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- Qualifications:PhD, MEng, BEng, FHEA
- Position:Lecturer in Thermofluids
- Department:School of Engineering
- Telephone:+441179656261
- Email:Ashraf.Alsaffar@uwe.ac.uk
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About me
Dr Ashraf Alsaffar is a Lecturer in Thermofluids at the School of Engineering, The University of the West of England, Bristol. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and holds a PhD in Mechanical and Materials Engineering from the National University of Malaysia (UKM).
Dr Alsaffar is a mechanical engineer and research scientist specialising in fundamental and applied fluid mechanics. His research focuses on high-Reynolds-number turbulent boundary layers, pressure-gradient flows, advanced flow control strategies, combining rigorous experimentation with numerical simulation. His expertise includes wind tunnel design and testing, passive aerodynamic optimisation, riblet-based drag reduction and turbulent skin-friction reduction, with direct relevance to aircraft aerodynamics and overall aerodynamic performance.
With over a decade of combined academic and industry experience, he bridges turbulence physics with practical aerospace and energy applications. He has led the design, fabrication, and upgrade of specialised low-turbulence wind tunnel facilities, including the development of Malaysia’s first facility dedicated to turbulent boundary layer research, enabling detailed investigations of favourable and adverse pressure-gradient boundary layers. His work on converging and diverging riblets has advanced understanding of turbulent structure modification and drag reduction mechanisms across aerofoils, marine hulls, and complex pressure-gradient environments. He holds two patents in hot-wire probe fabrication systems and riblet-based surface technologies for drag reduction, demonstrating the applied and innovative nature of his research.
His broader research interests include turbulent boundary layers, pressure-gradient effects, wall-bounded flow control devices, riblets, wind turbine blade aerodynamics, advanced aerodynamic measurement techniques, and strategies for reducing turbulent skin-friction drag and aerodynamic noise. His long-term vision is to advance turbulence-informed design methodologies and integrated flow control technologies that enhance aerodynamic efficiency and acoustic performance in next-generation aerospace systems.
Dr Alsaffar welcomes collaboration with academic and industrial partners on research projects and joint research grant applications in fluid mechanics and aerodynamics.
Area of expertise
Dr Alsaffar’s expertise lies in high-Reynolds-number turbulent boundary layers and pressure-gradient flows, with particular emphasis on turbulent skin-friction drag reduction, riblet-based passive flow control, and turbulent coherent structure interactions. His work integrates experimental fluid mechanics and numerical simulation, including advanced wind tunnel design and boundary layer measurement techniques such as hot-wire anemometry. He has specialist expertise in aerodynamic optimisation, wall-bounded flow control devices and wind turbine blade aerodynamics with applications in aerospace and energy systems.
Research Publications (Google Scholar)
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