Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, 2022
  • M.S., Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, 2020
  • B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Lehigh University, 2016
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Mechanical, California, #41940
  • 40-Hour Hazardous Waste Operation and Emergency Response Certification (HAZWOPER) (CA)
  • Certified Forklift Operator (CFO) (CA)
  • Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI) (CA)
  • Fire Investigation 1A (Cause and Origin), California Office of State Fire Marshal (CA)
Professional Honors
  • McMullen Fellowship, 2021
  • Cornelius Prize, 2016
  • Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, 2015
Professional Affiliations
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
  • National Fire Protection Association (member)
Languages
  • Japanese
  • Spanish

Dr. Manzano specializes in technical consulting and forensic engineering analysis of thermal-fluid systems. He leverages his background in fluid mechanics and heat transfer to support investigations of fires, explosions, and mechanical and plumbing system failures through inspections, laboratory testing, and root-cause analyses. His work includes aircraft and spacecraft component damage assessment, standards compliance, and accident investigations. He also performs atmospheric dispersion modeling to quantify airborne emissions for regulatory review, emergency response, and litigation support.

At Exponent, Dr. Manzano supports product liability and property damage matters by designing and building test rigs to evaluate consumer products for conformance with relevant industry standards. He also conducts field inspections for insurance claims involving wildfire contamination (ash, char, and soot). In addition to testing and field work, Dr. Manzano routinely applies air dispersion modeling (AERMOD, CALPUFF) and computational fluid dynamics (STAR-CCM+) to quantify pollutant transport and support analyses of flow-driven failure mechanisms.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Manzano was a graduate researcher at Cornell University, where he completed his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering. His doctoral research focused on characterizing turbulent fluctuations in compressible jet flows using hot-wire anemometry, with applications to high-speed flight and propulsion systems. During his time at Cornell, Dr. Manzano developed custom data acquisition and processing codes, and led wind-tunnel projects to quantify the downstream development of turbulence. He also applied cleanroom techniques to fabricate microscale flow sensors. Before his doctoral work, Dr. Manzano designed experimental setups to study animal flight and used high-speed imaging and particle-tracking algorithms to quantify complex internal flows. He also collaborated with interdisciplinary engineering teams on the design of centrifugal compressors, condensate tanks, pressure vessels, and heat exchangers.