Research

Odor tracking and navigation in turbulent environments

Odor transport in fluidic environments is a subject of great importance, holding implications for numerous scientific disciplines, including fluid dynamics, biological studies and engineering disciplines. Odor tracking serves as the foundation for various natural processes, such as the navigation of marine organisms and the foraging behavior of insects. Turbulent fluctuations add another level of complexity to the problem of odor transport in fluidic environments. In this project, we seek to integrate Reinforcement Learning and Computational Fluid Dynamics to understand navigation and optimal escape strategies in complex environments.

Active matter

Active fluids are nonequilibrium systems formed by densely packed self-propelled swimmers. They exhibit a variety of phases ranging from disordered turbulence-like phases to ordered lattices. By using a continuum approximation, in this project, we study the emergence and transitions between the various phases. We validate our theoretical predictions through bacterial turbulence experiments.

Inertial particles in hydrodynamic turbulence

Understanding the dynamics of inertial particles in turbulence is crucial to understanding several natural phenomena such as raindrop formation. In this project, we use analytical and numerical methods to estimate collision rates and approach velocities of inertial particles in turbulence.