Dr Zahir Hussain BA MA (Cantab) PhD MRAeS FHEA

I am a Lecturer in Fluid Dynamics at the University of Leicester. As an applied mathematician my research interests lie in the development of mathematical models and computational methods to describe boundary-layer fluid flows. I am an expert in the field of hydrodynamic stability theory, in particular competing instabilities and transition to turbulence, with numerous journal and conference publications of international quality and standard. I have led EPSRC research grants as PI and have secured over £300k of funding in recent years. Within the field of boundary-layer flows, I have applied analytical and computational methods to develop a theoretical formulation to model the stability of air flow over sharp spinning bodies. Meanwhile, I have links with researchers at Cambridge, Warwick and Sydney, Australia, and am National Lead of the UK Fluids Network (UKFN) Special Interest Group (SIG) on ‘Boundary Layers & Complex Rotating Flows’. I hold Visiting Research Fellow positions at Sydney and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, and welcome interest from skilled fluid mechanics researchers and potential PhD students to join my research team.

Research expertise

Fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic stability theory, boundary-layer transition over rotating bodies, aerodynamics, asymptotics, Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD), non-Newtonian fluid flows, absolute and convective instabilities, non-modal stability theory, CFD of aerodynamically significant flows, multiphase flows, Large Eddy Simulation (LES), spectral stability analysis.

Grants

• 2020 EPSRC COVID-19 Allocation Fund, University of Leicester - £37k
• 2018 EPSRC New Investigator Award - £190k

Prizes & awards

• 2023 College PGR Award for a funded PhD Studentship on the Fluid Dynamics of Swirling Flow in a Duct - £60k
• 2018 Faculty Award for a funded PhD Studentship on the Fluid Dynamics of Rotating Boundary Layers - £60k
• 2015 Faculty Award for fully funded PhD Studentship in Fluid Mechanics, £60k
• 2012 Innovation Fellowship: 'Capturing the commercial value in theoretical and computational studies of model fluid flows with engineering significance', £20k

Journal articles

S. Tambe, K. Kato, Z. Hussain (2023) Experimental and theoretical comparisons of the boundary-layer flow over rotating cones in axial flow: The centrifugal instability. (to be submitted to Journal of Fluid Mechanics Rapids).

B. Smith, Z. Hussain, S. J. Garrett (2023) The steady flow around a rotating sphere at large Reynold's numbers with temperature dependent viscosity. (to be submitted to Journal of Fluid Mechanics).

C. Thomas, S. O. Stephen, B. Alveroglu, M. A. S. Al-Malki, Z. Hussain (2023) Effect of slip on the linear stability of the rotating disk boundary layer (submitted to Physics of Fluids).

B. Smith, Z. Hussain, S. J. Garrett, S. A. W. Calabretto (2023) Laminar boundary layer separation and reattachment on a rotating sphere. (submitted to Journal of Fluid Mechanics).

Z. Hussain, S. Tambe, M. Fildes (2023) Experimental and theoretical comparisons of the boundary-layer flow over rotating cones in axial flow: The crossflow instability. (submitted to Journal of Fluid Mechanics).

S. Akhtar, Z. Hussain, Z. A. Khan, S. Nadeem, J. Alzabut (2023) Endoscopic balloon dilation of a stenosed artery stenting via cfd tool open-foam: physiology of angioplasty and stent placement. Chinese Journal of Physics, 2161.

S. Akhtar, Z. Hussain, S. Nadeem, I. M. R. Najjar, A. M. Sadoun (2023) CFD analysis on blood flow inside a symmetric stenosed artery: Physiology of a coronary artery disease. Science Progress, 106(2).

B. F. H. Al-Saeedi, F. Abdelrazik, M. Fildes, Z. Hussain (2023) Effects of suction/injection and external free stream on the instability of a boundary layer over a rotating disk. Physics of Fluids. 35(5), 054103.

M. A. S. Al-Malki, M. Fildes, Z. Hussain (2022) Competing roughness effects on the non-stationary crossflow instability of the boundary-layer over a rotating cone. Physics of Fluids. 34(10), 104103.

B. F. H. Al Saeedi, Z. Hussain (2021) Inviscid modes within the boundary-layer flow of a rotating disk with wall suction and in an external free-stream. Mathematics - Asymptotics for Differential Equations. 9(22), 2967.

M. A. S. Al-Malki, Z. Hussain, S. J. Garrett, S. A. W. Calabretto (2021) The effects of parietal suction and injection on the stability of the Blasius boundary-layer flow over a permeable, heated plate. Physical Review Fluids. 6(11), 113902.

M. A. S. Al-Malki, S. J. Garrett, S. Camarri, Z. Hussain (2021) The effects of roughness levels on the instability of the boundary-layer flow over a rotating disk with an enforced axial flow. Physics of Fluids. 33(10), 104109.

R. Bhoraniya, Z. Hussain, V. Narayanan (2021). Global stability analysis of the axisymmetric boundary layer on a slender circular cone with the streamwise adverse pressure gradient. European Journal of Mechanics - B/Fluids. 87, pp.113-127.

M. Fildes, Z. Hussain, J. Unadkat, S. J. Garrett (2020) Analysis of boundary layer flow over a broad rotating cone in still fluid with non-stationary modes. Physics of Fluids. 32(12), 124118.

R. Miller, PT. Griffiths, Z. Hussain, S. J. Garrett (2020). On the stability of a heated rotating-disk boundary layer in a temperature-dependent viscosity fluid. Physics of Fluids. 32(2), 024105.

R. Miller, S. J. Garrett, P. T. Griffiths, Z. Hussain (2018). Stability of the Blasius boundary layer over a heated plate in a temperature-dependent viscosity flow. Physical Review Fluids. 3(11)(113902), pp.1-36.

P. T. Griffiths, S. J. Garrett, S. O. Stephen, Z. Hussain (2017). Quantifying non-Newtonian effects in rotating boundary-layer flows. European Journal of Mechanics - B/Fluids. 61(2), pp.304-309.

P. D. Towers, Z. Hussain, P. T. Griffiths, S. J. Garrett (2016). Viscous modes within the compressible boundary-layer flow due to a broad rotating cone. IMA Journal of Applied Mathematics. 81(5), pp.940-960.

Z. Hussain, S. J. Garrett, S. O. Stephen, P. T. Griffiths (2016). The centrifugal instability of the boundary-layer flow over a slender rotating cone in an enforced axial free stream. Journal of Fluid Mechanics. 788, pp.70-94.

Z. Hussain, S. J. Garrett, S. O. Stephen (2014). The centrifugal instability of the boundary-layer flow over slender rotating cones. Journal of Fluid Mechanics. 755, pp.274-293.

Z. Hussain, S. J. Garrett, S. O. Stephen (2012). The centrifugal instability of a slender rotating cone. Journal of Algorithms and Computational Technology. 6(1), pp.113-128.

Z. Hussain, S. J. Garrett, S. O. Stephen (2011). The instability of the boundary layer over a disk rotating in an enforced axial flow. Physics of Fluids. 23(11)(114108), pp.1-13.

S. J. Garrett, Z. Hussain, S. O. Stephen (2010). Boundary-Layer Transition on Broad Cones rotating in an Imposed Axial Flow. AIAA Journal. 48(6), pp.1184-1194.

S. J. Garrett, Z. Hussain, S. O. Stephen (2009). The cross-flow instability of the boundary layer on a rotating cone. Journal of Fluid Mechanics. 622, pp.209-232.

Post-Doctoral Research Associates (PDRAs)

• Dr Jay Unadkat (University of Leicester), Post-doctoral supervisor, 2018-2021

 

Postgraduate supervision (completed/in progress)

Current research students

• Kawthar Alsuwat, PhD primary supervisor 2023-
• Sara Ahmed Almammary, PhD primary supervisor, 2021-
• Maha Alshahrani, PhD primary supervisor, 2021-
• Bashar Al Saeedi, PhD primary supervisor, 2019-

 

Previous research students

 

PhD

 

• Dr Matthew Fildes, primary supervisor (2019-2023) [awarded]
• Dr Ben Smith, primary supervisor (2019-2023) [awarded]
• Dr Mushrifah Al-Malki, primary supervisor (2019-2022) [awarded]
• Dr Robert Miller, secondary supervisor (2016-19) [awarded]
• Dr Paul Griffiths, secondary supervisor  (2013-16) [awarded]
• Dr Alistair Barrow, secondary supervisor (2010-13) [awarded]
• Dr Paul Towers, secondary supervisor (2010-13) [awarded]

Undergraduate & Postgraduate teaching

• Fluid Instability, Transition and Turbulence (Year 4)

Fluid dynamics transition to turbulence turbulent flow flow instabilities

Recent grant:

Determining the Effects of Competing Instabilities in Complex Rotating Boundary Layers

Membership of professional associations

• Royal Aeronautical Society
• American Physical Society
• UK Fluids Network
• Fellow of the HEA

M. A. S. Al-Malki, Z. Hussain, S. J. Garrett, S. A. W. Calabretto (2021) On the boundary-layer flow over a rotating rough cone: energy eigenmode comparisons, Proceedings of the ICTAM 20.

J. Unadkat, Z. Hussain (2021) On the stability of boundary-layer flow over a rotating cone in an enforced axial free stream, Proceedings of the ISROMAC 18.

Z. Hussain, S.J. Garrett (2021) On the stability of boundary-layer flow over a rotating cone using new solution methods, Proceedings of the ISROMAC 18.

P. T. Griffiths, R. Miller, Z. Hussain, S. J. Garrett (2019). Temperature dependent boundary-layer flows. In: Proceedings of the 8th Bifurcations and Instabilities in Fluid Dynamics Symposium. Limerick, Ireland, 16/7/2019.

Z. Hussain, J. Unadkat, S. J. Garrett, S. O. Stephen (2018). Recent developments on the stability of boundary-layer flow over a rotating cone. In: Proceedings of the 1st UKFN Conference. Manchester, UK, 4/9/2018.

Z. Hussain (2016). Competing instabilities of rotating boundary-layer flows in an axial free-stream. In: Proceedings of the 16th ISROMAC 2016. Honolulu, USA, 10/4/2016.

Academic & professional qualifications

• 2009 PhD in Applied Mathematics (University of Birmingham)
• 2005 Advanced Studies in Mathematics - Part III (University of Cambridge)
• 2004 BA Hons in Mathematics, MA (University of Cambridge)