Multiscale Thermofluids

I am a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow, currently investigating the viability of deploying nanobubbles for enhanced water-treatment processes. My research covers high-fidelity numerical modelling of interfacial heat and mass transfer, non-equilibrium fluid mechanics, and phase change, with a special interest in cavitation.

PhD University of Edinburgh 2020

• Thesis title: Cavitation dynamics of surface nanobubbles

MEng University of Edinburgh 2016

• Thesis title: Modelling Propulsion of Nano-Swimmers

My research uses Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations and theoretical modelling, covering interfacial heat and mass transfer, non-equilibrium fluid mechanics, and phase change, to model non-trivial nanoscale fluid phenomena, including:

• bulk nanobubble diffusive stability and growth dynamics
• cavitation bubble nucleation, rapid growth and oscillations, and violent collapse
• electrophoretic motion of nanobubbles/nanoparticles under electric fields

I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, visitors, and industrial/non-academic collaborators.

Dani is a Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at the Institute for Multiscale Thermofluids (IMT) at the School of Engineering (SoE) at the University of Edinburgh (UoE) since August 2022 and prior to this, he was a Lecturer since December 2018. In addition, Dani holds a Visiting Associate Professor at WPI-I2CNER (World Premier International Research Center – International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research) at Kyushu University Japan since April 2019, from the São Carlos School of Engineering at the University of São Paulo in 2024, and a Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) since May 2021.

Prior to joining the University of Edinburgh Dani was part of the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER) at Kyushu University in Japan where he spent 3 years as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate and further 2 years as Assistant Professor. During this time, he also served as Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in USA for 4 months. Before joining Kyushu University Dani completed PhD at the Institute for Materials and Processes (IMP) at the University of Edinburgh. Before joining the Institute of Materials and Processes (IMP), he carried out an internship at the Institute for Energy Systems (IES) of the UoE. Before joining the University of Edinburgh, Dani was an Undergraduate Research Assistant at AICIA (Andalusian Association for Research and Industrial Cooperation) and at the Chemical Engineering Department at The Higher Technical School of Engineering in Seville Spain where he obtained his 5-years Bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Industrial Chemical Engineering with one year completed at the Scuola di Ingegneria University of Bologna in Italy.

In addition, Dani acted as an Associate Editorship for the International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer (Elsevier) between January 2021 and December 2023 and as Foreign Expert Visitor at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China in 2023.

5-year Bachelor/s in Environmental and Industrial Chemical Engineering (The Higher Technical School of Engineering, Seville, Spain 2009).

PhD Applied Physics of Droplet Phase-Change (Institute of Maerials and Processes, University of Edinburgh, 2013).

Postgraduate Certificate Academia in Practice PgCAP (University of Edinburgh, 2021)

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS APPOINTMENTS:

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA, 2021-current)

WPI-I2CNER Visiting Associate Professor at International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research and Kyushu University (Kyushu University Japan, 2019-current)

Foreign Visitor Professor/Programma de Professor Visitante do Exterior at São Carlos School of Engineering University of São Paulo (USP Brazil 2024)

Foreign Expert Visitor at School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST China, 2022)

Associate Editor for the International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer (Elsevier, 2021-2023)

SOCIETIES MEMBERSHIPS:

Associate Member Institution of Chemical Engineers (AMIChemE, 2015)

Member of the Asociación de Científicos Españoles en Japón (ACE Japón, 2017)

Member of the American Physical Society (APS, 2016)

Member of the American Chemical Society (ACS, 2012)

Deputy Head of the Graduate School of Engineering - Progression Committee (University of Edinburgh, 2024-current)

Lead External Examiner to the Programme Assessment Board - MSc Engineering Management and MSc Renewable and Sustainable Energy Technologies in the Faculty of Science and Environment, Northumbria University (Northumbria University, 2026-current)

Course Organiser CEUO3 Chemical Engineering Unit Operations 3 CHEE09021 (University of Edinburgh, 2026-current)

Course Organiser AMNHT5 Advanced Micro-Nano-Scale Heat and Mass Transport 5 CHEE11034 (University of Edinburgh, 2026-current)

Academic Research Projects 5 CHEE11017 (University of Edinburgh, 2020-current)

Academic Industrial/Overseas Projects 5 CHEE11031 (University of Edinburgh, 2019-current)

Academic Study Project 4 CHEE10009 (University of Edinburgh, 2019-current)

FORMER ROLES:

School Postgraduate Progression Committee (SPPC) Representative for the Institute for Multiscale Thermofluids (University of Edinburgh, 2019-2024)

School Postgraduate Experience Committee (SPEC) Representative for the Institute for Multiscale Thermofluids (University of Edinburgh, 2019-2024)

Teaching Laboratory Manager for the Chemical Engineering Discipline (University of Edinburgh, 2020-2025)

Course Organiser CEL3 Chemical Engineering Laboratory 3 CHEE11028 (University of Edinburgh, 2019-2026)

Course Organiser Practical Skills in Chemical Engineering CHEE08018 (University of Edinburgh, 2021-2024)

Academic Design: Projects 4 CHEE10002 (University of Edinburgh, 2018-2020)

I am always open to enquire for supervision of self-funded and sponsored PhDs as well as hosting visiting researchers from all over the world.

Here are some useful links with some potential Scholarships:

School of Engineering University of Edinburgh:

https://registryservices.ed.ac.uk/student-funding/postgraduate/international/science-engineering/school-of-engineering

https://registryservices.ed.ac.uk/student-funding/postgraduate/international/other-funding

Commonwealth PhD Scholarships for Low Income Countries:

https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/commonwealth-phd-scholarships-for-least-developed-countries-and-vulnerable-states/

Other issues on concerns please reach at d.orejon@ed.ac.uk

Practical Engineering Education Conference 2026

I am Conference Chair for PEE26, and looking forward to hosting colleagues from across the world in Edinburgh on 2nd and 3rd July 2026.

Visit our PEE26 conference website for further information.

My work centres around the development of understanding and mathematical models for complex multiphase flow patterns to tackle various industrial problems like cleaning, oil-gas transport, slurry transport, distillation, absorption, thermal management of microdevices and biological problems such as cerebral temperature regulation and lung function.

PhD, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, 2004

• Thesis Title: Multiphase Fluid Dynamics in Structured Packing

• Member of American Association for Advancement of Science
• Member of American Physical Society
• Member of Indian Society for Surface Science Technologists
• Associate Member of IChemE

• Fluid Mechanics 4 (Chemical) CHEE10004
• Chemical Engineering Industrial Project 5 CHEE11014
• Chemical Engineering Research Project 5 CHEE11017
• Chemical Engineering Study Project 4 CHEE10009
• Chemical Engineering Design Projects 4 CHEE10002
• Chemical Engineering 1 Laboratory CHEE08001
• Chemical Engineering in Practise 3 CHEE09006

• Transport phenomena (e.g. phase change, reaction-diffusion transport)
• Multiphase (& single phase) fluid dynamics: Development of numerical (CFD/DNS) and analytical (stability theory) tools (e.g. oil-gas-solid pipeline flows, industrial cleaning and fouling)
• Biological fluid dynamics (e.g. brain temperature mapping, arterial flows, enzymatic kinetics)

• Head of Graduate School (2018 - present)
• Deputy Head of Graduate School (2016 - present)
• Acting Deputy Head of Graduate School (2015 - 2016)

I am a Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. I am a computational engineering scientist exploring nanoscale interfacial phenomena using simulation, with a particular focus on phase change, droplet dynamics, and heat transfer at solid–liquid interfaces.  My research combines molecular dynamics (including machine-learning interatomic potentials) with continuum modelling and multiscale coupling methods to connect atomistic physics to engineering-scale behaviour. A recurring theme is understanding how nanoscale mechanisms govern macroscopic outcomes: how droplets move (and sometimes jump), how surfaces clean themselves, how ice nucleates, and how heat is transported across interfaces.  

I lead an £1.3M UKRI/ERC-funded research grant (NANO-COOL) investigating nanoscale mechanisms of phase change and their implications for thermal control, and I am a group leader within the multiscale flow (mfX) research group (with Duncan and Livio), where we develop multiscale methods and high-performance computing software for complex flow and transport problems.

I am actively involved in academic service and research leadership within the School and the wider University. I currently serve as Postdoctoral Researcher (PDRA) Champion for the School of Engineering, a role focused on improving postdoctoral support, career development, and research culture. In this capacity, I have contributed to the design and implementation of postdoctoral induction and professional development initiatives aligned with the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers.

PhD, University of Melbourne (2017)

MSc, University of California, Davis (2012)

• College Member, EPSRC Peer Review College (2024–present)
• Expert Evaluator, European Research Council (2024–present)
• Member, Scotland Beyond Net Zero (2025–present)
• Member, UK Fluids Network Special Interest Group on Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics (NEMD) (2019–present)
• Member, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) (2014–present)

My research sits at the interface of molecular simulation, multiscale modelling, and thermal-fluid engineering, including:

• Molecular dynamics of phase change and interfacial transport, including ML potentials for more accurate/transferable simulations  
• Boiling/evaporation and vapour bubble nucleation at nanoscale surfaces; wettability/roughness effects.
• Ice nucleation and design principles for icephobic / de-icing surfaces, including vibration effects  
• Spectral / mode-resolved mechanisms of heat transfer across solid–liquid interfaces (including meniscus physics)  
• Multiscale coupling (atomistic ↔ continuum) and HPC-enabled simulation workflows (ARCHER2/CIRRUS)  

Selected public coverage:

• Self-cleaning surfaces inspired by cicadas (The Conversation)  
• Nanobubbles for ultrasonic cleaning (EurekAlert)  
• Ultra-fast vibration heating / “boiling by shaking” (BBC, press clippings: 1, 2, 3, 4)  

Further information on my research and publications can be found on mypersonal website, as well as the mfX group website.

Working with me / joining the group.I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and visitors who are excited by multiscale simulation and want to work across molecular dynamics, continuum modelling, and HPC. If you contact me, the most helpful first email includes (i) a short CV, (ii) a paragraph on your interests and relevant technical skills (e.g., MD/CFD/programming), and (iii) a note on funding status/timelines. See group website on details on existing opportunities.

Collaboration.I’m always happy to discuss collaborations that need careful physics at interfaces (phase change, nucleation, interfacial heat transfer) and/or robust simulation workflows. For broader group work and joint opportunities, mfX is a good entry point