About

I hold the chair of Aerospace Engineering in the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Derby. After I received my PhD in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) from the University of Sheffield, I worked at Queen Mary University of London and the University of Surrey as a research fellow/senior research fellow before becoming a member of faculty at the University of Loughborough. I left Loughborough to take a readership at the University of Sussex and then moved to the University of Derby.

I have been conducting world-leading research in turbulent/transitional flow simulation, and a pioneer in the development of Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) approach. I have published more than 130 scientific papers in reputable journals (JFM; Physics of Fluids; AIAA etc), academic books and international conferences. I have secured many research projects funded by research councils and leading industries, established and conducted collaborative research at international level with both academic and industrial partners. My current research includes Hydrogen combustion engines, applications of AI in flow modelling and LES of wind/tidal turbines.

I have served as an Editorial Board member of several international journals and have chaired over many international conferences/workshops, invited to give Keynote Speech at international conferences. I have been added to the ‘World Ranking Top 2% Scientists’, a global list created and updated annually by Stanford University. This list, considered among the most prestigious worldwide, includes just over 100,000 scientists and is based on two datasets, one career-long and one focusing on the previous year, showing how frequently academics are cited according to a range of measures.

Teaching responsibilities

My main teaching area is Thermofluids.

Research interests

• Transitional and turbulent flow
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Large-Eddy Simulation
• Flow instability
• Two-phase flow
• Combustion
• Heat transfer
• Turbomachinery
• Tidal and wind turbines
• Hydrogen engines
• Application of AI in Fluid Dynamics

Membership of professional bodies

• FHEA

Qualifications

• Ph.D in Computational Fluid Dynamics, The University of Sheffield

Experience in industry

Research collaborations with Aerospace and Automotive industries.

International experience

• Collaborative research with European and Chinese universities
• Seminars/lectures at international conferences and at universities/research institutes in Europe, USA and China

Additional interests and activities

My additional interests are badminton and music. 

Recent publications

• Onwuegbu, S., Yang, Z., Xie, J. (2024) Numerical Simulation of the Interaction between a Planar Shock Wave and a Cylindrical Bubble. Modelling, Vol. 5(2), pp. 483-501
• Zhang, N., Wood, V., Yang, Z., Xie, J. (2023) AI-Guided Computing Insight into a Thermostat Monitoring Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Sensors, Vol. 23(9) , Article 4492
• Ahmadi, M., Yang, Z. (2022) On wind turbine loading induced by non-uniform approaching flows at high Reynolds numbers. Physics of Fluids, Vol. 34(12), Article 125110
• Charles, T., Yang, Z. (2022) Comparison of the effectiveness of drag reduction devices on a simplified truck model through numerical simulation. Modelling, Vol. 3(3), pp. 300-313
• Ahmadi, M., Yang, Z. (2022) Wake structure in yawed approaching flows for an axial-flow wind turbine. Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, Vol. 144(11), Article 111016
• Onwuegbu, S., Yang, Z. (2022) Numerical analysis of shock interaction with a spherical bubble. AIP Advances, Vol. 12(2), Article 025215
• Ahmadi, M., Yang, Z. (2022) On loading fluctuations induced by energetic large-scale motions for horizontal axial wind turbines. Physics of Fluids, Vol. 34(7), Article 075107
• Ahmadi, M., Yang, Z. (2021) Influences of yawed conditions on the wake evolution and recovery of axial flow ridal turbines. Proceedings of the 14th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference, pp. 2159: 1-8. Sept., 2021, Plymouth, UK
• Charles, T., Yang, Z., Lu, Y. (2021) Computational study of flow around 2D and 3D tandem bluff bodies. Journal of Applied and Computational Mechanics, Vol. 7(2), pp. 528-534
• Ahmadi, M., Yang, Z. (2021) On wind power fluctuations induced by large-scale motions. Applied Energy, Vol. 293(10), Article 116945
• Ahmadi, M., Yang, Z. (2021) Influence of yawed wind flow on the blade forces/bending moments and blade elastic torsion for an axial-flow wind turbine. ASME Turbo Expo 2021, paper GT2021-60237
• Ahmadi, M., Yang, Z. (2020) Numerical study of the coupling between the instantaneous blade loading/power of an axial wind turbine and upstream turbulence at high Reynolds numbers. Energy, Vol. 207, Article 118167
• Ahmadi, M., Yang, Z. (2020) Large eddy simulation of the flow past a circular cylinder at super-critical Reynolds numbers. ASME Turbo Expo 2020, paper GT2020-15393
• Ahmad, M., Yang, Z. (2020) The evolution of turbulence characteristics in the wake of a horizontal axis tidal stream turbine. Renewable Energy, Vol. 151, pp. 1008-1015
• Abikan, A., Yang, Z., Lu, Y. (2020) Computational analysis of turbulent flow over a bluff body with drag reduction devices. Journal of Applied and Computational Mechanics, Vol. 6(SI), pp. 1210-1219
• Li, H., Yang, Z. (2019) Separated boundary layer transition under pressure gradient in the presence of free-stream turbulence. Physics of Fluids, Vol. 31, Article 104106
• Yang, Z., Abdalla, I.E. (2019) On secondary instability of an unforced transitional separation bubble. Computers and Fluids, Vol. 179, pp. 595-603
• Yang, Z. (2019) On bypass transition in separation bubbles: a review. Propulsion and Power Research, Vol. 8, pp. 23-34
• Yang, Z. (2019) Secondary instability of separated shear layers. Chinese Journal of Aeronautics, Vol. 32, pp. 37-44
• Langari, M., Yang, Z., Dunne, J.F., Jafari, S., Pirault, J-P., Long, C.A., Thalackottore Jose, J. (2018) Conjugate heat transfer predictions for subcooled boiling flow in a horizontal channel using a volume-of-fluid framework. Journal of Heat Transfer, Vol. 140, pp. 104501

For a full list of my publications please visit my ResearchGate profile