Research Opportunities at CTR

Current Research Programs

Current research projects include: Direct and large eddy simulations of turbulent and transitional flows, including studies of the effects of high speed on transition and turbulence; turbulent mixing and heat transfer with application to electronics cooling and to combustion (Fig. 1); aerodynamic noise and hydro-acoustics; structure and mechanics of turbulent shear flows; active and passive turbulence control, including applications of optimal control theory and evolutionary algorithms; Reynolds averaged turbulence modeling for applications, including effects of compressibility, rotation, solid boundaries, flow separation, and chemical reactions; subgrid scale modeling for large-eddy simulation of complex flows and non-equilibrium turbulent flows; development of very accurate numerical methods for complex flows; development of particle methods for multiphase flows.

Figure 1. Temperature field of a lifted diffusion flame in a coaxial jet combustor from large eddy simulation with one-step chemistry.

Cross-disciplinary Area

Areas of current interest include: hypersonics, flow-generated noise, turbulence combustion, numerical analysis, parallel computing, flow structure interaction, geophysical turbulence, and laminar/turbulent transition.

 
 

Figure 2. Many researches at CTR involve cross-disciplinary areas

Fellowship and Visiting Scholar Programs

The Center for Turbulence Research sponsors three fellowship programs:

• The Senior Fellowship: program sponsors extended visits to the CTR by faculty members and scientists from other universities or government laboratories. Senior Fellowship applicants may apply for support for accompanying Ph.D. students. Stipends for senior Fellows can range up to equivalent full-time salaries at their home institutions.
• The Postdoctoral Fellowship: the postdoctoral fellowship program provides research opportunities for those who have earned a Ph.D. in an appropriate area in the past three years. They are appointed as Postdoctoral Fellows at Stanford.

Fellows in either of the categories above can and are expected to interact with the scientific staff at Ames and with Stanford faculty members in research projects of mutual interest. Applications for Fellowships are reviewed quarterly, and application material should be on file at the CTR by January 1, April 1, July 1, or October 1.

• Predoctoral Students applying for graduate studies leading to a Ph.D. degree in an appropriate department at Stanford can apply for CTR Fellowships in Turbulence Research by indicating interest on the department application forms.

Facilities

The Center draws heavily on the physical as well as intellectual resources of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Stanford University. Computational facilities include: Several multiprocessor Origin 2000's and a score of workstations with reproduction facilities.

Laboratory facilities include: several air and water tunnels for fundamental study of turbulence and combustion at subsonic and supersonic speeds and extensive optical diagnostic capabilities.

Direct Inquiries to

Applicants should write to:

The applications should include a vitae, a brief research proposal addressing a fundamental question in turbulence or one of the cross-disciplinary areas listed, three letters of reference addressed to the Director Parviz Moin, and a graduate transcript (if the applicant is about to graduate or has graduated in the past year).