Paul Allaire – President and Chief Technical Officer
Paul is a co-founder of Rotor Bearing Solutions International. In 1980 he started the Rotating Machinery and Controls Industrial Research Lab, at the University of Virginia with several other professors and was its first Director. From 2002 to 2012, he was again the Director of ROMAC. In the rotordynamics research area, he worked to bring advanced rotordynamic software and testing for industrial use, including:
- Combined Lateral, Torsional and Axial Finite Element Rotor Models
- Advanced Fluid Film Bearing Software
- Advanced Seal Modeling
- Advanced Rotor Optimum Balancing
- Squeeze Film Damper Modeling and Design
- Advanced Rotor Optimum Balancing
- Magnetic Bearing Design and Optimization
- Active Magnetic Bearings for Human Artificial Hearts
- Industrial Scale Active Magnetic Bearing Test Rigs
- Surge Control with Active Magnetic Bearings
Paul Allaire has his B. S. and M. E. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Yale in 1963 and 1964 respectively. He taught engineering in the Telecommunications Institute in Addis Ababa Ethiopia from 1964 to 1966 while in the US Peace Corps. He got his Ph. D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University in 1971. Then he taught engineering at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He started in the Mechanical Engineering Department, at the University of Virginia in 1972, as an Assistant Professor. He started rotordynamic research with Edgar J. Gunter at that time. He was promoted to Associate Professor , Full Professor, Department Chair of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, given the Mac Wade Chaired Professor appointment, all by 1991.
Saeid Dousti – Engineering Fellow
Saeid Dousti specializes in advanced analysis of fluid film bearings and squeeze film dampers. He has been working in this area since 2008. He obtained his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in 2014 from the University of Virginia. Saeid has a strong background in hydrodynamic analysis and lubrication theory.
Simon Mushi – Director, Magnetic Bearing Systems
Simon Mushi specializes in the design and analysis of feedback controllers for rotor systems supported by active magnetic bearings. He obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from University of Virginia’s Rotating Machinery and Controls Labs (ROMAC) with a dissertation titled, “Robust Control of Rotordynamic Instability in Rotating Machinery supported by Magnetic Bearings.” He is the author of 2 journal papers and several conference papers in the fields of servo control and/or rotordynamics. He is currently employed in the semiconductor industry.
Laurence Wagner, P.E. – Senior Associate
Dr. Wagner is an experienced engineering analyst with 45 years of demonstrated history working in the power generation Industry for Westinghouse and later Siemens. He is skilled in physical modeling and computational techniques for linear and nonlinear solution of rotor dynamic and related bearing issues confronting all classes of rotating equipment. He further has completed analyses and directed testing for development of controlled-leakage seals for specialized application with reactor coolant pumps. Additionally, Laurence has developed computational techniques for steam and gas turbine stationary and rotating blades, including lifing determination related to high and low-cycle fatigue as well as creep.
Laurence received a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Villanova University in mechanical engineering, a Master of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Applied Mechanics, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Carnegie Mellon University focused on Mechanical Engineering. He is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania.