Fluid mechanics experts study the fundamental behavior of fluids like gasses and liquids. Fluid mechanics is of paramount importance not only to understand biological processes like blood flow and breathing, but also in designing devices and industrial processes that play a critical role in our daily lives.

Johns Hopkins has a long history of groundbreaking research in fluid mechanics. Our researchers develop experimental, computational, and theoretical tools that advance our understanding of fluid flow systems and enable new engineering applications.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is home to a world-renowned fluids group with expertise in a range of areas including turbulent flows in the environment, oceanic oil spills, biological flows, physiological acoustics, multiphase flows, cavitation and bubble dynamics, and heat transfer processes.

A strong focus is on turbulence and its diverse aspects. Stability, transition, mixing, the dynamics of small-scale structures and Large eddy simulation (LES) modeling are major aspects of the theoretical and computational work. State-of-the-art facilities, wind tunnels, and advanced optical diagnostic tools makes Johns Hopkins University one of the nation’s leading hubs for experimental fluid mechanics research.

Specialties

  • Turbulence
  • Biological Flows
  • Cavitation Phenomena and Multiphase Flows
  • Optical Diagnostics for Flow Processes
  • Computational and Experimental Fluid Dynamics

Faculty

Affiliated Faculty

  • Gregory L. Eyink
  • David Kraemer
  • John Thomas
  • Tz-Huei (Jeff) Wang
  • Louis Whitcomb
  • David Van Wie

“We need better turbulence models to build better vehicles that move through air and water, to design better wind turbine blades and entire wind farms, and to simulate and understand meteorological patterns, ocean currents, oil spills, and dispersal of pollutants in cities. ”

Charles Meneveau Louis M. Sardella Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Affiliated Groups, Centers, and Institutes

Forging Ahead in Fluid Mechanics

A history of groundbreaking research

The Ill-Winds of COVID-19 - In the Journal for Fluid Mechanics, a team of Johns Hopkins mechanical engineers compiled an overview of the known fluid dynamics of COVID-19 and what questions remain.

National Academy Members - For their great contributions to the fluids field, Joseph Katz and Charles Meneveau are members of the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional distinctions for engineers.

Quieter Drones Inspired by Mosquitos - New discoveries about the aerodynamics of mosquito wings could have implications for building quieter drones and for devising nontoxic methods to trap and exterminate the pests.

Next-Generation Database for Modeling Turbulent Flows - Led by Johns Hopkins University, a team of researchers from three institutions is using a new $4 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation to create a next-generation turbulence database that will enable groundbreaking research in engineering and the atmospheric and ocean sciences.

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