Miguel Perez Encinar

Dr. Miguel P. Encinar has been a Visiting Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) since September 2023. He earned his Ph.D. in 2020 under the supervision of Prof. Jiménez, focusing on the dynamics of wall-bounded turbulence. His thesis was recognized among the five best in Europe that year, securing him a place in the finals of the 2021 Da Vinci competition, organized by ERCOFTAC. After completing his doctorate, he remained at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid as a postdoctoral researcher, investigating causality in homogeneous isotropic turbulence. He later moved to Johns Hopkins University for a second postdoctoral appointment before joining UC3M.

His research explores the dynamics of turbulence, a field where complex flows defy simple descriptions. He is currently pursuing three main lines of work: understanding data assimilation in turbulent flows  from a theoretical perspective, studying passive scalar mixing and the role of density variations, and developing fundamental models of turbulent dissipation. His approach relies on large-scale numerical simulations, employing high-performance computing on graphical processing units to maximize both computational speed and energy efficiency. These simulations provide a wealth of high-fidelity data, which he analyzes to uncover new insights into turbulent behavior. In parallel, he collaborates with UC3M’s EP2 group to refine particle-in-cell codes for high-fidelity plasma simulations.

Beyond his research, Dr. Encinar has been actively involved in mentoring students and contributing to scientific projects. He has supervised three bachelor’s theses, two master’s theses, and is currently co-supervising two Ph.D. students. He has also been part of three ERC Advanced Grant projects, participated in six summer programs—five in Madrid and one at Stanford—and helped organize two international conferences.