About

Leonardo Chamorro is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he also serves as Associate Head for Undergraduate Programs. He has held positions including Assistant Professor from 2013 to 2019, Associate Professor from 2019 to 2024, and became a full Professor in August 2024. Chamorro's academic background includes a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with minors in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics from the University of Minnesota, earned in 2010, and a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the same institution in 2008. His research interests encompass aero/hydrodynamics, wind and hydrokinetic energy, advanced flow diagnostics, particle dynamics, geophysical flows, complex boundary layer processes, flow-structure interaction, turbulence theory, and fluid mechanics. Chamorro is involved in various research areas related to energy, environment, and fluid mechanics, contributing to the understanding and development of renewable energy systems, fluid flow analysis, and complex flow phenomena. He is affiliated with multiple departments at the University of Illinois, including Earth Science and Environmental Change, Aerospace Engineering, and Civil and Environmental Engineering, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach to his research.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Medicine
• Nanotechnology
• Materials science
• Sociology
• Physics
• Telecommunications
• Engineering
• Virology
• Internal medicine
• Radiology
• Chemistry
• Emergency medicine
• Pathology
• Intensive care medicine
• Geography
• Composite material
• Aerospace engineering
• Electrical engineering
• Communication

Selected publications

• Mechanisms and acoustic signatures of rock fracture induced by double-excited pulse waterjets

  Journal of Manufacturing Processes · 2026-01-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Characterization of novel Picochlorum diversity in Caribbean Colombia via 18S rDNA and bioprospecting potential

  Research Square · 2026-01-13

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Shape Morphing Programmable Systems for Enhanced Control in Low‐Velocity Flow Applications

  Advanced Intelligent Systems · 2025-07-21 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Active flow control has gained substantial interest due to the ubiquitous role of fluids in engineering systems and applications and its potential to enhance aero‐, hydro‐, and hemodynamic system performance. This study presents an active flow control strategy employing a programmable shape‐morphing system actuated by Lorentz forces in liquid metal‐embedded microfluidics. The proposed system enables rapid, reversible, and three‐dimensional deformations of a thin elastomeric membrane without the need for external flow sources or high‐voltage inputs. The platform is evaluated for its capacity to induce distinct motions at various incoming velocities, revealing significant effects on momentum change. The study integrates advanced experimental techniques, reduced‐order modeling, and state‐of‐the‐art numerical methods to validate the system's versatility and performance. The findings highlight the potential of this soft actuating system to enhance flow control strategies, with potential applications ranging from improving the aerodynamics of bio‐inspired flying sensors to mimicking natural locomotion mechanisms in low‐velocity regimes. Further exploration of material innovations is crucial to expanding the system's capabilities and impact on specific flow control applications.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• <i>In vitro</i> living system for streaming flow rectification

  Physical Review Research · 2025-06-11

  articleOpen access

  Small—but finite—fluid inertia can be leveraged to generate steady flows out of liquid vibrations around an immersed interface. In engineering, external high-frequency drivers <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><a:mrow><a:mo>(</a:mo><a:msup><a:mn>10</a:mn><a:mn>2</a:mn></a:msup><a:mtext>–</a:mtext><a:msup><a:mn>10</a:mn><a:mn>5</a:mn></a:msup><a:mspace width="0.16em"/><a:mi>Hz</a:mi><a:mo>)</a:mo></a:mrow></a:math> allow this inertial rectification phenomenon, known as viscous streaming, to be employed in micron-scale devices for precise flow control, particle manipulation, and spatially controlled chemistry. However, beyond artificial settings, streaming has been hypothesized to be accessible by larger-scale biological systems pertaining to lower frequencies. Then millimeter-size organisms that oscillate or pulsate cilia and appendages in the 1 to <c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><c:mrow><c:mn>10</c:mn><c:mspace width="0.16em"/><c:mi>Hz</c:mi></c:mrow></c:math> range may be able to rectify surrounding flows, for feeding or locomotion, removing the need for external actuators, tethers, or tubing. Motivated by this potential for bio-hybrid robotic applications and biophysical exploration, here we demonstrate an living system able to produce streaming flows endogenously, autonomously, and unassisted. Computationally informed, our biological device generates oscillatory flows through the cyclic contractions of an engineered muscle tissue, shaped in the form of a torus and suspended in fluid within a microparticle image velocimetry setup. Flow patterns consistent with streaming simulations are observed for low-frequency muscle contractions <e:math xmlns:e="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><e:mrow><e:mo>(</e:mo><e:mn>2</e:mn><e:mo>–</e:mo><e:mn>4</e:mn><e:mspace width="0.16em"/><e:mi>Hz</e:mi><e:mo>)</e:mo></e:mrow></e:math>, either spontaneous or light-induced, illustrating system autonomy and controllability, respectively. Thus, by connecting tissue engineering with hydrodynamics, this work provides experimental evidence of biologically powered streaming in untethered, millimeter-scale living systems, endowing bio-hybrid technology with inertial microfluidic capabilities. It also illustrates the potential of combining bio-hybrid platforms and simulations to advance both biophysical understanding and fluid mechanics.

  PublisherDOI

• Directional Variations in Tidal Flow Multifractality and Intermittency

  Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans · 2025-05-31

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Abstract We explored distinct directional variations of multifractal and intermittent characteristics of ebb and flood flow velocities at nodule point, WA, tidal energy site, and complementary inspection on the East River, NY using scaling exponents of the structure function, distribution flatness, detrending moving average (DMA) analysis, multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF‐DFA), and high‐order spectral moments. Our findings reveal that tidal flow presents higher long‐range dependence (LRD) and intermittent levels for the ebb flow sections, whereas the flood flow sections exhibit a higher degree of multifractality and greater sensitivity to larger magnitude of turbulent fluctuations. We demonstrate that long‐range dependence predominantly contributes to multifractal behavior in both ebb and flood flows, as evidenced by the significantly reduced multifractal spectrum width for temporally randomly permuted time series. Moreover, spectral kurtosis analysis uncovers a higher intermittent level across all frequency scales for ebb flow sections and reveals a distinct pattern of tidal flow intermittency differing from the monotonically increasing intermittent level observed in wall‐bounded and grid turbulence. Finally, we demonstrate that DMA, MF‐DFA, and high‐order spectral moments provide more comprehensive insights than structure function scaling exponents and PDF flatness methods.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Vertical extrapolation of Weibull parameters using PDF scaling and wind shear exponent

  Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy · 2025-03-01 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  This study presents a concise yet effective approach for vertically extrapolating Weibull parameters, using the power law approximation of the wind velocity profile, which describes the exponential increase in mean wind speed with height, as specified in IEC 61400-1. A robust method is necessary to extrapolate wind data collected at lower mast heights to higher locations. Current extrapolation methods are typically constrained in their applicable height range, requiring the development of a new model to accommodate the trend toward larger wind turbines. The proposed formulation is based on extrapolating the Weibull shape and scale parameters from a reference height and assuming a power law velocity profile controlled by the wind shear exponent. The extrapolation function was derived by stretching the Weibull distribution to align with a power law relating average wind speed to height, followed by normalization of the result. Also, a revised empirical formula for the vertical extrapolation of Weibull parameters to heights exceeding 100 m is proposed and validated for accuracy. The Weibull parameter extrapolation method introduced in this study is particularly useful for wind farm development and estimating conditions relevant to the flight testing of unmanned aerial vehicles.

  PublisherDOI

• RoboNautilus: a cephalopod-inspired soft robotic siphon for underwater propulsion

  npj Robotics · 2025-07-03 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Early nautiloids evolved siphon-like structures hundreds of millions of years ago as a propulsion mechanism for maneuvering in underwater environments. Over time, siphons became the cephalopod method for jetting locomotion, but few bio-mimetic soft robotic replicas have been developed. The principal challenge is the limited selection of solid-state, active soft materials that can replicate the function of the active mantle in a natural siphon. Here, we present a Nautilus-inspired propulsion system that employs multilayered solid-state dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) to produce an artificial siphon. The system features a soft robotic siphon, onboard sensors for semi-autnonomous operation, and a 3D-printed shell with an internal air pocket for buoyancy and self-righting ability. Through analytical modeling and empirical approaches, we develop a soft muscle for vortex ring formation and thrust output of 17 mN at 2 kV. These findings provide a framework for designing soft actuators that can be used as new propulsors to enable efficient (Cost of Transport = 2.51), low-noise, underwater locomotion for exploration and environmental monitoring applications.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Simultaneous electricity generation and low-energy-intensive water desalination using a hydraulic wind turbine

  Desalination · 2025-01-09 · 6 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Lateral momentum transfer in ice-covered rivers

  2025-10-10 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Ice cover alters river hydrodynamics by introducing surface roughness. This roughness modifies momentum redistribution and bed shear stress. Using theoretical arguments, we present an approach for the lateral momentum load in ice-covered streams. This approach is derived from the depth-integrated Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes equations. Field measurements were conducted during the winters of 2022–2025 in a meandering reach of the Red River of the North (Fargo, ND, USA). We used an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) to obtain time- and depth-averaged velocities across three cross-sections. Results show that secondary flows and Reynolds stresses both contribute to the lateral momentum load. Also, the ice cover suppresses the development of coherent secondary cells. A term-by-term analysis of streamwise momentum budget demonstrates that lateral gradients of momentum load are closely tied to variations in bed shear stress, highlighting the coupling between momentum load and near-bed dynamics. The resulting momentum balance yields three depth-averaged velocity and shear stress models for ice-covered rivers. All models require minimal parameterization and provide practical tools for monitoring and predicting flow profiles under ice conditions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Inertial Effects during Bedload Particle Transport in a 90-Degree Confluence

  Journal of Hydraulic Engineering · 2025-07-07

  articleSenior author

  Laboratory experiments were conducted to explore the kinematics of bedload particles transported through a flat-bed 90° channel confluence with a momentum ratio close to unity, and specifically how particle size influences transport behavior between distinct confluent flow zones. The experimental setup utilized a custom-designed confluence flume, with a smooth, flat bed where the width of the tributary was half that of the main channel (dM=0.2 m and dT/dM=1/2), and operating under subcritical fully developed turbulent conditions. Particle image velocimetry was used to characterize near-bed wall-parallel flow within the confluence. Projected particle tracking velocimetry was employed to track particles with diameters of 1 and 4 mm released upstream of each channel. The results highlight the role of inertia and initial conditions on particle behavior, with distinct variations in the collective particle velocity and acceleration as a function of streamwise distance, with this being particularly significant for particles originating from the tributary channel. By quantification of inertial particle motion, the findings provide insights into critical mechanisms behind the development of morphology and sedimentology, as well as contaminant transport, at channel confluences.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: A Holistic Approach to Wind Energy Integration: From the Atmospheric Boundary Layer to the Power Grid

  NSF · $267k · 2016–2020

• RAPID: Collaborative Research: New Generation of a Bio-inspired Protective Mask Based on Thermal & Vortex Traps

  NSF · $63k · 2020–2022

• Collaborative Research: Dust Entrainment Processes by Convective Vortices and Localized Turbulent Structures: Experimental and Numerical Study

  NSF · $331k · 2022–2026

• COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Dynamics of Inertial Particles in Thermally-Stratified Flows within Electromagnetic Field

  NSF · $294k · 2019–2023

Frequent coauthors

• Fotis Sotiropoulos

  64 shared

• Shyuan Cheng

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  59 shared

• Yaqing Jin

  48 shared

• R. E. A. Arndt

  Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences

  42 shared

• Luciano Castillo

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  38 shared

• Ali M. Hamed

  Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education

  34 shared

• Michele Guala

  University of Minnesota

  33 shared

• Jin‐Tae Kim

  Pohang University of Science and Technology

  31 shared

Awards & honors

• College Award for Distinguished Service