Complex and multiphase flows, prevalent in both natural phenomena and industrial applications, span a wide array of disciplines, including microfluidics, biotechnology, energy storage, materials science, pharmaceuticals, additive manufacturing, and environmental sciences. This seminar provides a comprehensive exploration of numerical methods tailored to predict the behaviors and instabilities of multiphase and complex flows within canonical fluid mechanics geometries. Specifically, the seminar delves into the employing Volume-of-Fluid (VOF), Convective-Diffusive Interface (CDI), and Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) techniques. Moreover, it will highlight experimental analyses conducted on complex and multiphase flows across diverse structured surfaces. 

These analyses leverage cutting-edge experimental methods such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), and Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV). Through the combined methodologies via both numerical simulations and experiments, attendees will gain valuable insights into the complexities of flow dynamics and instabilities, paving the way for the development of innovative strategies for precise flow control. These efforts hold promise to advance various sectors, ranging from healthcare to renewable energy, as outlined in the previously mentioned applications. By deepening our understanding of key physics behind these flows, engineers and researchers can devise more efficient systems, enhance product quality, and tackle critical challenges in their respective fields. The seminar will also provide glimpses into future modeling approaches and strategic plans, further enriching the discourse on complex flow phenomena and their diverse applications.

Bio: Dr. Parisa Mirbod is currently an Associate Professor in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She received her PhD degree from City University of New York-Graduate Center with Prof. Sheldon Weinbaum & Prof. Yiannis Andreopoulos and she did her Postdoctoral with Prof. Jeffrey F. Morris at Benjamin Levich Institute, New York. She has built her career on deriving innovative theoretical, computational, and experimental methods for fluid mechanics, complex fluids, and multiphase flows. Her research has been funded by agencies including NSF, and DOD-ARO, and USDA. She received the I@UNITO Faculty fellowship from University of Turin. She is also a recipient of the IFPA-New investigator NIH award and a recipient of the NASA Glenn Faculty Fellowship. She looks forward to stimulating technical discussions during the seminar.