Multiscale Thermofluids

Mark Linne is an experimentalist who has worked in reacting flow-fields (sprays, combustion and fuel cells) and advanced flow-field measurement techniques (laser and x-ray based) since earning a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. He has worked as a laser development scientist at Spectra-Physics Inc. where he developed the first commercially available diode-pumped solid state lasers (now an ubiquitous technology, for which he was awarded 2 patents). He was a professor at the Colorado School of Mines (in the US), The University of Lund (in Sweden), Chalmers University (in Sweden) and now the University of Edinburgh. Throught his career Linne has been active in the development of fiberoptic-based absorptipn/fluorescence probes; short-pulse degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) and pump/probe absorption spectroscopy; novel gated-integration and phase sensitive detection imaging techniques; early particle image velocimetry and cavity-enhanced absorption techniques; time-gated ballistic imaging for sprays; and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for interfacial electrochemistry. Linne is currently working on short pulse coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) in collaboration with Sandia Labs, and on novel approaches to thermodynamic state changes (trans-critical) in liquid/gas systems (e.g. fuel sprays). He has also served as a manager of Combustion Chemistry at Sandia National Labs' Combustion Research Facility and he was the Director of the Combustion Engine Research Center at Chalmers University. Linne is now the Chair of Combustion Engines in Edinburgh with the task to lead the development of a new lab that focuses on novel internal combustion engines for hybrid vehicles, as range extenders for electric cars, for heavy-duty Diesel engines, and marine engines. The lab has a specialty in direct-injected engines and so it also focuses on spray physics. A new Small Research Facility is under development. Linne is also the Head of the new Institute for Multiscale Thermofluids.

• PhD Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, 1985
• BS Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, 1975

• Course organizer for MECE09034 Thermofluids 3, a 20 credit class combining fluid mechanics (taught by Dr. Matthew Borg) and heat transfer (taught by Prof. Linne).

• Fellow of the Optical Society of America
• Member of the Combustion Institute (serving in various functions, now on the Finance Committee)
• Member of the Institute for Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems

Khushboo Pandey — University of Edinburgh Research Explorer

www.VOILAb.eng.ed.ac.uk

Ignazio Maria Viola is Professor of Fluid Mechanics and Bioinspired Engineering at the School of Engineering of the University of Edinburgh; Professor of Naval Architecture at the Department of Industrial Engineering at the Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna; and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Department of Energy and Power Engineering as well as the School of Aerospace Engineering of Tsinghua University. He is a Fellow of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) and Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA).

He publishes in Nature, Nature Communications, eLife, Renewable Energy, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Ocean Engineering, etc. For his publications, he was awarded two RINA Medals of Distinction and one Medal of Exceptional Merit, a Gold Rating for the Best Journal Article by the International Marine Energy Journal, as well as the Covid-19 Hero Medal of the School of Engineering of the University of Edinburgh for his significant contribution to solving Covid-19 challenges.

He contributed to securing grants for about £20m, about half of which as Principal Investigator. Between his major research projects, he leads the ERC Consolidator Grant fellowship ‘Dandidrone: Dandelion-Inspired Drones for Swarm Sensing,’ and the ARIA grant ‘SEED: Self-degrading Environmental Exploration Drones.’ He led the EPSRC project ‘Morphing Blades: New-Concept Turbine Blades for Unsteady Load Mitigation,’ resulting in two patents and an ongoing collaboration with the tyre manufacturer Michelin. He was the Edinburgh co-lead of two Centres for Doctoral Training in Wind & Marine Energy Systems & Structure, and he is the Director of Responsible Research and Innovation of the latter.

He is the Functional Vice President Alt. of Knowledge Management of SNAME, and a member of several executive committees, including the Group on Energy Research and Applications of the American Physical Society, the UK Fluids Network, and the UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems Network. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of Ocean Engineering and Marine Energy (published by Springer) and a member of the Executive Committee of two conference series: the ECCOMAS International Conferences on Computational Methods in Marine Engineering (MARINE), and the symposiums in Innovation in High-Performance Sailing Yachts (Innov'Sail). He was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Sailing Technology between 2016 and 2025 (published by SNAME), and Associate Editor of the Journal of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering between 2023 and 2025 (published by ASME).

Curriculum Vitae

Research Group: VOILAb

05/2008, PhD in Mechanical Systems EngineeringDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy Thesis: Numerical and Experimental Aerodynamics of Yacht SailsSupervisor: Prof. Fabio Fossati 

04/2001, Laurea (5-year integrated Master’s degree, pre-Bologna system) in Naval EngineeringDepartment of Naval Engineering, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy 

PROFESSIONAL TITLES

CEng, Chartered Engineer Registered by the Engineering Council (UK), no. 584133 (2010)

Dott. ing., Italian State Examination to practice as ‘Ingegnere’ (engineer) (2001)

EUR ING, European Federation of National Engineering Associations, no. 31153 (2010)

FRINA, Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, no. 00174260 (2010)

FSNAME, Fellow of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, no. 2003765 (2025)

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES MEMBERSHIPS

‘Albo degli Ingegneri di Milano,’ Member of the Professional Body of Engineers, no. A22092 (2001)

AIAA, Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, no. 488312 (2020)

APS, Member of the American Physical Society, Division of Fluid Dynamics, no. 61177987 (2014)

ASME, Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, no. 000103762573 (2013)

PIANC, Member of the Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses (2002)

RINA, Member of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, no. 00300035 (2009)

SNAME, Member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, no. 2003765 (2010)

• Fluid Mechanics
• Marine Energy
• Naval Architecture

Aerodynamics and hydrodynamics, including

• Aerodynamics of small fliers
• Aerosol aerodynamics
• Biomechanics of flying and swimming
• Hydrodynamics of marine vessels
• Sail Aerodynamics
• Wind and Tidal Energy

• Research group: VOILAb
• Research Explorer (paper repository)
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Edinburgh Fluid Dynamics Group

I am a Reader in Chemical Engineering within the Institute for Multiscale Thermofluids. My research interests include multiphase flows, phase changes, capillarity and wetting, and engineered surfaces.

If you are interested in becoming a PhD student or a postdoc in my group, please contact me via email.

PhD Physics, University of Barcelona

DEA Physics, University of Barcelona

Dip Chemical Engineering, National Autonomous University of Mexico

Member of the Institute of Physics

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Member of the EPSRC College of Reviewers

Member of the UK Consortium of Mesoscale Engineering Sciences

Undergraduate

• Process Dynamics and Control
• Chemical Engineering Research Projects

Postgraduate

• MSc Chemical Engineering Research Projects