Group Members

T-day 2017


Tian-Jian Hsu, PhD.

My name is Tian-Jian Hsu (Tom). I was born and raised in Taiwan. I received my Bachelor degree from National Taiwan University (Ocean Engineering) in 1994. During a summer research project working with Dr. Chi-Feng Chen, I participated in an underwater acoustic experiment and I realized that a research career in oceanography can be as interesting as playing guitar in a band. To further pursue this possibility (…and to go to more concerts), I decided to go to graduate school in USA in 1996. I received my PhD degree (Civil Engineering) from Cornell University in 2002. Before joining UD, I was a Postdoctoral Scholar and Assistant Scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Assistant Professor of University of Florida. I received NSF Early Career Development (CAREER) Award in 2007 and the Hans Albert Einstein Award (ASCE) in 2021. My main research covers numerical modeling/simulation of various cohesive and non-cohesive sediment transport. We currently focus on turbulence-resolving simulation of wave-supported fine sediment transport, surf/swash zone sediment transport, and river plumes. In the past five years, my group devoted major efforts to develop open-source numerical tools for sediment transport in the OpenFOAM framework.

Publication (google scholar)

Full CV:  https://sites.udel.edu/thsu/files/2022/11/Curriculim-Viate-tpltlc.pdf


Antoine Mathieu (Postdoc)

Large-eddy simulation of bedform and sheet flow dynamics using a Eulerian two-phase model; Numerical simulation of sediment transport driven by surface waves.

Zhendong Cao (Postdoc)

Machine learning applications on coastal flood modeling – sub-grid closure issues

Benjamin Tsai (PhD candidate)

Research Topic: Linking fluid mechanics and geomechanics in a two-phase modeling framework

Jorge Penaloza Giraldo (PhD candidate)

Research Topic: Numerical and laboratory modeling of flocculation dynamics

Jiaye Zhang (PhD student)

Research Topic: Linking nearshore morphodynamics and sediment transport

Sadegh Nouri (PhD student)

Research Topic: TBD

Narayan Kumar (PhD student)

Research Topic: TBD

Alyssa Wentzel (undergraduate research scholar)

Research Topic: The effect of fine sand on the flocculation of mud


Past Members

  1. Ali Salimi-Tarazouj (PhD, 5/2022) Thesis title: Two-phase modeling of sand ripple dynamics in oscillatory flows. Now at Michael Baker International.
  2. Yashar Rafati (PhD, 5/2021). Thesis title: Multi-scale modeling of the hydrodynamic, sediment transport and morphodynamics in the nearshore. Now Coastal Oceanographer at Environmental Science Associates.
  3. Leiping Ye (Postdoc, 2018-2020). Laboratory characterization of mass settling dynamics of oil-mineral aggregates and oil-mineral-microbial interactions. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Sun Yat-sen University, China.
  4. Liangyi Yue (PhD, 8/2020). Thesis title: Turbulence-resolving numerical investigation of coastal bottom boundary layer and fine sediment transport. He is the developer of TURBID. Currently, he is a postdoc researcher at Stanford.
  5. James Holyoke (undergraduate, 5/2020) Senior thesis title: The role of Texas crude oil in mineral
    flocculation evolution: a laboratory investigation. MS: UT Texas Austin; now a staff engineer at Princeton Hyrdo.
  6. Yeulwoo Kim (PhD, 12/2018). Thesis title: A numerical investigation of turbulent coherent structures and sediment transport under waves in shall coastal zone. He is the main developer of SedWaveFoam. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Pukyong National University.
  7. Zhen Cheng (PhD, 8/2016). Thesis title: A multidimensional two-phase flow modeling framework for sediment transport applications. He is the main developer of the open-source Eulerian two-phase model for sediment transport: SedFoam. He was a Postdoctoral Scholar (received the competitive WHOI Postdoctoral Scholarship of 2016) at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Currently, he is a CFD research engineer at Convergent Science.
  8. Zheyu Zhou (PhD,  8/2016). Thesis title: Three-dimensional numerical simulation of turbulent coherent structures in coastal environments. Her research focused on resolving obliquely descending eddies under breaking waves and their effect of sediment transport. She also investigated using the nonhydrostatic coastal model NHWAVE to resolve shear instabilities in stratified shear flow.  She is now a Coastal Engineer at COWI.
  9. Jia-Lin Chen (Julie) (PhD, 1/2015). Thesis title: Hydrodynamics, sediment transport and morphodynamics at inlets and river mouths – a numerical investigation. She investigated the effects of wave-current interaction on the hydrodynamics of New River Inlet (NC) and their implication to morphodynamics. She is currently an Assistant Professor at National Cheng-Kung University (Taiwan).
  10. Taisuk Kim (MS, 5/2014). Thesis title: A numerical investigation of plunging solitary wave and its impact on seabed dynamics. Now associate manager at Haerfest.
  11. Jacob Sangermano (MS, 5/2013). Thesis title: A numerical investigation of wave-breaking turbulence beneath a solitary wave using large eddy simulation. Now engineer at EQT Corporation.
  12. Xiao Yu (PhD, 1/2012). Thesis title: A numerical investigation of sediment resuspension and deposition. He is currently an Assistant Professor at ESSIE, University of Florida.
  13. Thomas Boland (MS, 5/2011). Thesis title: An experimental and numerical investigation of hyperpycnal flow. Now associate project manager at NYC-DEP.
  14. Celalettin Emre Ozdemir (PhD, 8/2010, U. Florida degree). Thesis title: Turbulence-resolving simulation of fine sediment transport in oscillatory boundary layer. He is now an Associate Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University.
  15. Patrick Snyder (MS, 5/2010). Thesis title: A numerical investigation of convective sedimentation. Now Coastal Engineer at AECOM.
  16. Minwoo Son (PhD, 12/2009, U. Florida degree). Thesis title: Flocculation and transport of cohesive sediment. Currently, he is an Professor at Chungnam National University (South Korea).
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