2008-2012 Ph.D. of Fluid Engineering at Department of Energy and Process Engineering in Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway.

2006-2008 M.S. of Aerospace Engineering at School of Mechanical Aerospace and Systems Engineering in Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), South Korea.

2001-2005 B.E. of Power Engineering of Aircraft at Department of Energy and Power Engineering in Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), China.

2016 - present Associate Professor at Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University.

2012 - 2016 Postdoctoral Fellow at Department of Energy and Process Engineering, NTNU.

My research interests are in fundamental turbulence and its applications. Currently I am primarily working on turbulent flow computation with an emphasis on dynamics of aspherical particles in turbulence (e.g. particle transport, clustering, and particle-fluid interaction). Understanding the dynamics of a range of suspended particles, bubbles, or droplets in a turbulent carrier fluid and the mechanism of the interaction between dispersed phase and turbulence fluid phase are of fundamental interest and a key in making advances in many natural and industrial processes, such as sediment transport in pipe flow, fluidized bed in chemical reactor, pollutants dispersion in atmosphere and biomass particle combustion to name a few.

Areas of Research Interests

Direct numerical simulation; Turbulent dispersed multiphase flow; Non-spherical particle suspensions.

2015 The recent research work was featured in a Focus on Fluids article in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

2012 Da Vinci Competition (silver medalist) sponsored by European Research Community on Flow, Turbulence and Combustion (ERCOFTAC).

2008 Outstanding Dissertation Award sponsored by Brain Korea 21(BK21) program, South Korea.

International journal publications (* - corresponding author):

23. Kun Yang, L. Zhao* and H. I. Andersson “Turbulent Couette–Poiseuille flow with zero wall shear”, International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow, 63, 14-27 (2017).

22. N. Challabotla, L. Zhao* and H. I. Andersson “Orientation and rotation dynamics of triaxial ellipsoidal tracers in wall turbulence”, Physics of Fluids, 28, 123304 (2016).

21. L. Zhao* and H. I. Andersson “Why spheroids orient preferentially in near-wall turbulence”, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 807, 221-234 (2016).

20. N. Challabotla, L. Zhao* and H. I. Andersson “On fiber behavior in turbulent vertical channel flow”, Chemical Engineering Science, 153, 75-86 (2016).

19. N. Challabotla*, L. Zhao and H. I. Andersson “Gravity effects on fiber dynamics in wall turbulence”, Flow, Turbulence and Combustion, 97,1095-1110 (2016).

18. Z. Gao*, H. I. Andersson, H. Dai, F. Jiang and L. Zhao “A new Eulerian–Lagrangian agent method to model fish paths in avertical slot fishway”, Ecological Engineering, 88, 217-225 (2016).

17. C. Marchioli, L. Zhao* and H. I. Andersson “On the relative rotational motion between rigid fibers and fluid in turbulent channel flow”, Physics of Fluids, 28, 013301(2016).

16. L. Zhao*, N. Challabotla, H. I. Andersson and E. Variano “Rotation of nonspherical particles in turbulent channel flow”, Physical Review Letter, 115, 244501 (2015).

15. N. Challabotla, L. Zhao* and H. I. Andersson “Shape effects on dynamics of inertia-free spheroids in wall turbulence”, Physics of Fluids, 27, 061703 (2015).

14. H. I. Andersson, L. Zhao* and E. Variano “On the anisotropic vorticity in turbulent channel flows”, AMSE Journal of Fluid Engineering, 137,084503 (2015).

13. N. Challabotla, L. Zhao* and H. I. Andersson “Orientation and rotation of inertial disk particles in wall turbulence”, Journal of Fluid Mechanics (Rapids), 766, R2 (2015). (This publication was featured in a JFM Focus on Fluids paper)

12. L. Zhao*, C. Marchioli and H. I. Andersson “Slip velocity of rigid fibers in turbulent channel flow”, Physics of Fluids, 25, 063302(2014).

11. C. Nilsen*, H. I. Andersson and L. Zhao “A Voronoi analysis of preferential concentration in a vertical channel flow”, Physics of Fluids, 25, 115108(2013).

10. L. Zhao*, H. I. Andersson and J. J. J. Gillissen “On inertial effects on long fibers in wall turbulence: concentration, orientation and fiber stresses”, Acta Mechanica, 224, 2375-2384 (2013). (Invited article)

9. H. I. Andersson and L. Zhao* “Bridging the gap between continuum mechanical microrotation viscosity and Lagrangian point-particles”, ASME Journal of Fluid Engineering, 135, 124502 (2013).

8. L. Zhao*, H. I. Andersson and J. J. J. Gillissen “Interphasial energy transfer and particle dissipation in particle-laden wall turbulence”, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 715, 32-59 (2013).

7. L. Zhao* and H. I. Andersson “Statistics of particle suspensions in turbulent channel flow”, Communications in Computational Physics, 11, 1311-1322 (2012).

6. L. Zhao*, C. Marchioli and H. I. Andersson “Stokes number effects on particle slip velocity in wall-bounded turbulence and implications for dispersion models”, Physics of Fluids (Letters), 24, 021705 (2012).

5. H. I. Andersson*, L. Zhao and M. Barri “Torque-coupling and particle-turbulence interactions”, Journal of Fluid Mechanics (Rapids), 696, 319-329 (2012).

4. T. Li*, L. Zhao, X. Ku, H.I. Andersson and T. Lovas “Numerical investigation of particles turbulent dispersion in channel flow”, Thermal Science, 16, 1510-1514 (2012).

3. L. Zhao* and H. I. Andersson “On particle spin in a two-way coupled turbulent channel flow simulation’’, Physics of Fluids, 24, 093302 (2011).

2. L. Zhao*, H. I. Andersson and J. J. J. Gillissen “Turbulence modulation and drag reduction by spherical particle’’, Physics of Fluids (Letters), 22, 081702 (2010).

1. H. I. Andersson* and L. Zhao “DNS of non-spherical particles in turbulent flow’’, ERCOFTAC Bulletin, 84, 093302 (2010).