Research Fellow in Sensitivity Analysis of Turbulent Flows

There is an opening for a Research Fellow/Associate at the post-doctoral level (or a researcher who is close to obtaining their PhD) to work on understanding turbulence sensitivity using recurrent flows in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the University of Southampton, UK. This post is offered on a full-time, fixed-term basis for 30 months. The starting date should be as soon as possible.

Project Description  

This project focuses on advancing our understanding of turbulence using recurrent flows—time-periodic solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations. These flows offer a promising framework for unravelling the chaotic nature of turbulence and predicting its sensitivity to external perturbations, such as changes in fluid properties or boundary conditions. Turbulence is a critical phenomenon in engineering and environmental systems, and this project seeks to address fundamental questions about its dynamics and long-term statistical behaviour, including the role of extreme events.

The project is structured around two key activities. First, we will develop and apply advanced numerical techniques to identify long-period recurrent flows in turbulent systems. Using existing in-house tools, the research will explore how these flows capture the statistical behaviour of turbulence and their sensitivity to small external changes. A particular focus will be placed on understanding the statistical convergence properties of recurrent flows with increasing period. Secondly, we will investigate the response of turbulent systems to external perturbations, emphasizing the role of extreme events. By employing adjoint-based sensitivity methods, the research will provide insights into how probability density functions of turbulent quantities are influenced by external factors. The study will also explore how long-period recurrent flows spanning extreme events can act as proxies for predicting changes in turbulence dynamics, offering new tools for the control and mitigation of these phenomena.

The outcomes of this research will significantly enhance our ability to model and predict turbulent flow behaviour, with applications in engineering, environmental science, and beyond. By combining innovative numerical methods and theoretical insights, this project offers an exciting opportunity to push the boundaries of turbulence research and contribute to practical advancements in fluid dynamics. 

Duties and Responsibilities  

- Develop numerical techniques for identifying and analysing recurrent flows in turbulence.  

- Apply adjoint-based sensitivity methods to examine the response of turbulence to external factors. 

- Analyse extreme events in turbulent dynamics.  

- Publish new findings in high-impact journals, and present results at international conferences.  

- Contribute to the supervision of PhD students working in related area

Requirements  

You must have a PhD or equivalent professional qualification in Fluid Mechanics, Applied Mathematics, Computational Sciences, or a related subject. You should demonstrate expertise in computational methods for analysis, modelling, or simulation of fluid flows.

Application and Further Information  

Please attach to your application a single PDF file including:  

- A cover letter explaining your motivation to work on this research.  

- Your CV

- A publication list, highlighting the best (or most relevant to this project) publication(s).  

For further details, contact Dr. Davide Lasagna at davide.lasagna@soton.ac.uk.  

Applications for Research Fellow positions will be considered from candidates who are working towards or nearing completion of a relevant PhD qualification. The title of Research Fellow will be applied upon successful completion of the PhD. Prior to the qualification being awarded the title of Senior Research Assistant will be given. 

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