Turbulent thermo-fluid systems are ubiquitous in nature and engineering and are essentially complex systems. A complex system is one that constitutes of multiple subsystems that are coupled via nonlinear interactions. I study two distinct turbulent thermo-fluid systems, one occurring in nature (cyclones) and another in combustion engineering (thermoacoustic systems) from the perspective of complex systems theory. Despite being disparate, thermoacoustic and cyclonic systems exhibit similarities such as the formation of coherent structures and self-sustained order, which leads to devastating dynamics in these systems. I use the framework of complex networks and also develop specific tools within this framework to analyse the higher-order complexities arising due to inter-subsystem interactions in turbulent thermo-fluid systems.

I am also interested in developing methods and measures to distinguish the complexity during various dynamical states, quantify memory in a variable by characterizing the patterns of fluctuations in the time series, and understand the general principles of self-organization and formation of hierarchies in real-world complex systems. My other research interests include studying the Indian monsoon, tropical monsoon and extreme event synchronization in atmospheric flows.