Xinjie Ji
Xinjie Ji is a PhD candidate in computational fluid dynamics and ocean engineering whose research focuses on biologically inspired underwater propulsion, and more generally, on the use of flexible and morphing structures within a fluid flow. As a MathWorks Fellow, Xinjie will investigate the immersed interface method (IIM) for fluid-body coupling problems within the context of the 2-D incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. This project builds on prior work in which Xinjie and colleagues implemented and validated a method for one-way and two-way coupling problems. MATLAB has played a key role in her research, allowing her to study complex fluid dynamics through computational modeling and to develop and test new algorithms. As her work progresses, she plans to explore more complex problems such as two-phase flow and fluid-structure interaction, extend the IIM to a broader range of ocean engineering challenges, and continue to leverage MATLAB to improve design and control of ocean engineering applications.