Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 2025
  • M.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 2022
  • B.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 2020
Licenses & Certifications
  • SOLIDWORKS Certificate in Mechanical Design
Professional Honors
  • Outstanding M.S. Recipient in Aerospace Engineering, UCLA, 2022
Professional Affiliations
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
  • National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

Dr. Hayrapetyan specializes in combustion and fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, compressible gas dynamics, and advanced experimental and computational methods. He offers high-impact solutions for clients in sectors such as aerospace, energy, defense, and industrial by applying his engineering expertise to complex thermal and flow-driven systems.

Dr. Hayrapetyan's work spans both experimental design and computational analysis, complemented by his technical skill sets which includes signal and image diagnostics, data interpretation, and the application of machine learning algorithms for enhanced data analytics and system modeling. He also has experience in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using ANSYS Fluent and COMSOL Multiphysics, including simulation and benchmarking of helicopter rotor blade aerodynamics using meshless methods. He is a certified SolidWorks associate (CSWA) and is skilled in finite element analysis (FEA) with SolidWorks Simulation. His experience also involves designing and building drones and unmanned aerial systems (UAS). At Exponent, Dr. Hayrapetyan leverages this multidisciplinary background to provide expert consulting services in performance assessment, root cause and failure mode analysis, risk and safety evaluation, and engineering forensic investigations across a range of industrial and advanced engineering environments.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Hayrapetyan was a graduate researcher at UCLA's Energy and Propulsion Research Laboratory, where he performed experimental studies on acoustically coupled combustion dynamics. His research identified transition boundaries in complex flame-acoustic instabilities across wide parametric ranges, with direct applications to industrial combustion technologies such as boilers, gas turbines, and rocket engines, helping industry partners and researchers advance the understanding and design of robust, efficient combustion systems.