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Dixia FAN, Ph.D.
Intelligent and Informational Fluid Mechanics Laboratory
Dixia FAN, Ph.D.
Intelligent and Informational Fluid Mechanics Laboratory
“At Westlake University, we are all big kids playing big toys that will change the world.”
Biography
Dr. Dixia Fan was born in Shanghai in 1990. He obtained his BS.c. from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, in 2013, and then received his MS.c and Ph.D. from MIT, the USA, in 2016 and 2019. He then worked as a postdoctorate associate and then a research scientist at MIT Sea Grant, where he established the intelligent hydrodynamics lab. In 2021, he joined Queen’s University, Canada as an assistant professor in the department of mechanical and material engineering. In 2022, he joined Westlake University as an assistant professor in charge of the Intelligent and Informational Fluid Mechanics Laboratory.
Research
Dr. Dixia Fan focuses his research on the fundamental understanding of fluid-structure interaction phenomena, bio-inspired amphibious robots design as well as AI application in vortical flow control and sensing. Based on physics-informed (and -informative) machine learning, He has been combining domain expertise (fluid mechanics, robotics, and control) and proper machine learning tools to address the inherent spatial and temporal non-linearity and multiscality of fluid-related problems at a greater scale and a broader scope. His work has been published in several esteemed Journals, include Science Robotics, Proceedings of National Academy of Science, Journal of Fluid Mechanics and etc.
At Intelligent and Informational Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, We envision a research paradigm shift in fluid mechanics to a physics-informed (and -informative) probabilistic learning framework, which leads to disruptive technology transform in the aerospace and marine industry to a more efficient, safe, and eco-friendly future. Some of the current research topics include 1) study of aerodynamics and hydrodynamics of fish, birds, insects, mammals locomotion, 2) development of novel programmable metamaterial for aero/hydro morphing structures and 3) advancement of machine learning and bio-inspired algorithm for vortical flow control and sensing.
Research directions:
AI in Fluid Mechanics
Vortical Flow Control and Sensing
Bioinspired Robotics
Metamaterial for Aero/Hydro Morphing Structure
Autonomy for Amphibious (Aerial / Aquatic) Swarms
Representative Publications (*corresponding author)
1. Wang, Z., Li, A., Wu, B., Fan, D.*, Triantafyllou, M.S. and Tang, D., 2021. Asymmetric vortex pair induces secondary traveling wave vibration of a flexible cylinder from still water to incoming flow. Physics of Fluids, 33(12), p.125115.
2. Wang, Z., Fan, D.* and Triantafyllou, M.S., 2021. Illuminating the complex role of the added mass during vortex induced vibration. Physics of Fluids, 33(8), p.085120.
3. Kharazmi, E., Fan, D.*, Wang, Z. and Triantafyllou, M.S., 2021. Inferring vortex induced vibrations of flexible cylinders using physics-informed neural networks. Journal of Fluids and Structures, 107, p.103367.
4. Wang, Z., Fan, D.*, Triantafyllou, M.S. and Karniadakis, G.E., 2021. A large-eddy simulation study on the similarity between free vibrations of a flexible cylinder and forced vibrations of a rigid cylinder. Journal of Fluids and Structures, 101, p.103223.
5. Fan, D., Yang, L., Wang, Z., Triantafyllou, M.S.* and Karniadakis, G.E., 2020. Reinforcement learning for bluff body active flow control in experiments and simulations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(42), pp.26091-26098.
6. Wang, J.S., Fan, D. and Lin, K., 2020. A review on flow-induced vibration of offshore circular cylinders. Journal of Hydrodynamics, 32(3), pp.415-440.
7. Li, A., Yu, Y., Jodin, G., Fan, D.*, Xie, H., Sun, C., Gu, S.L. and Xu, J., 2020, April. STEM 3.0 for Chinese Students with Sea Perch Underwater Robots: An Experimental Summer Camp for Hands-on Thinkers in Shanghai. In 2020 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON) (pp. 133-138). IEEE.
8. Fan, D.*, Jodin, G., Consi, T.R., Bonfiglio, L., Ma, Y., Keyes, L.R., Karniadakis, G.E.* and Triantafyllou, M.S.*, 2019. A robotic intelligent towing tank for learning complex fluid-structure dynamics. Science Robotics, 4(36), p.eaay5063.
9. Fan, D., Wang, Z.*, Triantafyllou, M.S. and Karniadakis, G.E., 2019. Mapping the properties of the vortex-induced vibrations of flexible cylinders in uniform oncoming flow. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 881, pp.815-858.
10. Fan, D.*, Wu, B., Bachina, D. and Triantafyllou, M.S., 2019. Vortex-induced vibration of a piggyback pipeline half buried in the seabed. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 449, pp.182-195.
