Daniele Massaro

Postdoctoral researcher in Fluid Mechanics at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. My current research aims to investigate vortex dynamics in wall-bounded flows. During my PhD, I studied transitional and turbulent shear flows through space-adaptive direct numerical simulations.

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About Me

Originally from Verona, I hold a Bachelor and Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Milano. During my Master's thesis, I conducted research on the stability of wall-bounded flows with spanwise forcing with Prof. Maurizio Quadrio. Then I obtained a PhD in computational fluid dynamics from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, under the supervision of Prof. Philipp Schlatter and Lect. Saleh Rezaeiravesh. We conducted space-adaptive direct numerical simulations to study transitional and turbulent shear flows. Currently, I am a Postdoctoral fellow at MIT working on vortex dynamics with Prof. Wim van Rees. 

Contact Details

Daniele Massaro
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Depart. of Mechanical Engineering
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
USA
danmas@mit.edu

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Research

Interests

My interests have been diverse since high school, including philosophy, history, and natural sciences. Despite following a scientific path, I maintain my passion for humanistic arts and literature mostly by indulging in classic novels (below are a few recommendations). During my studies, I developed a theoretical approach, largely influenced by mathematically oriented courses like functional and complex analysis at Politecnico di Milano. My education included classes on various topics, such as rotary wing dynamics, spacecraft orbit characterisation and structural design of aerospace structures. Of all the subjects I studied, I found fluid mechanics to be the most fascinating, as it combines elements of mathematics, physics, and engineering.

My journey into the field of turbulence began with a Master's thesis on stability and transition delay. During my PhD, I delved into the study of wall turbulence and coherent structures through the use of high-order spectral element method and adaptive mesh refinement in direct numerical simulations. To gain a deeper understanding, we utilized established techniques, such as Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD), and cutting-edge methods, like transfer entropy from Information Theory (IT), to uncover new mechanisms in transitional and turbulent flows.

Some other areas of interest that I have explored or may look into in the future include wind turbine design, biological flows, adjoint-based optimization and vortex reconnections.

Teaching

KTH

Teaching assistant

  • Mekanik I (Classical Mechanics) - 2020, 2021
  • Strömningsmekanik (Fluid Mechanics) - 2021, 2022, 2023
  • Teknisk strömningsmekanik (Fluid Mechanics for Engineers) - 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • Supervision of Master thesis - 6 months in 2021

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Email

danmas@mit.edu