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An assistant professor of mechanical and energy engineering, Matthew J. Traum is an experimentalist and expert in energy-thermal-fluids metrology. Traum received a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [2007] where he held a research assistantship at MIT's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN). In his dissertation, Traum described a new method for simultaneous thermal, mechanical, and biological protection for soldiers in harsh environments using raiment made from nano-porous barriers. Traum also holds a master's degree in mechanical engineering from MIT [2003] with a focus on cryogenics and two bachelor's degrees from the University of California, Irvine [2001]: one in mechanical engineering and the second in aerospace engineering. He also minored in Women's Studies at UCI. In addition, Traum attended the University of Bristol, UK as a non-matriculating visiting scholar where he completed an M.Eng thesis in the Department of Aerospace Engineering [2000] on autogyro pitch stability in low-speed flight. Prior to his appointment at UNT, Dr. Traum taught in the Physics Department at Simmons College in Boston, MA.
Dr. Traum's research focuses at the intersection of energy-thermal-fluids and nanotechnology in areas including energy transfer through nano-channels, fabrication of nano-porous barriers to modulate fluid transport processes, and tiny technology energy generation and sensors. As a passionate advocate for undergraduate research, Dr. Traum directs the activities of the Texas Undergraduate Researcher Incubator (TURI), a curriculum-integrated training organization within the UNT College of Engineering devoted to fast-tracking undergraduates into meaningful research experiences through Just-In-Time Learning.