13/10/2022

Admirer of 'small scales' defends thesis on fluids.

Origami, crochet and confectionery occupy Julia Domingues Lemos' free time. But, for the most part, the doctoral student puts aside the "tiny" manual work, as she herself describes it, to focus on mathematics, also on "small scales". Entitled "History-conditioned closure for turbulence models: a data-driven approach", Julia's doctoral thesis is about turbulence problems and smaller-scale modeling. The work will be presented this Friday (14), at 10 am, in room 232, with transmission via IMPA's YouTube channel.

Born in Rio Grande do Sul, Julia Domingues Lemos graduated and earned a master's degree in applied mathematics from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Since beginning her doctoral studies at IMPA in 2018, she has participated in the Fluid Dynamics Group ( Fluid ), where she has focused on turbulent flow, under the guidance of IMPA researcher Alexei Mailybaev.

“Generally speaking, when we have a cup of coffee and pour milk over it, we can see several eddies. Because the flow is turbulent, things are happening on different scales. That large eddy in the middle basically feeds smaller eddies, which are difficult to simulate on a computer. But these smaller ones are also important because they dissipate energy, for example. My work is, in a way, to model these small scales!”, explains the doctoral student.

Once accepted into the doctoral program, Julia moved to Rio de Janeiro and gradually adapted to the city. “The beginning was difficult, but after the doctoral exams, I started experiencing IMPA and the city itself. The institute offers so many great things!” recalls the native of Rio Grande do Sul. She says that when she felt lost, she relied on Mailybaev's guidance. “He was very available, and I have many positive things to say! He always treated me with great respect and humanity,” she commented.

The doctoral candidate also recalls her passions for music and crafts, present in her life since childhood. More recently, she has dedicated herself to cooking and confectionery, in addition to seeking new challenges in the field of fluids. "Everything is challenging in fluids! From the nature of the problem to the language used," commented Julia. But it is precisely this passion for challenges that encourages her to seek the next step. Soon, she will begin a postdoctoral fellowship at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).