Colloquium: Kunihiko (Sam) Taira

On Friday, April 23 at 2:00 PICS will host a colloquium featuring Associate Professor Kunihiko (Sam) Taira of UCLA.

Title: Network-Based Characterization, Modeling, and Control of Fluid Flows

Abstract: The network of interactions in a sea of vortices gives rise to the amazingly rich dynamics of fluid flows. To describe these interactions, we consider the use of mathematical tools from the emerging field of network science that is comprised of graph theory, dynamical systems, data science, and control theory. In this presentation, we discuss ways to describe unsteady fluid flows with vortical-interaction, modal-interaction, and probability-transition networks. The insights gained from these formulations are used to characterize, model, and control laminar and turbulent flows. We will also discuss some of the challenges of applying network based techniques to fluid flows and the prospects of addressing them through data-inspired techniques.

Bio: Kunihiko (Sam) Taira is an Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UCLA. Prior to his current position, he was an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Florida State University. He received his B.S. (Aerospace Engineering and Mathematics) from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and his M.S. (Mechanical Engineering) and Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering) from the California Institute of Technology. He is a recipient of the 2013 U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research and 2016 U.S. Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Awards. He is an Associate Fellow of the AIAA.