Staff profile

Lian obtained his BEng (UK MEng equivalent) degree from National University of Singapore, major in Mechanical Engineering (aeronautics), minor in Material Science and Engineering. This degree is supported by full-scholarship from Singapore government. He then obtained his PhD degree from University of Cambridge, Department of Engineering, fluid mechanics group on experimental investigation of pulsatile turbulent flows. 

He has been an experimentalist with more than ten years of research experience in pulsatile and periodic vortex dynamics, flow-structure interactions and other inhomogeneous high Reynolds number turbulent flows. The main objective is to develop accurate techniques to non-invasively measure and model the coherent vortex structures in these flow problems and therefore to improve our fundamental understandings in the physical process governing the evolution of these flow structures, from which to help seek an optimal way to control the scalar mixing and momentum delivery in applications from industrial to biomechanical flows.

Dr Gan is also an active developer of laser-based experimental techniques for laboratory flow measurements. He contributed in developing the Cambridge University version of Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry (TomoPIV, a volumetric non-invasive flow field measurement technique). He also developed other techniques including a stereo-scanning PIV to resolve volumetric turbulent flow fields at high spatial resolution and recently a novel technique to simultaneously resolve velocity field and the scalar interface applicable for liquid and gas phase inhomogeneous turbulent flows. 

In recent years his research interest has extended to the application of data assimilation in inhomogeneous turbulent flows, a technique to optimise experimental measurement and computational flow modelling (RANS and LES) and machine learning application to experimental technique development, as well as the understanding the role of pulsatile vortex dynamics in human cardiac flows using data collected by 4D Flow Magnetic Resonance scanning with collaboration with physicists and cardiologists.

Lian is taking PhD students. The annual university studentship application usually opens in late October and closes in early January. 

Gan Lab - Pulsatile & Periodic Turbulent Flows

• Pulsatile and periodic flow dynamics, flow-structure interaction
• Flow measurement technique development and applications
• Experimental and computational fluid mechanics in engineering and biomedical applications

Chapter in book

• Gan, L. (2012). Stereoscopic PIV and Its Applications on Reconstruction Three-Dimensional Flow Field. In The Particle Image Velocimetry - Characteristics, Limits and Possible Applications.

Journal Article

• Masoudi, E., Sims-Williams, D. & Gan, L. (2023). Flow separation from polygonal cylinders in an incident flow. Physical Review Fluids 8(1): 014701.
• He, C. X., Wang, P., Liu, Y. Z. & Gan, L. (2022). Flow Enhancement of Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry Measurements Using Sequential Data Assimilation. Physics of Fluids 34(3): 035101.
• Forouzi, Behzad, He, Shuisheng, Scarano, Fulvio, Gan, Lian & Morton, Chris (2022). A review of experiments on stationary bluff-body wakes. Physics of Fluids 34(1): 011301.
• Masoudi, Esmaeel, Gan, Lian & Sims-Williams, David (2021). Large Eddy Simulation of incident flows around polygonal cylinders. Physics of Fluids 33(10): 105112.
• Wang, Jian, Zhang, Jing-xin, Liang, Dong-fang & Gan, Lian (2021). Numerical investigation of shallow wake behind a patch of rigid emergent vegetation. Journal of Hydrodynamics 33(4): 673-687.
• Masoudi, Esmaeel & Gan, Lian (2021). Diffraction waves on general two-legged rectangular floating breakwaters. Ocean Engineering 235.
• Gbinigie, Henrike Coats, Louise Parikh, Jehill Hollingsworth, Kieren & Gan, Lian (2021). A 4D-flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance study of flow asymmetry and haemodynamic quantity correlations in the pulmonary artery. Physiological Measurement 42(2): 025005.
• He, Chuangxin, Liu, Yingzheng & Gan, Lian (2021). Dynamics of the Jet Flow Issued from a Lobed Nozzle: Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry Measurements. International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow 89: 108795.
• Masoudi, Esmaeel & Gan, Lian (2020). Diffraction waves on large aspect ratio rectangular submerged breakwaters. Ocean Engineering 209: 107474.
• Dewhurst, Peter,, Coats, Louise,, Parikh, Jehill D,, Hollingsworth, Kieren G, & Gan, Lian (2020). The role of flow rotation in the adult right atrium: a 4D flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance study. Physiological Measurements 41(3): 035007.
• He, Chuangxin, Gan, Lian & Liu, Yingzheng (2020). Dynamics of Compact Vortex Rings Generated by Axial Swirlers at Early Stage. Physics of Fluids 32(4): 045104.
• Hollands, EO., He, C. & Gan, L. (2020). A Particle Image Velocimetry study of dual-rotor counter-rotating wind turbine near wake. Journal of Vizualisation 23(3): 425-435.
• He, Chuangxin, Liu, Yingzheng & Gan, Lian (2020). Instantaneous Pressure Determination from Unsteady Velocity Fields Using Adjoint-based Sequential Data Assimilation. Physics of Fluids 32(3): 035101.
• Fan, Xiaojun, He, Chuangxin, Gan, Lian, Li, Liang & Du, Changhe (2020). Experimental study of swirling flow characteristics in a semi cylinder vortex cooling configuration. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science 113: 110036.
• Wang, Jian, Zhang, Jingxin, Liang, Dongfang & Gan, Lian (2020). Non-hydrostatic modelling of shallow water flow around a circular array of emergent cylinders. Journal of Hydroinformatics 22(1): 20-32.
• Wang, Qingyang, Gan, Lian, Xu, Shengjin & Zhou, Yu (2020). Vortex evolution in the near wake behind polygonal cylinders. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science 110: 109940.
• He, Chuangxin, Gan, Lian & Liu, Yingzheng (2020). The formation and evolution of turbulent swirling vortex rings generated by axial swirlers. Flow, Turbulence and Combustion 104(4): 795-816.
• Wang, Q, Xu, S, Gan, L, Zhang, W & Zhou, Y (2019). Scaling of the time-mean characteristics in the polygonal cylinder near-wake. Experiments in Fluids 60: 181.
• Zhanwei Hu, Jinsheng Liu, Lian Gan & Shengjin Xu (2019). Wake modes behind a streamwisely-oscillating cylinder at constant and ramping frequencies. Journal of Visualization 22(3): 505–527.
• He, Chuangxin, Liu, Yingzheng, Gan, Lian & Lesshafft, Lutz (2019). Data assimilation and resolvent analysis of turbulent flow behind a wall-proximity rib. Physics of Fluids 31(2): 025118.
• Gan, L. & Maffioli, A. (2019). The size and lifetime of organised eddies in a non-solid-body rotating turbulence experiment. European Journal of Mechanics - B/Fluids 74: 41-49.
• He, Chuangxin, Liu, Yingzheng & Gan, Lian (2018). A data assimilation model for turbulent flows using continuous adjoint formulation. Physics of Fluids 30(10): 105108.
• Xu, S. J., Zhang, W. G., Gan, L., Li, M. G. & Zhou, Y. (2017). Experimental study of flow around polygonal cylinders. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 812: 251-278.
• Xu, S. J., Gan, L. & Zhou, Y. (2016). Flow interaction between a streamwise oscillating cylinder and a downstream stationary cylinder. Experiments in Fluids 57(11): 173.
• Gan, L. & Krogstad, P.-Å. (2016). Evolution of turbulence and in-plane vortices in the near field flow behind multi-scale planar grids. Physics of Fluids 28(8): 085101.
• Stuart, T., Mao, X. & Gan, L. (2016). Transient growth associated with secondary vortices in ground/vortex interactions. AIAA Journal 54(6): 1901-1906.
• Gan, L., Baqui, B.Y. & Maffioli, A. (2016). An experimental investigation of forced steady rotating turbulence. European Journal of Mechanics / B Fluids 58: 59-69.
• Gan, L. (2016). Detection of passive scalar interface directly from PIV particle images in inhomogeneous turbulent flows. Flow, Turbulence and Combustion 97(1): 141-170.
• Cardesa JI, Mistry D, Gan L & Dawson JR (2013). Invariants of the reduced velocity gradient tensor in turbulent flows. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 716: 597.
• Gan L, Dawson JR & Nickels TB (2012). On the drag of turbulent vortex rings. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 709: 85.
• Gan L, Dawson JR & Nickels TB (2011). An experimental study of a turbulent vortex ring: a three-dimensional representation. Experiments in Fluids 51(6): 1493.
• GAN L & Nickels TB (2010). An experimental study of turbulent vortex rings during their early development. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 649: 467.