“The data my lab has gathered on flow phenomena has a variety of real-world applications, from helping to separate water from oil, to making ships more efficient by reducing hydrodynamic drag, to better modeling petrochemical processes and improving the flow in pipelines.”
Program Affiliations
Biography
Dr. Sigurdur Thoroddsen is a professor of mechanical engineering at KAUST, where he leads the High-Speed Fluids Imaging Laboratory, devoted to experiments in fluid mechanics using high-speed imaging. Before joining KAUST in 2009 as a founding member, Thoroddsen served as an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the National University of Singapore. Professor Thoroddsen has authored some 200 publications in international journals on his research in multiphase flow, focusing on the dynamics of drops and bubbles, turbulence and granular jets, as well as the flow of superfluid helium. His research in fluid mechanics has garnered numerous accolades, including seven Gallery of Fluid Motion Awards, a prestigious Journal of Fluid Mechanics Selection, and appearances in top-tier journals such as Nature, Science Advances and Physical Review Letters. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society.
Research Interests
Dr. Thoroddsen’s research focuses on experimental fluid mechanics utilizing ultra-high-speed cameras and lasers, e.g., Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry (Tomo-PIV), to understand the dynamics of free-surface flows and turbulence at extreme time- and space-resolution. Studies cover a range of flow phenomena, including the breakup and coalescence of drops and bubbles, multiphase flows, vapor layers, splashing and spray formation, wetting and fine jet dynamics. In addition to these mainstays, his research investigates superfluid helium, coating flows, laser-produced cavitation dynamics, Leidenfrost effects and the spinning of nanofibers from electrified droplets. Thoroddsen also researches the dynamics of rapid granular flows, flows in micro-channels and volumetric velocity measurements in high-Reynolds number turbulence. Tomo-PIV is relevant to many fields, from oil-water separation, biomedical applications to engine combustion to aerodynamics to environmental science.
Education Profile
Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute for Nonlinear Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 1994
Ph.D. Applied Mechanics, University of California, San Diego, 1991
M.Sc., Civil Engineering, Colorado State University, 1986
B.Sc., Mechanical Engineering, University of Iceland, 1982
Awards and Recognitions
Publications
Research Areas
- Mechanical Engineering