Dr. Paul Puzinauskas’s research interests include internal-combustion-engine combustion, heat transfer and instrumentation research. Currently, Puzinauskas and his students are working in three areas. The first is to improve optical combustion diagnostic capabilities and apply them to internal-combustion-engine analysis. The current focus of these efforts is a project funded by the National Science Foundation to develop a fiber-optic probe to simplify Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Laser-Induced Incandescence (LII) in harsh environments. The second area is the optimization of internal-combustion engines used for hybrid-electric-vehicle applications, and the third is to improve the understanding of the combustion kinetics controlling emission formation in diesel-spray combustion.

Puzinauskas is also involved in a project for the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates Fluid Mechanics with Analysis Using Computations and Experiments Program.