Members

Giovanni Soligo
I graduated in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Udine in July 2016 and obtained my PhD in Fluid Dynamics in the framework of a joint doctoral program between the University of Udine (Italy) and TU Wien (Austria) in February 2020. My experience with multiphase flows started from particle-laden flows during my master thesis, which I developed in collaboration with Prof. Ugo Piomelli and Prof. Wen Wu at Queen’s University (Kingston, Canada). I then moved to flows laden with large and deformable drops covered with soluble surfactants during my PhD. My current topic of research involves non-Newtonian fluids both in laminar and turbulent regime; numerical simulations are used to investigate these complex flowing systems. When I am not working, I enjoy bouldering, hiking, reading and board game nights.

Rahul Kumar Singh
I am a Postdoctoral Scholar with the Complex fluids and Flows Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Okinawa, Japan. Prior to this, I graduated with a PhD in Physics from the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (ICTS-TIFR), Bengaluru, India. My current research interests lie in turbulent transport, multiphase turbulent flows and active turbulence. Besides my research, I enjoy trekking and playing badminton.

Aswathy M.S.
I am a postdoctoral scholar at CFF, OIST. I graduated from the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras(IIT-M). My PhD work was on vortex induced vibration of circular cylinders under a stochastic inflow. At CFF, I am working on understanding dynamics of filaments in non-newtonian flows. I love music, dance and theatre!

Alessandro Chiarini
I am Alessandro Chiarini, from Italy. I obtained my PhD in Aeronautical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano in December 2021. During my PhD I have explored several topics, ranging from stability theory to the statistical description of turbulence and flow control. I moved to Okinawa in October 2022 and joined the Complex Fluids and Flows Unit to further expand my interests and expertise. My current topic of research includes multiphase fluid flows, in both the laminar and turbulent regimes. I enjoy all type of sports and, when I am not working, I enjoy surfing, reading and exercising. (Photo credit Ianto Cannon)

Ianto Cannon
I am interested in making simulations to investigate multiphase fluid flows. I also like cycling and surfing in Okinawa.
2018-present: PhD student at OIST, Japan
2017-18: Software developer at Photon Design, Oxford, UK
2016: Space weather research intern, British Antarctic survey, UK
2015: Photosynthesis research intern, Kyoto University, Japan

Mohamed Abdelgawad
I completed my Master in Mechanical Engineering at Saga University, Japan. My Master thesis focused on thermal management of hydrogen storage in metal hydride beds. I also worked on transition boiling and wetting propagation during jet impingement quenching on hot surfaces. Here in OIST, I am interested in studying interfacial phenomena and fluid flow interactions in microscale for any potential biological application. In CFF unit, I am doing a numerical simulation of droplet deformation in shear flows. Outside of work, I enjoy playing football, watching football games, running, and learning about wildlife.

Simone Tandurella
My journey to Okinawa begins in my hometown of Naples, Italy where I studied for my BSc in Chemical Engineering at UniNa. From there on I moved to TU Delft (Netherlands) in order to pursue an MSc in that same field. My graduation project has focused on a machine learning approach to the modelling of biomass pyrolysis yields, and has left me a taste for modelling and computational statistics. As part of my rotation in CFF unit I will look into the computational modeling of particle flows. Apart from research, I love, in order: cooking, eating, photographing, walking, sitting and reading, and plan to do lots of it in Okinawa!

Christian Amor Rodriguez
¡Hola! It’s Christian, from Spain. Before coming to Okinawa, I pursued both my BSc in Aerospace Engineering and my MSc in Mathematics and Computing at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. It was during my first undergraduate project when I found my interest in fluid mechanics, machine learning and data analysis tools. And I didn’t stopped writing code since then! My project at the CFF unit comprises the study of non-Newtonian jets and the framework where two- and three- dimensional flow dynamics coexist. In my free time, I enjoy practicing sports, either cooking or (mostly) eating food, playing videogames and hanging out with friends.

Morie Koseki 
I majored in mechanical engineering at Akita University and studied the deformation of long flexible structure in the space. My current interest is the interaction of flexible structure with fluid, so working in this unit will give me some points of view for my future PhD thesis. I am also looking forward to snorkeling in Okinawa.

Jean-Paul van Woensel
I was born and raised in Nuenen, the Netherlands. I completed my master's degrees in Applied Physics and Science Communication at the Univeristy of Technology in Eindhoven. For my master thesis, I developed a tracking algorithm which I used to get statistics on the flow of droplets in dense binary emulsions. Besides this, I also did work on the electric response of superfluid helium and its reversibility. I have a broad interest in many physics topics, but I specialized in fluid mechanics in my master. I hope my time at the CFF unit will help me find what research I really want to do the upcoming years at OIST. In my spare time, I enjoy speedrunning video games and hiking.

Giulio Foggi Rota 
Hello, I am Giulio, an OIST PhD student.
After attaining my MSc degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, I joined the Complex Fluids and Flows Unit driven by a strong curiosity towards fluid mechanics. My research interests involve, but are not limited to, turbulence, fluid-structure interaction, multi-phase flows and non-Newtonian fluids.  Currently, I am investigating novel flow control techniques and complex canopy flows. 
When I shut down my laptop I enjoy listening to classical music, hiking and swimming; surfing still requires some practice. 

Riccardo Bertoncello
Ciao! I am Riccardo Bertoncello, from Italy. I obtained a BSc in Aerospace Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. I really enjoyed Fluid Dynamics courses and I decided to expand my knowledge regarding Turbulence and Multiphase Flows. So, I joined the Complex Fluids and Flows Unit at OIST for a Research Internship. Apart from research, I like exercising at the gym, running and diving.

Marildo Kola
Hi, I'm Marildo. I earned my Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Università degli Studi di Padova, and currently, I am a master's student at Politecnico di Milano, specializing in Aeronautical Engineering. I have a deep curiosity about fluid dynamics, particularly for turbulent flows. I have joined the CFF unit at OIST to explore multiphase flows and expand my understanding of turbulence. In my free time, I enjoy practicing calisthenics and reading.