Abylaikhan Mukhamejanov

Abylaikhan Mukhamejanov

Mechanical Engineering Student at Lehigh University

Research Experience

Unsteady Flow Interactions Laboratory, Lehigh University

Undergraduate Researcher — Mechanical Design & Test · Nov 2023 – Present · Advisor: Dr. Keith Moored

I design and build robotic swimmers that study how ocean-wave energy can be turned into thrust. The work runs under an Office of Naval Research program, with applications to ship propulsion and ocean energy generation.

What I did

  • Designed and built a robotic swimmer system for a water channel to study energy and thrust generation from ocean waves.
  • Built a cyber-physical platform that physically replicates programmed mass, stiffness, and damping — foil parameters change in seconds instead of swapping springs and foils or reassembling hardware.
  • Designed 45+ custom parts in SolidWorks, applying GD&T and DFM/DFA for CNC machining, waterjet cutting, and 3D printing.
  • Traced motion error to backlash through tolerance analysis and redesigned the assembly, reducing error by 5× and noise by 80%.
  • Integrated servos, encoders, and a six-axis force/torque sensor using NI DAQ and a MATLAB/Simulink control loop.
  • Added emergency stops, motion and velocity limits, and wrote operating guidance so other lab members can run the rig safely.

Pitch and Heave Setup

The 2-DOF rig I designed and built for controlled flapping-hydrofoil testing in the water channel.

Presentations

  • Uncovering the Fluid–Structure Interactions of Wave-Assisted Propulsion via Cyber-Physical Fluid Dynamics — APS Division of Fluid Dynamics, Houston, TX (2025)
  • Design and Validation of a Cyber-Physical Fluid Dynamics System for Bio-Inspired Propulsion Studies — ASME IMECE, Memphis, TN (2025) — Best Undergraduate Research Poster Award

Lauder Laboratory, Harvard University

Research Intern — Office of Naval Research MURI Program · May 2026 – Aug 2026 · Advisor: Dr. George Lauder

I studied in-line swimming: how a fish swimming behind a leading swimmer gains thrust from the leader’s wake without actively swimming. The same effect could let ships and underwater drones travel more efficiently in groups.

What I did

  • Operated and redesigned an air-bearing robotic flapper using LabVIEW, PID control, and NI DAQ.
  • Ran hydrofoil and passive-fish experiments across flow conditions, and built a test matrix to identify the thrust-generating parameters.
  • Measured how frequency, pitch amplitude, and flow speed affect swimming and station-holding performance.
  • Used particle image velocimetry (PIV) to map the water flow and visualize wake vortices, processing the data in MATLAB and PIVlab.
  • Built 2-D tracking and 3-D reconstruction pipelines in MATLAB and R to quantify swimming kinematics.
  • Documented test methods and findings in a technical report.

Presented at the ONR MURI Annual Review Meeting (Sep 2026) and the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting (Nov 2026, Orlando, FL).

Running PIV experiments in the Lauder Lab — the green sheet is the laser illuminating the seeded flow, with the particle images and motion control on the monitors.

Aerotargets International

Mechanical Engineering Intern · May 2024 – Aug 2024

I ran a three-phase wind-tunnel test program on a scaled UAV to characterize its aerodynamic performance and find where the drag was coming from.

What I did

  • Executed the three-phase test program: preliminary stability, then drag with panels off, then panels on.
  • Designed a SolidWorks fixture mounting the model on a six-axis force/torque sensor, with a four-bar linkage to adjust test angles without re-rigging.
  • Analyzed force and moment data using NI DAQ and MATLAB.
  • Recommended fuselage changes contributing to a 10% reduction in drag.

Nano/Human Interfaces Presidential Initiative, Lehigh University

Undergraduate Researcher · Sep 2023 – May 2024

I turned Atomic Force Microscopy scans of perovskite solar cells into something you can walk around and look at.

What I did

  • Converted AFM scan datasets into 3-D CAD models of the cell surface.
  • Built an interactive AR system for exploring the surface topography in 3-D.