Education:
2019: PhD (cum laude) in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences, TU Delft, Netherlands (Thesis)
2014: MSc in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Fluid Mechanics, TU Delft, Netherlands
2012: B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, VIT University, Vellore
Current research:
Active Turbulence
I am working on understanding certain aspects of "Active Turbulence", which is an intriguing new class of emergent phenomena found in active fluids like bacterial swarms. We are trying to unravel the chaotic aspects of these flows, and ask what about them is truly turbulent? And how does Nature harness this hydrodynamics for essential biological functions like foraging and survival?
(Particle trajectories in active turbulence. See also movie.)
Vorticity Knots
Another topic I'm working on is the evolution of vorticity-knots in turbulence. Knots are highly specialized configurations of the vorticity field, with additional conserved topological aspects (like Helicity), that are relevant for diverse fields ranging from superfluids to plasma turbulence. How these Helicity conserving structures untie in the presence of viscosity, and how they interact with the energy cascade, are all questions that will further our understanding of the turbulence process.
In general, I am also interested in nonlinear dynamics, particle laden and multiphase flows, geophysical flows and the identification of structures in fields. You can see some movies from this research on my Youtube page.
Parallel pursuits:
Apart from research, I am a photographer deeply interested in street photography (which involves long hours spent chasing the light and the decisive moment) and analogue techniques (long hours in the dark). You can see some of this work in my Portfolio or Instagram.
I also make (and teach) Algorithmic/Generative Art, which you can find here and on Instagram.
Publications:
Find me on Google Scholar
- Geometric characterization of vortex lines in turbulence,
Kapoor, S., Govindarajan, R., Mukherjee, S.
arXiv:2301.06808 (2023).
- Intermittency, fluctuations and maximal chaos in an emergent universal state of active turbulence,
Mukherjee, S.. Singh, R.K., James, M., Ray, S.S.
Nature Physics (2023).
- Lagrangian Manifestations of Anomalies in Active Turbulence,
Singh, R.K., Mukherjee, S., Ray, S.S.
Physical Review Fluids Vol 7, No 3 (2022).
- Correlation and decomposition framework for identifying and disentangling flow structures: canonical examples and application to isotropic turbulence,
Mukherjee, S., Mascini, M, Portela, L.
Physics of Fluids 34, 015119 (2022) [Editor's Pick]
- Anomalous diffusion and Levy walks distinguish active from inertial turbulence,
Mukherjee, S., Singh, R.K., James, M., Ray, S.S.
Physical Review Letters 127, 118001 (2021) [Editor's Suggestion & On the Cover ]
Featured in Physics: Bacteria That Shove Harder, Move Further [Physics 14, s116 (2021)]
- Droplet-turbulence interactions and quasi-equilibrium dynamics in turbulent emulsions,
Mukherjee, S., Safdari, A., Shardt, O., Kenjeres, S., Van den Akker, H.E.A.
Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 878, 221--276 (2019).
- A lattice-Boltzmann approach to surfactant laden emulsions,
Mukherjee, S., Berghout, P., Van den Akker, H.E.A.
AIChE Journal, 65 (2), 811-828 (2019)
- Protected Area Environments – Airflow, Comfort and Habitability,
Ghosh, S., Arvind, D.G, Mukherjee, S.
ISBN 9781910390368, Athena Academic, U.K. (2018).
- Simulating liquid droplets: a comparative assessment of the volume-of-fluid and lattice-Boltzmann methods,
Mukherjee, S., Zarghami, A., Haringa, C., van As, K., Kenjeres, S., Van den Akker, H.E.A.
International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow, 70: 59-78. (2018)
- Predictability of dry convective boundary layers: an LES study,
Mukherjee, S., Schalkwijk, J. and Jonker, H.J.J.
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 73(7), pp.2715-2727 (2016)
- Chapter 9: The Architectural Heritage Of South and Central India - A Study In Environmental Design,
Mukherjee S., Ghosh S., Panambur S.
ISBN 978-1-907471-65-0, Design for a Complex World, Libri Publications, U.K. (2014).
- Microclimatic and culture specific adaptations of building forms in Gujarat: from the Indus Valley to Modernism,
Ghosh, S., Mukherjee, S., Panambur, S., Samaddar, A.
The International Journal of the Constructed Environment, Vol 3 Issue 2, Vancouver, Canada (2013).