Dr. Daren Watson joined Florida Polytechnic University in 2021 as an assistant professor
in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Watson is a fluid mechanician with expertise
in experimental fluid mechanics, fluid-structure interactions, and biomechanics of
insect locomotion on fluid surfaces. He also has extensive experience in the development
of alternative energy solutions for small island developing states. Watson’s work
in these areas has generated broad interest across the field of engineering, resulting
in publications in several high-impact journals such as Physical Review Fluids, Physics
of Fluids, Journal of Fluids and Structures, and Energy Reports.
Recipient, Prime Minister’s National Youth Award for Excellence, 2020. The award is
the highest honor bestowed upon a Jamaican youth who has achieved eminent national
and international distinction in a specified area.
Member, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, 2019
Recipient, University of the West Indies Graduate Scholarship, 2013
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Central Florida, 2020
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Central Florida, 2019
M.Phil. in Physics, University of the West Indies, 2016 B.S. in Environmental Physics and Mathematics, University of the West Indies, 2013
Interfacial Fluid Mechanics
Fluid-Structure Interactions
Alternative Energy Systems
Reviewer, Physics of Fluids, American Institute of Physics, 2021 – present
Member, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, 2019 – present
Watson, D. A., Bom, M. J., Weinberg, P. M., Souchik, J. C., and Dickerson, A. K. (2021)
“Water entry dynamics of spheres with heterogeneous wetting properties”. Physical
Review Fluids, Volume 6, Issue 4, doi:10.1103/physrevfluids.6.044003, April 2021.
Watson, D. A., Souchik, J. C., Weinberg, P. M., Bom, M. J., and Dickerson, A. K. (2020)
“Making a splash with fabrics in hydrophilic sphere entry”. Journal of Fluids and
Structures, Volume 94, 102907, doi:10.1016/j.jfluidstructs.2020.102907. March 2020.
Alam, E., Smith, N., Watson, D., Hassan, T., and Neupane, K., (2019) “Early screening
of DDH using svm classification”. 2019 SoutheastCon, doi:10.1109/SoutheastCon42311.2019.9020565,
April 2019.
Watson, D. A., Stephen, J. L., and Dickerson, A. K. (2019) “Impacts of free-falling
spheres onto a deep liquid pool with altered fluid and impactor surface conditions”.
Journal of Visualized Experiments, Issue 144, e59300, doi:10.3791/59300, February
2019.
Watson, D. A., Stephen, J. L., and Dickerson, A. K. (2018) “Jet amplification and
cavity formation induced by penetrable fabrics in hydrophilic sphere entry”. Physics
of Fluids, Volume 30, Issue 8, doi:10.1063/1.5036655, August 2018.
Watson, D. A., Binnie, Y., Duncan, K. L., Dorville, J. F. (2017) “Photurgen: The open-source
software for the analysis and design of hybrid solar wind energy systems in the Caribbean
region: An introduction to its development policy”. Energy Reports, Volume 3, doi:10.1016/j.egyr.2017.03.001,
November 2017.
*External, third-party sites not maintained by Florida Polytechnic University
