Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research activities include developing numerical tools for the large-eddy simulation (LES) of turbulent flows, performing LES of oceanic turbulence and integrating such simulations with field observations. Computations for this work are based on finite-difference, spectral and finite element methods. Sources of funding have included NASA Langley Research Center and currently include the National Science Foundation. Tejada-Martínez will advise one undergraduate student in the area of large-eddy simulation (LES) of oceanic turbulent flows.

The project assigned to the student will consist of programming a Lagrangian particle tracking algorithm into a fortran, parallel LES code written by Tejada-Martínez. The purpose of the algorithm will be two-fold. First, the algorithm will be used to compute high-Schmidt number gas concentration distributions in turbulent flows as an alternative to solving a transport-diffusion equation requiring prohibitive grid resolution in order to resolve diffusive boundary layers. Our main goal is to understand the impact of oceanic turbulence regimes on slightly soluble gas transfer at the air-water interface. The particle tracking algorithm will also play an important role in understanding the turbulence dependence of photosynthesis of phytoplankton in the upper surface mixed layer of the Southern Ocean. The particle tracking algorithm together with LES guided by recent field measurements in the Southern Ocean will allow definition of realistic particle trajectories which can be associated with light exposure sequences ultimately used to estimate phytoplankton photosynthesis. This work will be performed in collaboration with scientists at the Smithsonian Institution. In addition to programming the particle tracking algorithm, the student will assist Tejada-Martínez in running the previously described simulations. This project presents an excellent opportunity for an undergraduate researcher to obtain first hand experience with parallel computations, data processing and storage, data visualization, field measurements, and the physics of oceanic turbulence in general.

More information: Dr. Tejada-Martinez's website