During his PhD, Christoffer Hansen worked on improving simulations of turbulent flows, the chaotic motions of fluids like air, which are central to everything from weather prediction to airplane design. Because turbulence is so complex, accurate simulations require vast computing power. To ease this burden, models are used to approximate turbulent motions, but building accurate and reliable ones remains a grand challenge in physics and engineering.

Christoffer’s research combined physics-based and machine learning methods to develop a novel data-driven model for simulating turbulence near surfaces, such as aircraft wings. As part of his PhD, he visited Stanford University’s Center for Turbulence Research as a Fulbright Denmark scholar, where he implemented and tested the model in state-of-the-art simulation software. The new model outperforms current industry standards and points toward faster, more accurate tools for simulating complex turbulent flows.

The PhD study was completed at the Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday, 1 August 2025 at 9:00 am
Place: Building 5335, room 016, Peter Bøgh Andersen Auditorium, Aarhus University, Helsingforsgade 12, 8200 Aarhus N
Title of PhD thesis: Modern Perspectives on Wall-Bounded Turbulence Modeling: Merging Physics-based and Data-Driven Approaches
Contact information: Christoffer Hansen, e-mail: [email protected]
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Luca Magri, Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, UK
Senior Researcher Oriol Lehmkuhl, Department of Computer Applications in Science and Engineering, Barcelona Supercomputer Center, Spain
Associate Professor Michal Kazimierz Budzik (chair), Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor:
Associate Professor Mahdi Abkar, Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor:
N/A
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.