Sandia Energy > Programs > Renewable Energy > Wind Energy > Staff > David Maniaci David Maniaci, PhD Rotor Blade and Wind Plant Aerodynamics Lead BiographyDr. David Maniaci is a principal member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories and is the rotor blade and wind plant aerodynamics lead in the Wind Energy Computational Sciences Department. He is currently leading efforts on the verification, validation and uncertainty quantification of wind energy computational models. His research includes wind turbine wake dynamics, the effects of leading-edge erosion and soiling on airfoil and rotor performance, and the functional scaling and design of rotor blades. He received a PhD in aerospace engineering from the Pennsylvania State University, where he was an instructor of aircraft design for several years and performed research in applied aerodynamics, wind tunnel testing, and wind turbine aerodynamics.