Making a career in Computational Fluid Dynamics

[Urmi Roy]

Hi,
I've decided I want to pursue a career in CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and I think the best career option for me would be be to take up 'teaching' in my area of interest (since I'm not sure how well I'd be able to do in hard-core research activities) . However, I'm completely unaware about the details such as the branches of this area of study and what exactly I need to do..phd options, etc.

Please give me some info regarding the following...

1. When I do MS degree, will there be a MS programme dealing exclusively with CFD...and if so, are there any branches of CFD that I'll have to choose from?

2. Similarly, is there any PhD programme based exclusively on CFD ?

3. Having done my higher education based on CFD, what subjects will I be elligible to teach students when I enter my proffession as a teacher/proffessor?

Please also give me any additional details you think necessary.

 

[denks]

Don't know a huge amount about it, my friend is doing his PhD in CFD, he has a mech engineering background of which CFD was a final year elective.

 

[MissSilvy]

Are you in an undergraduate program yet? Which major? Or are you another high schooler who thinks they have it all figured out?

 

[Urmi Roy]

Are you in an undergraduate program yet? Which major? Or are you another high schooler who thinks they have it all figured out?

Well, I'm doing my sophomore year (2nd year) in Mechanical Engineering...I know I sound naieve, but that's exactly why I need your help!

 

[HossamCFD]

1. When I do MS degree, will there be a MS programme dealing exclusively with CFD...and if so, are there any branches of CFD that I'll have to choose from?

You have to understand that CFD is an approach for solving Fluid Dynamical problems rather than a subject in its own right. The are only three ways of doing research in fluid dynamics: experiments, theory, and CFD. (some would argue that theory and CFD become very intertwined that a clear distinction between them does not exist anymore). So when you decide your research topic, be it for MS or Ph.D, you can choose to investigate your problem using CFD (of course you will need the experiments at some point to validate the CFD results). As for branches, Although I wouldn't use the term "branches", but there are many types of models according to the problem you are solving. For instance there are single-phase and multi-phase models, reacting and non-reacting models; etc...

If by "branches" you mean areas of specialization within CFD itself, I think one may divide the scope of research into three categories: Grid algorithms, solver algorithms, and physical models. If you are solving a fluid dynamical problem you need to do all of them. However, if you want to work on the development of any of those branches, then I believe your background in M.E will make physical models the most relevant area for you.

2. Similarly, is there any PhD programme based exclusively on CFD ?

Same as 1

3. Having done my higher education based on CFD, what subjects will I be elligible to teach students when I enter my proffession as a teacher/proffessor?

Fluid mechanics and numerical algorithms

 

[Clever-Name]

Keep in mind you'll never be hired by a university JUST to teach students courses (I'm sure there are a few (RARE) people who ONLY teach, but it isn't common). You WILL be expected to do research and you WILL be expected to get results. If all you want to do is teach then forget about the graduate degree and teach high school.

 

[Urmi Roy]

You have to understand that CFD is an approach for solving Fluid Dynamical problems rather than a subject in its own right.

Okay, so since I'm interested in fluid dynamics and thermodynamics, I could use CFD as a tool to understand concepts in these fields better...right? I guess I didn't quite understand what CFD was earlier...just hung to it after hearing about it from others...

I looked up certain sites and it says that I could do MS in fluid dynamics...which covers areas like turbulence, bluff body aerodynamics, environmental sciences, heat transfer, biomedical flows etc...regarding this,again...will I have to choose my specific area of interest (among these) for either MS or Phd or do these courses cover Fluid Mechanics in general?

Also, according to what Clever-Name said, noone's going to accept an 'only teacher'...I've got to be involved in active research...tell me,do all the proffessors in the world do research and do they all come up with results?? What if I can be good at teaching students but not so successful at the research (I mean everyone can't be equally successful at research,can they..depends on luck too)...after doing a Phd or even MS, it won't be worth teaching only high schools...atleast in India,colleges need good proffessors...can't I just try to be a good proffessor?

Thanks for your help :-)

 

[Norman]

Keep in mind you'll never be hired by a university JUST to teach students courses (I'm sure there are a few (RARE) people who ONLY teach, but it isn't common). You WILL be expected to do research and you WILL be expected to get results. If all you want to do is teach then forget about the graduate degree and teach high school.

This is fairly inaccurate. There are plenty of adjunct professors out there who are only paid to teach. Most schools have a good handful of them.

It is accurate for a large research university. But these are the positions everyone is fighting for - tenure track at a research university. Why are they fought for - because you are expected to do a lot of research! You get a PhD because you like to do research (or you are an insane masochist...).

At your typical 4 year (liberal arts) college, however, teaching is much more stressed. Research can be anywhere from not needed to worth a significant fraction of your evaluation for tenure. But your effectiveness as a teacher is ALWAYS important at the smaller schools. And don't get me wrong, these smaller school positions are just as fought over (in physics anyway - my understand is that in engineering there are fewer issues with 100s of candidates applying for the same job).

So, no, people typically don't get a PhD just to teach. The focus of the PhD program is not to make you a good teacher - but to make you a good researcher (well you could argue that it is not even that). I don't think a person could make it through a PhD program, doing all that research, writing a dissertation, defending your dissertation, without having interest in the research. If your aim is to be a teacher, I don't think doing a PhD is the way to go (in CFD anyway).

I cannot add anything more about CFD that hasn't already been said in this thread, I just wanted to clear up the misleading statement by clever-name.

EDIT: I should say that this info pertains to the US only. Europe, in my understanding, has a slightly more laid back tenure-track culture. That is hearsay though, so may be inaccurate. The rest of the world, it could be exactly the opposite. I just don't know.

 

[HossamCFD]

Okay, so since I'm interested in fluid dynamics and thermodynamics, I could use CFD as a tool to understand concepts in these fields better...right?

exactly

I looked up certain sites and it says that I could do MS in fluid dynamics...which covers areas like turbulence, bluff body aerodynamics, environmental sciences, heat transfer, biomedical flows etc...regarding this,again...will I have to choose my specific area of interest (among these) for either MS or Phd or do these courses cover Fluid Mechanics in general?

At the point of deciding your research focus for the Ph.D (and in some places also for MS) you're going to have to choose one specific area. It is difficult to imagine a Ph.D topic focusing in general Fluid Dynamics. Unless of course if you are intending to find a general solution to the Navier Stokes equations and receive http://www.claymath.org/millennium/"

What if I can be good at teaching students but not so successful at the research (I mean everyone can't be equally successful at research,can they..depends on luck too))

No one said anything about being equally successful at research. But the bottom line is, as others pointed out in this post, a Ph.D is about doing original research and contributing to the current body of knowledge in the field. Your duties as an academic staff after getting the Ph.D depends on where you are and the size of university among other things. But to get a Ph.D in the first place there is no question about doing research.

 

[RandomGuy88]

Well, I'm doing my sophomore year (2nd year) in Mechanical Engineering

Its great that you are asking questions but I think you are a little ahead of yourself here. You haven't event even had any research experience and by the sounds of it you don't have any actual experience with CFD yet. Being only a sophomore you probably don't have much experience with fluid mechanics yet either. So although it may sound interesting you have no way of knowing how good of a fit it actually is for you.

Graduate school (especially a PhD) is a major decision. You will basically spend 4-6 MORE years of your life making no/little money and working very long hours. You have to really be passionate about your subject and very interested in research. I have never heard of anyone doing a PhD just teach, doesn't mean its impossible or even a bad idea though. Teaching is a major reason I am doing my PhD but I also love the research side of things. For me, teaching alone would not be enough motivation to obtain my PhD.

My advice would be to back up and start looking for some research opportunities to see what CFD is actually like.

 

[Thermalne]

I'm currently doing some research in Computational Fluid Dynamics and I'm in a nuclear engineering undergraduate degree program.

 

[Urmi Roy]

At the point of deciding your research focus for the Ph.D (and in some places also for MS) ...Unless of course if you are intending to find a general solution to the Navier Stokes equations and receive http://www.claymath.org/millennium/"

Haha, don't think I can go that far...I'll just be ordinary and choose my special area of interest..:-)

No one said anything about being equally successful at research. But the bottom line is, as others pointed out in this post, a Ph.D is about doing original research and contributing to the current body of knowledge in the field. Your duties as an academic staff after getting the Ph.D depends on where you are and the size of university among other things. But to get a Ph.D in the first place there is no question about doing research.

Hmm...yeah..I was aware that Phd is basically a research based degree...I was planning that my work during Phd would just help me gain more practical experience (that is much required for a good teacher)and to gain more confidence over my chosen line of interest...My reluctance to engage in hardcore research is mainly my lack of confidence...most people around me say research (atleast in India) is only for the 'cream people' of the country...which I don't think I am.

As RandomGuy88 said, I need to get into some activity related to all this in order to understand my true area of interest...I'm doing a summer research internship soon, in a pretty much renowned institution, so hopefully that'll help me bring focus.

Thanks for the help, guys :-)