Mechanical engineering PhD students Shahzad Yousaf, Ahmed Afifi, and Viyan Bade were each recognized for authoring some of the top research papers among their peers. They are all advised by MechSE Prof. Craig Bradshaw.
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Shahzad Yousaf
Research papers authored by three of associate professor Craig Bradshaw’s graduate students were recently recognized as top among their peers.
During its annual conference this summer, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) awarded mechanical engineering PhD student Shahzad Yousaf the Best Paper Award of 2026 for “Development and performance evaluation of empirical models compatible with building energy modeling engines for unitary equipment,” published in ASHRAE’s peer-reviewed journal Science & Technology for the Built Environment.
Yousaf was first author on the paper alongside coauthors Bradshaw, Rushikesh Kamalapurkar, and Omer San.
Afifi (third from left) and Bade (second from right) hold their second- and third-prize checks. Yousaf is seen on the far right of the photo.
At the International Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Conference, third-year mechanical engineering PhD student Ahmed Afifi was awarded second prize in the student paper competition. Afifi’s paper focused on a vapor compression heat pump cycle with solution circuit.
First-year PhD student Viyan Bade was awarded third prize in the student paper competition at the International Compressor Engineering Conference. His paper was on measurements of surface tension of refrigerant lubricant mixtures.
The competition is steep, with approximately 350 research papers submitted from around the world. The two conferences are part of a three-conference collection that take place simultaneously at Purdue University, referred to as the “Herrick Conferences.”