Decoding Multiphase Transport: from Acoustic Sensing to AI-enabled Discovery
MIE Department Seminar
October 13, 2026
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM America/Chicago
Presenter: Ying Sun, PhD, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Location: ERF 1043
Abstract: The Complex Fluids and Multiphase Transport Laboratory advances fundamental thermal-fluid, interfacial, and data sciences, and applies them to enable sustainable manufacturing, effective thermal management for spacecraft and data centers, and efficient energy conversion and storage. This talk highlights our combined use of multiscale modeling, experimental techniques, and data-driven approaches to understand transport processes in multiphase systems involving fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, phase change, electrochemistry, and pattern formation. I will present examples of using spatiotemporally resolved microscopy and acoustic sensing techniques for probing interfacial instabilities, along with hybrid learning for boiling and condensation, aimed at uncovering new physical insights and enabling efficient thermal management solutions. I will also discuss our ongoing effort to build a community platform for AI-enabled discovery in multiphase transport.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Ying Sun is the Dean’s Professor and Department Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science at UNC Charlotte. Before joining Charlotte, Sun was the Herman Schneider Professor and Department Head of Mechanical & Materials Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. She served as Program Director of the Thermal Transport Processes Program at the National Science Foundation and was the Hess Family Endowed Chair Professor at Drexel University. Her research interests span multiphase flows and heat/mass transfer, complex fluids and interfacial phenomena, machine learning and data-driven methods, and multi-scale modeling. Sun is an elected Fellow of APS and ASME, a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, and a CNRS Visiting Professor. She serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Chair of the ASME ME Department Heads Executive Committee, and Co-Chair of the 2025 Gordon Research Conference on Micro and Nanoscale Phase Change Phenomena. She also leads an NSF IRES Site on Semiconductor Manufacturing.
Date posted
Sep 14, 2026
Date updated
Sep 14, 2026