Raaghav Thirumaligai
Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
About
I’m passionate about controls, fluid dynamics, and renewable‑energy systems. Having just completed the combined B.S./M.S. program in Mechanical Engineering at UCSB, I am preparing to begin a Ph.D. at UCSB in Fall 2025 focusing on control of fluid‑mechanical systems. Outside the lab I build electric race‑cars with Gaucho Racing and enjoy mentoring younger engineers.
Education
- M.S. Mechanical Engineering, UC Santa Barbara, 2025
- B.S. Mechanical Engineering, UC Santa Barbara, 2025
Experience
- Undergraduate Researcher, UCSB Multiscale & Multiphase Flow Lab Mar 2023 – Present
- Course/Undergraduate Reader (TA), ME 16 Dynamics Apr 2024 – Jun 2024
- Vice President & Battery Accumulator Lead, Gaucho Racing FSAE EV Jun 2023 – Jun 2024
- Senior Capstone Project, Formula SAE Electric Vehicle (Accumulator & HV Systems) 2024 – 2025
Additional Experience
- Resident Assistant, San Rafael Residence Hall Aug 2022 – Jun 2023
- Game Master, Diablo Escapes VR Jul 2020 – Aug 2022
Skills
- Vehicle mechanical design & accumulator container integration (FSAE EV)
- Experimental instrumentation, automation, and root‑cause analysis
- 3D CAD (SolidWorks, Fusion 360) & FEA simulation
- MATLAB / Simulink modeling and control design
- LabVIEW data‑acquisition programming
- Rapid prototyping: FDM/SLA printing, water‑jet, laser‑cutting, sheet‑metal
- Python ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow)
Honors & Awards
- Undergraduate Engineering Honors Program, 2023-2024
- Dean’s Honors List (College of Engineering) — five quarters
- Undergraduate Research Awards — $3,750 (2024) & $2,500 (2025)
Interests
Cycling on a Specialized Allez, following Formula 1 (long‑time AlphaTauri/VCARB fan), and indie gaming—especially Celeste.
Projects
- Active Reconfigurable Wind Turbine (ARWT) — NSF GRFP proposal concept (2024–2025)
- Sample Project Slide
News
- July 2025: Graduated with B.S./M.S. in Mechanical Engineering.
- June 2025: Presented FSAE EV accumulator box design at engineering design fair.