Professional Preparation

PhD., Mechanical Engineering, University of Kentucky, December, 2009.

M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of New Orleans, December, 2003.

B.Sc.,  Mechanical Engineering, First Class Honors, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, July, 1999.

Appointments

Assistant Research Professor, February, 2011–present

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Kentucky

Post-Doctoral Research Scholar, January, 2010 – January, 2011

Institute of Research for Technology Development, University of Kentucky

Research Assistant, September, 2005 – December, 2009

Institute of Research for Technology Development, University of Kentucky

Research Assistant, June, 2003 – August, 2005

Energy Conversion and Conservation Center, University of New Orleans

Mechanical Engineer, Co-op, June, 2002 – May, 2003

General Electric Power Systems, Schenectady, NY

Research Assistant, January, 2001 – May, 2002

Energy Conversion and Conservation Center, University of New Orleans

Selected Publications

1. Akafuah, N. K., (2011). Automotive paint spray visualization and characterization. To appear In K. Toda, A. J. Abraham, & K. Saito (Eds.), Monozukuri-based automobile coating science and Li, T. X., K., Zhu, D. L., Akafuah, N. K., Saito, and Law, C. K. (2011). Synthesis, droplet combustion, and sooting characteristics of biodiesel produced from waste vegetable oils. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 33 (2),  2039–2046
2. Akafuah, N. K., and Saito, K. (2010). Review: Recent advances in the study of micro-diffusion flames. Journal of High Temperature Society, 56(5), 202-206.
3. Akafuah, N. K., Salazar, A. J., and Saito, K. (2010). Infrared thermography-based visualization of droplet transport in liquid sprays. Infrared Physics & Technology, 53, 218–226.
4. Akafuah, N. K., Salazar, A. J., and Saito, K. (2009). Estimation of liquid volume fraction and droplet number density in automotive paint spray using infrared thermography-based visualization technique. Atomization and Sprays, 19, 847-861.
5. Kuwana K., Sekimoto K., Akafuah N. K., Chuah K., Lei J., Saito K., and Williams F.A. (2011). The moving-type fire-whirl observed during a recent Brazil forest fire. Proceedings of the 7th US National Technical Meeting of the Combustion Institute, Atlanta, GA, March 20-23, 2011
6. Li, T. X., Akafuah, N. K., Saito, K., Zhu, D. L., and Law, C. K. (2010). Synthesis, droplet combustion, and sooting characteristics of biodiesel produced from waste vegetable oils. 33rd International Symposium on Combustion. Beijing, China.
7. Li, T.X., Zhu ,D.L., Akafuah, N.K., Saito, K., and Law, C. K. (2010).  Droplet combustion and sooting characteristics of biodiesel produced from waste vegetable oils.  Proceedings of the 2010 Technical Meeting of the Central States Section of The Combustion Institute, Champaign, Illinois, USA.
8. Akafuah, N. K., Salazar, A. J., and Saito. K. (2009). Infrared visualization of automotive paint spray transfer process.  ASME FEDSM2009-78033, Proceedings of ASME FED, Vail, Colorado, USA.
9. Akafuah, N. K., Salazar, A. J., Saito, K., Srinivasan, V. (2009). Ultrasonically driven cavitating atomizer: prototype fabrication and characterization. ASME FEDSM2009-78024, Proceedings of ASME FED, Vail, Colorado, USA.
10. Akafuah, N. K., Hall, C. A., and Wang T. (2004). “Uncertainty analysis of infrared thermography in convective heat transfer”, HT-FED2004-56537, Proceedings of ASME HT-FED, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.