Dr Muting Hao Co-Chairs the International Symposium for Young Scholars in Fluids

Held at the King’s Centre in Oxford, the symposium attracted over 120 young scholars—both in-person and online—from leading universities across the UK, Europe, China, and the US. This event served as a vibrant platform for early-career researchers to exchange cutting-edge research in fluid mechanics.

Building on the success of the 1st Cambridge-Oxford Fluid Mechanics Forum, this year’s symposium emphasized fostering international collaboration among early-career researchers and advancing research in diverse areas such as ocean engineering, environmental fluids, aerospace engineering, turbulence, and computational fluid dynamics techniques. The symposium was organized by the International Union for Young Scholars in Fluids and held by the local organizing committee that was made up of early-career researchers from Oxford, including Dr Xiaosheng Chen, Dr Muting Hao, Dr Caogui Cao, Dr Tianning Tang, Ms Zheni Fei, and Dr Yadong Han.

The symposium featured keynote by professors from Chalmers University of Technology and Zhejiang University, focusing on Chalmers’ participation in the EU project, the latest developments in wake modelling and offshore wind engineering. Additionally, two key roundtable panel discussions were held. The first panel discussion focused on emerging trends in new energy research, covering topics like tidal energy, solar energy, and wind energy. The second roundtable offered career advice for fluid dynamicists in academia, with panellists sharing their personal experiences on securing prestigious fellowships, such as the 1851 Fellowship and Oxford Junior Research Fellowships, as well as navigating the academic landscape. These sessions provided invaluable guidance to early-career researchers on advancing their academic careers.

The symposium also included lightning talks and poster presentations, where participants had the opportunity to showcase their innovative work. The event concluded with a networking session over drinks and dinner, allowing participants to continue their discussions and build lasting connections.

In her closing remarks as co-chair, Dr Muting Hao summarised the symposium’s purpose and success: While many large conferences draw participants from a range of backgrounds and career stages, they often include numerous senior professors, which can make it difficult for early-career researchers to find their voice or feel confident in sharing their ideas. This symposium, however, is specifically tailored to early-career researchers—PhD students, postdocs, and research fellows—focusing on a more targeted topic and providing a more open and supportive environment. Here, they are free to engage in meaningful discussions, share the latest research, and explore opportunities in the next-generation energy fluid dynamics for their academic futures. It offers young scholars a unique chance to network, form collaborations, and gain inspiration for the next steps in their careers, shaping the future of fluid mechanics research.

For more information about the symposium or future opportunities in fluid dynamics, engineering, or early-career researcher events, please contact Dr Muting Hao at muting.hao@eng.ox.ac.uk