people

Dr. Alexis Kaminski has been an assistant professor in the department of mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley, and the PI of the Stratified Flows group, since January 2021. She received her BSc and MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta, and her PhD in Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics from the University of Cambridge (where she was a member of Churchill College). Before starting at Cal, she did her postdocs in the Ocean Mixing group in CEOAS, Oregon State University and in the Ocean Physics department at the UW Applied Physics Laboratory. She is also a long-time participant in the WHOI GFD program.

Alexis’s research focuses on geophysical and environmental fluid mechanics. In particular, she is interested in stratified and buoyancy-driven flows: waves, instabilities, turbulence, and mixing. She approaches these problems using a mixture of numerical simulations, theory, and comparison with observations.

You can find Alexis’s CV here.

I am interested in understanding and modeling fundamental aspects of multiscale environmental flows whose dynamics are controlled by buoyancy. Guided by a combination of theory, observations and numerical simulations, my work is focused on flows in the ocean interior. In particular, I think about the dynamics of internal waves, stratified flow instabilities and turbulence, which exist at the smallest scales of ocean motion and play a crucial role in the mixing of heat, salt, nutrients and anthropogenic carbon. For example, some of my current work uses data from observations of breaking internal solitary waves on the California inner shelf together with results from theory and numerics to develop improved mixing models. Before starting my postdoc in Berkeley, I was a PhD student in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge, graduating in July 2023. Outside of the academic world, you’re most likely to find me on a bike or cooking dinner.

Vincent is interested in computational fluid dynamics, with particular focus on environmental applications. His research explores the effect of stratified shear instabilities on turbulent mixing of reactive scalars in the upper ocean. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston where he conducted numerical research on momentum transport in turbulent flows. In his free time, Vincent enjoys hiking, biking, and reading sci-fi.

Shuai is a third-year PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. His research interests lie principally in shear stratified flow, turbulent mixing, and the applications of scientific machine learning in fluid dynamics. Prior, he received his B.S. in Physical Oceanography from the Ocean University of China. He then obtained his M.S. in Data Science from the University of Pennsylvania, where he conducted research on physics-informed neural networks and deep operator networks. He is a fan of traveling, nature exploring, and playing basketball. You can find him on LinkedIn and Google Scholar.

Leo is a second-year PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley, specializing in computational fluid dynamics with a focus on turbulent plumes in natural environments. He earned his BA and MEng in Aerospace and Aerothermal Engineering from the University of Cambridge in Britain, where he conducted research on simulations of turbulent jets. In his free time, Leo enjoys playing soccer, table tennis, hiking, and traveling. You can find him on LinkedIn.

Anant is a 4th-year undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. He has been assisting the research on simulating gravity currents in stratified flow since Spring 2024. His research interests include hypersonics, computational fluid dynamics, and space vehicle design. In his free time, he likes to bake, hike, and travel.

Rian is an MS student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley.

Group alumni:

• Tristan Villanueva (undergraduate researcher, summer 2021-fall 2022; currently PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at Caltech)
• Matthew Thomas (undergraduate researcher, fall 2022)
• Martin Beshara (undergraduate researcher, spring 2022; currently PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University)