Dr. Rui Ni

Biography

Rui Ni is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. His research focuses on fundamental aspects of turbulence and multi-phase flows, which involve various phases such as liquid, solid, and gas. These studies have applications in next-generation energy systems, environmental engineering, and physiological flows within the human body. Rui earned his PhD in physics from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2011 and subsequently worked as a postdoctoral scholar at Yale University and Wesleyan University before joining Penn State University in 2015, where he held the Kenneth Kuan-Yun Kuo Early Career Professorship in mechanical engineering. He has received notable grants, including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative and the NSF CAREER Award for his work in fluid dynamics. Rui’s insights on chaotic air movement and storms have highlighted links between fish swimming schools and the energy-saving strategies of professional cyclists. His contributions to the field have established him as a leading researcher in experimental fluid mechanics.

Research Interests