In collaboration with Dr. Christopher Zappa and Dr. Marco Giometto at Columbia University, Yousefi will explore the interchange of energy between wind and waves as part of the nearly $1 million total grant for the researchers. “Although many studies have investigated the impacts of waves on wind stress, the present models lag behind actual needs,” said Yousefi, who joined UT Dallas in 2023 and is affiliated with the Wind Energy Center at UTD. Offshore wind turbines experience repeated waves that frequently exceed 40 feet (12 meters) that break on the base of their structure. The massive amount of energy released from large waves can damage or even destroy these multimillion-dollar installations. It also allows me to apply these new understandings and models to new fields, such as offshore wind turbine research.