News of the Australasian Fluid Mechanics Society

PhD scholarship - Functional investigation of coronary arteries with tandem lesions

Queensland University of Technology

This PhD project focuses on investigating the haemodynamics of coronary arteries with tandem lesions and assessing their functional significance both experimentally and numerically. Under the supervision of Professor Shaun Gregory, the candidate will work within a collaborative environment alongside the Cardiovascular Research Group, with opportunities to engage closely with clinicians to enhance real-world applicability and impact.

Click here for more information

Closing Date: Friday, 14^th March 2025

PhD scholarship - Spray control in rotary atomizers

The University of Canterbury - Christchurch, New Zealand

This project aims to control the droplet size distribution produced by rotary atomizers by adjusting the shape and wettability of the rotating surface

Rotary atomizers are simple devices which allow the break-up of a fluid stream into small droplets. They involve a fluid jet impinging vertically at the centre of a rotating surface. Under the effect of the centrifugal force, the fluid spreads outwards and forms a film which evolves into ligaments at the rim which ultimately break up into droplets.

Rotary atomizers are routinely used in a range of industrial applications including spray dryers to produce powders in the food industry, painting, microencapsulation, the production of pharmaceuticals, or agricultural sprays for which it is important to maximise the amount of exposed fluid surface area per unit volume.

It is well-known that the shape and nature of the spinning surface in the atomizer is a determining factor in the droplet size distribution but the complexity of the underpinning multiphase, multiscale flow on a curved, rotating surface has impaired progress in rotary atomizer design informed by systematic and rigorous mathematical modelling and numerical simulations.

This project aims to shed light on the relationship between the shape and wettability of the rotating surface and the resulting droplet size distribution of rotary atomizers using flow stability analysis and direct numerical simulations.

The candidate will be based at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand and part of an international collaboration with EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland.

For informal enquiries please get in touch with Professor Mathieu Sellier – mathieu.sellier@canterbury.ac.nz

This project is funded by the Royal Society of New Zealand through a Marsden grant.

Closing Date: Thursday, 1^st May 2025

Requirements: A very good undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering or Applied Mathematics (1st Class or High Second Class Division I) with demonstrated experience/interest in the modelling and simulation of multiphase flow, partial differential equations, or flow stability analysis.

Funding: Full-time scholarship will cover tuition fees and a tax-free stipend of approx. NZD 35k per year for 3 years, along with a generous budget for research and travel.

To apply: Please, send the following to Professor Mathieu Sellier (mathieu.sellier@canterbury.ac.nz) by the closing date:

• a CV which includes the names of 2 referees,
• a cover letter highlighting your background and motivation,
• and academic transcripts – translated into English if necessary.

Short-listed candidates will be interviewed shortly thereafter.

PhD scholarship - Turbulent flow in canopies of complex geometries

School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, The University of Queensland

Turbulent flows within canopies, whether over trees, vegetation, buildings, or solar panels, regulate the transport of carbon dioxide, humidity, and heat within microclimates, and thus play a pivotal role in urban and rural settings. Characterising momentum and scalar exchanges in canopies with different shapes and drag profiles is key to understanding flow dynamics in diverse environments and their implications for different applications. This project seeks to develop an understanding of the influence of complex canopy geometries on canopy flow dynamics, specifically focusing on how different geometric configurations affect flow structure and turbulence characteristics.

Click here for more information

Multiple Positions in Aeronautics

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong

Applications are invited for appointment as Tenure-Track Associate Professor/Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, to commence as soon as possible.

Click here for more information (Tenure-Track Associate Professor/Assistant Professor)

Click here for more information (Lecturer/Senior Lecturer)

Closing Date: Tuesday, 15^th April 2025

PhD scholarship - Simulating offshore wind turbine wake dynamics and its dependence on atmospheric stability

The University of Queensland and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi Research Academy

On- and offshore wind farms are getting larger, with trends toward larger turbines and more turbines per unit area now the norm. To enable the efficient use of turbines within a wind farm, it is important that the reduced efficiency of turbines located in the wake of neighbouring turbines is well understood and quantified. Unfortunately, these wake losses are complicated, with strong dependencies on atmospheric stability, surrounding terrain and topography, flow turbulence, and for offshore wind turbines, wave conditions. With the expectation of increased penetration of offshore wind energy into national electricity grids, the ability to effectively predict power from these wind farms is becoming increasingly important.

This project seeks to explore two main research challenges. Firstly, we seek to better understand the complex relationship between offshore wind turbine wakes, wave conditions and atmospheric stability. This is a particularly difficult modelling challenge as the processes that influence these wake dynamics span a wide range of spatial and temporal scales that are difficult to capture in a single simulation model. This has been deemed a "Grand Challenge" in wind energy research and will be explored here parametrically through both experimental and numerical methods. The second challenge relates to the methods used to study this process. Here we will use numerical simulations (Large Eddy Simulations or Hybrid Turbulence Models) to model the flow behind an offshore wind turbine under different atmospheric stability conditions and with different underlying wave conditions (IIT). We will then attempt to replicate a selection of these flow conditions in the wind-wave tunnel at UQ. We will then do the same in the UQ wind tunnel but make the simplification that the waves can be represented and replaced by a textured undulating surface. In all cases the flow characteristics of the turbine wake will be measured and compared.

Click here for more information

PhD scholarship - Effect of the Acoustic Black Hole on the turbulence transition of a laminar boundary layer flow over a compliant panel

University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

This scholarship is funded by UTS, DIN and DSTG. Each PhD stipend is $47,000 per annum tax-free for a full-time student with the possibility (to be confirmed) to have an additional $5k per year for travelling and attending national/international conferences. This would be in addition to the travel funds from the university/school. Only Australian citizens and permanent residents are eligible for this scholarship.

Project Description

UTS Tech Lab website

Enquiries and Applications should be sent to Dr Mahmoud Karimi (Mahmoud.Karimi@uts.edu.au)