-speed data from NASA’s Physics-Focused Ground Test (PFGT) campaign were used to characterize crater evolution and morphology across varying nozzle mass flow rates, nozzle heights, background pressures, and regolith simulants. Half-space experiments employed a splitter plate aligned with the nozzle axis, enabling high-speed recordings of crater formation. Crater profiles were extracted using an in-house image processing tool, augmented with an open-source machine learning algorithm. Sensitivity analysis of crater dynamics was conducted to classify cratering behavior based on nozzle, ambient, and particle properties. An intuitive regime map for crater shapes is presented, using nozzle pressure ratio, nozzle height, and a non-dimensional erosion parameter, revealing five distinct cratering regimes. Finally, volumetric erosion rates are compared with existing physics-based models, and a correction is proposed that accounts for nozzle height and reduced ambient pressure.

  PublisherDOI

• A direct forcing immersed boundary method for biofluid simulations using a non-linear rotation free shell model on unstructured grids

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2026-05-19

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Thin structures such as heart valves and aortic dissection flaps interact dynamically with blood flow in human vessels. Their flexibility and capacity for large deformations generate complex, highly transient hemodynamic patterns over the cardiac cycle. Accurately resolving these interactions remains challenging for conventional boundary-fitted fluid–structure interaction approaches. We present an immersed boundary method for simulating thin structures in incompressible flow on unstructured grids. The method couples a stabilized finite element fluid solver with a nonlinear, rotation-free shell formulation through a direct forcing immersed boundary approach. The framework supports both weak (explicit) and strong (implicit) time-coupling strategies, enabling stable simulations over a wide range of solid-to-fluid density ratios. Hydrodynamic forces acting on thin structures are computed from fluid solutions sampled on both sides of the structure, allowing accurate force reconstruction for zero-thickness shells. To our knowledge, this is the first immersed boundary formulation that couples an unstructured finite element fluid solver with a two-dimensional, rotation-free shell model to simulate interactions between thin structures and incompressible flow. Fluid–structure coupling is achieved using predefined finite element shape functions, which provide consistent projection between Eulerian and Lagrangian fields without additional interpolation procedures. The framework is validated using three-dimensional benchmark problems involving thin structures. Then, valve-like model is used to compare strong and weak coupling strategies. Finally, the method is applied to an idealized type-B aortic dissection model. The proposed approach is implemented within the open-source software CRIMSON, a finite element platform for cardiovascular simulation.

  PublisherDOI

• A wearable electrical hemodynamic imaging ring

  ArXiv.org · 2026-04-16

  articleOpen access

  Continuous ambulatory monitoring of peripheral vascular perfusion could enable earlier detection of vascular dysfunction in individuals with diabetes mellitus and more timely management of cardiovascular disease. Clinical imaging modalities provide high-fidelity vascular information but are impractical for ambulatory use, whereas most wearable devices are limited to single-modality sensing and do not provide imaging. Electrical bioimpedance has the potential to bridge this gap by enabling rapid spatial and temporal imaging while remaining sensitive to hemodynamic changes. Here, we introduce a wearable ring with 8 electrodes and 32-channel bioimpedance sensing for finger blood flow imaging. In 96 healthy participants measured at rest and during autonomic maneuvers, we resolve conductivity images in the digital arteries associated with pulsatile blood flow and train neural network models for continuous cuffless blood pressure waveform estimation. We demonstrate the feasibility of bioimpedance imaging in a ring form factor, supporting its potential for ambulatory cuffless hemodynamic monitoring.

  PublisherOA PDF

• A wearable electrical hemodynamic imaging ring

  PubMed Central · 2026-04-16

  preprintOpen access

  Continuous ambulatory monitoring of peripheral vascular perfusion could enable earlier detection of vascular dysfunction in individuals with diabetes mellitus and more timely management of cardiovascular disease. Clinical imaging modalities provide high-fidelity vascular information but are impractical for ambulatory use, whereas most wearable devices are limited to single-modality sensing and do not provide imaging. Electrical bioimpedance has the potential to bridge this gap by enabling rapid spatial and temporal imaging while remaining sensitive to hemodynamic changes. Here, we introduce a wearable ring with 8 electrodes and 32-channel bioimpedance sensing for finger blood flow imaging. In 96 healthy participants measured at rest and during autonomic maneuvers, we resolve conductivity images in the digital arteries associated with pulsatile blood flow and train neural network models for continuous cuffless blood pressure waveform estimation. We demonstrate the feasibility of bioimpedance imaging in a ring form factor, supporting its potential for ambulatory cuffless hemodynamic monitoring.

  PublisherDOI

• A wearable electrical hemodynamic imaging ring.

  PubMed · 2026-04-16

  article

  Continuous ambulatory monitoring of peripheral vascular perfusion could enable earlier detection of vascular dysfunction in individuals with diabetes mellitus and more timely management of cardiovascular disease. Clinical imaging modalities provide high-fidelity vascular information but are impractical for ambulatory use, whereas most wearable devices are limited to single-modality sensing and do not provide imaging. Electrical bioimpedance has the potential to bridge this gap by enabling rapid spatial and temporal imaging while remaining sensitive to hemodynamic changes. Here, we introduce a wearable ring with 8 electrodes and 32-channel bioimpedance sensing for finger blood flow imaging. In 96 healthy participants measured at rest and during autonomic maneuvers, we resolve conductivity images in the digital arteries associated with pulsatile blood flow and train neural network models for continuous cuffless blood pressure waveform estimation. We demonstrate the feasibility of bioimpedance imaging in a ring form factor, supporting its potential for ambulatory cuffless hemodynamic monitoring.

  Publisher

• The Influence of Turbulence and Adhesion on Spatially Heterogeneous Particle Deposition and Wear

  2026-01-08

  articleSenior author

  Dust and sand ingestion in gas turbine engines leads to particle deposition and wear, degrading performance and increasing maintenance costs. In this work, we use direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow to investigate the role of near-wall turbulence in shaping particle deposition patterns. Particle dynamics are resolved via a one-way coupled Euler–Lagrange framework incorporating drag, lift, Brownian dynamics, and a soft-sphere collision model with adhesive contact. Thermal effects are approximated by varying the particle adhesion number. We find that lower adhesion numbers produce more heterogeneous deposits by allowing particles to move along the wall, forming streak-like patterns that align with near-wall turbulence structures. Spanwise radial distribution functions and spatial velocity correlations reveal a direct coupling between turbulence scales and particle clustering. These results highlight the importance of accurate models for particle-turbulence and particle-wall interactions in predicting deposition morphology in high-temperature turbulent flows.

  PublisherDOI

• Digital Twins for Biofluids

  Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering · 2026-02-25

  articleSenior author

  Digital twins-virtual representations dynamically linked to physical systems-have the potential to transform biomedical engineering by enabling real-time prediction, optimization, and personalization in health and disease. In biofluids, digital twins offer a framework for integrating physics-based models with data from clinical imaging, sensors, and physiological measurements to support diagnostics, therapeutic planning, and device design. This article reviews modeling approaches used in the construction of digital twins for biofluid applications. We survey high-fidelity numerical methods alongside emerging machine learning techniques, highlighting their respective strengths and limitations. Key requirements for digital twins are discussed, emphasizing the bidirectional interaction between physical and virtual assets and the importance of selecting modeling strategies tailored to specific biomedical contexts. While notable progress has been made over the past decade, significant challenges remain, particularly in integrating multiphysics models with data-driven methods and in establishing standardized protocols for data acquisition, interoperability, and sharing.

  PublisherDOI

• A comprehensive comparison of TFM and CFD-DEM in simulations of cluster-induced turbulence in unbounded fluidization systems

  Chemical Engineering Journal · 2025-09-06 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Imprints of turbulence on heterogeneous deposition of adhesive particles

  Physical Review Fluids · 2025-10-21 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  We present results from direct numerical simulations of turbulent channel flow laden with adhesive (viscoelastic) particles. Particles demonstrate higher adhesion strengths at elevated temperatures, an effect we probe by varying the adhesion number. Using spanwise radial distribution functions, we show that particle heterogeneity near and on the wall is promoted by turbulence. Furthermore, low-adhesion, high-inertia particles demonstrate spanwise creep along the wall, leading to elongated streamwise deposits. Abrasive wear profiles highlight the consequences of heterogeneity, with local wear exceeding ten times the mean.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: Bridging the Gap Between Particle-Scale Thermal Transport and Device-scale Predictions

  NSF · $239k · 2019–2022

• CAREER: Towards Understanding and Modeling Turbulent Reacting Particle-Laden Flows

  NSF · $505k · 2019–2025

• Collaborative Research: Effect of Pulsatility on Expiratory Droplet-Laden Flows

  NSF · $222k · 2021–2025

Frequent coauthors

• Rodney O. Fox

  44 shared

• Olivier Desjardins

  Cornell University

  43 shared

• Aaron M. Lattanzi

  24 shared

• Yuan Yao

  University of Iowa

  22 shared

• David R. Dowling

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  15 shared

• Gregory Shallcross

  Jet Propulsion Laboratory

  15 shared

• Ira M. Cohen

  14 shared

• Pijush K. Kundu

  14 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

  Cornell University

  2014

• M.S., Mechanical Engineering

  University of Colorado Boulder

  2011

• B.S., Mechanical Engineering

  Binghamton University

  2009

Awards & honors

• ASME Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal Awarded to Jesse Capecelatro (2…
• Jesse Capecelatro and Rouse receive NSF CAREER Awards (2019)
• Mechanical Engineering Department Achievement Award (2021)