10th ERCOFTAC Da Vinci Competition 2015 - Interview with Da Vinci Finalists

Sascha Heitkam

(TU Dresden, Institute of Fluid Mechanic, Germany)

• What is the topic of your Ph.D. thesis?

"Manipulation of liquid metal foam with electromagnetic fields – a numerical study"

My topic has been the simulation of turbulent liquid metal flow under the influence of electromagnetic fields. Particularly, I researched the behaviour of bubbly liquid, jamming of bubbles and foam formation.

• What are you currently working on?

We research experimentally liquid foam flow. As foam is opaque, we develop and adapt novel measurement approaches. Then we research foam flow in benchmark configurations and industrial setups.

• What motivates you in your work?

Viscoelastic foam flow is very complex and sometimes difficult to predict. So there is often surprising behavior.

• What did the Da Vinci competition mean to you?

It was an interesting experience to meet and discuss with the ERCOFTAC members, as it combines very different research fields by the common interest in turbulence and combustion.

• How has your professional life evolved since the da Vinci competition and where do you see yourself in five years?

I managed to get an Emmy-Noether research group funded and also head an evolving number of other projects. So I hope to become a professor in the next five years.

• What advice would you give to new PhD students starting in fluid mechanics?

The most interesting insights result from a combination of experiments, simulations and analytical considerations. So I would advise new PhD students to combine these tools whenever feasible.