Richards C. Sunny, PhD

Bio

Richards is an ocean engineer and research scientist specializing in hydrodynamics, structural response in extreme seas, and data‑driven risk assessment for offshore and aquaculture systems. His work blends high‑fidelity CFD/FEA modeling with statistical and machine‑learning methods to produce validated design tools and engineering guidelines for industry and government.

Research Interests

• Computational Fluid Dynamics (VOF, Eulerian–Lagrangian multiphase, wave–structure interaction)
• Offshore & Aquaculture engineering (mooring dynamics, failure probability, design in extreme weather)
• Tsunami generation & coastal hazard modeling; meteo‑tsunamis and extreme event statistics
• Gaussian Processes & data‑driven prediction for ocean systems; uncertainty quantification

Experience

• Ocean Engineer (Level III), A.I.S. Inc. supporting NOAA — Jan 2022–Present. Structural design guidelines for offshore aquaculture; CFD/FEA; extreme‑event risk models; stakeholder coordination.
• Graduate Research Assistant, Texas A&M University — Sep 2016–Oct 2021. 3D Navier‑Stokes CFD and wave‑tank experiments; wave loading on marine structures; NASA NBL case studies.
• Research Scientist (Volunteer), Tsunami Research Group — Jan 2024–Present. Simulation troubleshooting, manuscript revisions, model‑validation advising.

Skills

• CFD: OpenFOAM, ANSYS Fluent, STAR‑CCM+, TSUNAMI3D
• Hydrodynamics/FEA: Hydro‑FE, MSC Marc, OrcaFlex
• Coding: Python, MATLAB, FORTRAN, R, C++
• CAD/Geo: AutoCAD, Rhino, SolidWorks, GIS
• Data/ML: Gaussian Processes, forecasting, UQ

Contact

Education

• Ph.D., Ocean Engineering — Texas A&M University (2016–2021)
• M.S., Ocean Engineering — Texas A&M University (2014–2016)
• B.Tech., Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering — IIT Madras (2010–2014)

Honors & Awards

• WEDA (Murden) Scholarship — 2021
• ABS Scholarship — 2019, 2020
• Varyani Memorial Scholarship — 2014–2016
• 1st Prize, TAMUG Mathematical Olympiad — 2018

Credentials

• PE Civil Water Resources and Environmental Exam — Passed (EIT); licensure application in progress (Texas)
• Professional service: reviewer for 20+ journals; proposal reviews for NOAA Sea Grant

Selected Publications

1. Sunny, R.C., Fredriksson, D.W., Tsukrov, I., et al. (2025). Design considerations for a continuous mussel farm in New England offshore waters. Part II: Using validated numerical models to estimate the probability of failure. Aquacultural Engineering, 102575. DOI. A validated numerical framework to estimate component failure probabilities under extreme metocean.
2. Sunny, R.C., Horrillo, J., Cheng, W., Liu, Y., Fritz, H. (2025). Three-dimensional submarine-volcano-generated tsunamis: Numerical and physical model comparisons. Applied Ocean Research, 164, 104769.
3. Sunny, R.C., Fredriksson, D.W., Tsukrov, I., et al. (2024). Design considerations for a continuous mussel farm in New England offshore waters. Part I. Aquacultural Engineering, 107, 102476.
4. Zhu, L., Patwary, M.M.R., Sunny, R.C., et al. (2024). Hydrodynamic modeling of kelp farms. Ocean Engineering, 314, 119519.
5. Cheng, W., Horrillo, J., Sunny, R.C. (2022). Numerical analysis of meteotsunamis in the NE Gulf of Mexico. Natural Hazards, 110(3), 1719–1734.
6. Sunny, R.C., Horrillo, J., Cheng, W. (2022). VOF with Center of Mass and Lagrangian Particles (VCLP). Theor. Comput. Fluid Dyn., 36(6), 915–942.
7. Kim, G.-B., Cheng, W., Sunny, R.C., et al. (2020). 3D landslide-generated tsunamis. Landslides, 17, 1145–1161.
8. Sunny, R.C., Cheng, W., Horrillo, J. (2019). Video content analysis of the 2018 Sulawesi tsunami. Pure Appl. Geophys., 176, 4127–4138.
9. Mannam, N.P.B., Krishnankutty, P., Vijayakumaran, H., Sunny, R.C. (2017). Penguin-mode flapping foil propulsion. Journal of Bionic Engineering, 14(4), 770–780.

Complete list: Google Scholar