The Center for Hydrodynamics and Physical Oceanography specializes in the areas of analytical and computational fluid dynamics, including ocean modeling, in developing sensors for oceanic flow measurements and in making ambient turbulence measurements in the ocean using a small autonomous underwater vehicle. Current and recent research in the program has been funded by the Office of Naval Research, National Science Foundation, NATO and state agencies. The Center currently has six faculty members, two post-doctoral researchers and several graduate students. Graduate degrees are offered for both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Ocean Engineering with a specialization in hydrodynamics and physical oceanography. Graduate classes are offered in Advanced Hydrodynamics, Turbulent Flow, Vortex Dynamics, Advanced Wave Mechanics, Physical Oceanography and Flow Noise.

      The faculty in the center have strong research interests in coherent vortex dynamics, non-linear wave mechanics, stratified and turbulent flows and computational fluid dynamics, involving boundary layers, mixing layers and wakes, air-sea interaction, wave-body interaction, ocean modeling, flow control, drag reduction, sediment transport and hydro-acoustics. Please click here for further details.