Latest news
PhD completion for Henry Shen!
The Sheard Lab, 11 Dec 2025
Congratulations to Dr Henry Shen on the completion of his PhD! Henry's PhD investigated the motion and stability of fluids driven by natural convection in inclined square enclosures.
News archive
Subcritical transition to turbulence in quasi-two-dimensional shear flows
J. Fluid Mech., 19 May 2023
Read about our discovery of a subcritical route to turbulence in quasi-2D shear flows, in our latest article published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics.
Top Cited Article 2021-2022
Wiley, 22 Feb 2023
Our recent publications on the departure from the traditional Boussinesq approximation in buoyancy-driven flows have been recognised as Top Cited Articles in the International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids.
Sneha Murali wins the 12AHMTC Best Student Presentation Award
The 12th Australasian Heat & Mass Transfer Conference, 1 Jul 2022
Sneha Murali has been awarded the Best Student Presentation Award from the The 12th Australasian Heat & Mass Transfer Conference, for her presentation on heat transfer enhancement in MHD duct flows.
PhD completion for Sneha Murali!
The Sheard Lab, 24 Jun 2022
Congratulations to our latest PhD graduate, Dr Sneha Murali. Sneha's thesis investigates the use of wall protuberances exciting instability and heat transfer in duct flows, vital in liquid-metal flows smoothed by magnetic fields.
PhD completion for Peyman Mayeli!
The Sheard Lab, 30 May 2022
Congratulations to Dr Peyman Mayeli on the conferral today of his PhD. Peyman's PhD investigated novel models for natural convection flows beyond the conventional Boussinesq approach.
Stability of flow in a channel with repeated flow-facing wedge-shaped protrusions
J. Fluid Mech., 10 May 2022
In our latest article published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics, the effect of adding wedge-shaped protrusions on a channel wall on the stability and behaviour of the flow is revealed.
Top Cited Article 2020-2021
Wiley, 31 Mar 2022
Our recent publications on the departure from the traditional Boussinesq approximation in buoyancy-driven flows have been recognised as Top Cited Articles in the International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids.
Energy saving and performance analysis of air-cooled photovoltaic panels
Int. J. Energy Res., 25 Mar 2022
Field experiments and simulations demonstrate an improvement in efficiency of photovoltaic panels using a passive air-cooling system for hot climates.
PhD success for Chris Camobreco!
The Sheard Lab, 8 Mar 2022
We congratulate Dr Chris Camobreco on the conferral of his PhD. Chris's thesis investigated the stability and turbulent transition of confined quasi-2D MHD flows.
Welcome to our new research Masters student, Henry Shen
The Sheard Lab, 21 Feb 2022
We welcome our newest student, Henry Shen, who joins our team as a research Masters student, having undertaken a final year project with our group last year.
PhD success for Sajjad Hossain!
The Sheard Lab, 13 Jan 2022
We extend our congratulations to our latest PhD graduate, Dr Sajjad Hossain, whose thesis shed new light on horizontal convection in shallow enclosures.
These 40 young researchers are rising stars, leaders of the future
The Australian, Research Magazine 2021, 12 Nov 2021
Our PhD candidate, Peyman Mayeli, features in this report identifying 40 of Australia's most promising Early Career Researchers.
An efficient and simplified Gay-Lussac approach in secondary variables form for the non-Boussinesq simulation of free convection problems
Int. J. Numer. Methods Fluids, 14 Jul 2021
In this publication, models for buoyancy-driven flow are compared with application to the benchmark horizontal pipe-tube annulus configuration.
Stability of pulsatile quasi-two-dimensional duct flows under a transverse magnetic field
Phys. Rev. Fluids, 25 May 2021
This publication reveals that the addition of pulsatility to high-Hartmann-number MHD duct flows can significantly reduce the critical Reynolds number for instability, essential to improving heat transfer at fusion-relevant conditions.
Natural convection and entropy generation in square and skew cavities due to large temperature differences: A Gay-Lussac-type vorticity stream-function approach
Int. J. Numer. Methods Fluids, 26 Mar 2021
This publication investigates the performance of a new vorticity-streamfunction solver based on a Gay-Lussac approach for buoyancy-driven flows, applied to canonical square and skewed cavities.
Transition to turbulence in quasi-two-dimensional MHD flow driven by lateral walls
Phys. Rev. Fluids, 14 Jan 2021
In this publication, we demonstrate that a regimes of moderate friction exists that supports the development of quasi-2D turbulence in ducts.
Subcritical route to turbulence via the Orr mechanism in a quasi-two-dimensional boundary layer
Phys. Rev. Fluids, 23 Nov 2020
This publication reveals a purely 2D route to turbulence in quasi-2D wall-bounded flows arising via the classical Orr mechanism.
Monash academics awarded prestigious 2020 Fulbright scholarships
Monash University, 22 Jan 2020
Our PhD candidate Jamie Denier secured one of only 13 Fulbright scholarships across Monash students, postdoctoral fellows and staff.
New paper published in International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer
The Sheard Lab, 1 Dec 2019
This study reveals the behaviour of horizontal convection in shallow enclosures, including the key result that height replaces length as the controlling length scale in these flows.
PhD success for Zhi Ng!
The Sheard Lab, 29 Nov 2019
Congratulations to Dr Zhi Ng on the conferral of his PhD today. Zhi's PhD advanced our understanding of bluff body wakes and their stability.
Transitions and scaling in horizontal convection driven by different temperature profiles
Int. J. Thermal Sci., 19 Nov 2019
Our latest publication reveals the role of the distribution of buoyancy forcing on heat transfer and instability in horizontal convection, including Nusselt number scaling with Rayleigh number beyond the 1/5th power.
PhD success for Tzekih Tsai!
The Sheard Lab, 21 Jan 2019
We congratulate Dr Tzekih Tsai on the conferral of his PhD. Tzekih's PhD made new discoveries in the stability of non-rotating and rotating horizontal convection.
Two-dimensionalisation of optimal disturbances in MHD duct flows revealed in our latest Journal of Fluid Mechanics paper
The Sheard Lab, 19 Dec 2018
Our latest research into magnetohydrodynamic duct flows reveals the path from three-dimensional optimal disturbances (as shown) to two-dimensional structures aligned with the magnetic field.
Visitor Professor Alban Potherat's farewell dinner
The Sheard Lab, 18 Oct 2018
This evening we bade farewell to our recent visiting colleague, Professor Alban Potherat of Coventry University, UK. We are shown here at Japanese restaurant Nishikian, L to R: Oliver, Alban, Greg, Peyman, Zhi, Tony and Tzekih.
Professor Alban Potherat visits our lab
The Sheard Lab, 13 Oct 2018
Professor Alban Potherat, Coventry University, visits the Sheard Lab at Monash University. Here we gathered for dinner at Airstream Cafe near the Monash University campus. L to R: Sneha, Sajjad, Alban, Tony, Oliver, Zhi, Tzekih and Peyman.
PhD success for Azan Sapardi!
The Sheard Lab, 16 Apr 2018
We congratulate Dr Azan Sapardi on the conferral of his PhD today. Azan's PhD delivered new insights into the hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic flows around 180-degree bends and their stability.
Instability in fluid flow past triangular obstacles is uncovered in our latest paper in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics
The Sheard Lab, 12 Apr 2018
A linear stability analysis reveals the paths through which the flow past a triangular obstacle transitions from a laminar two-dimensional state to a three-dimensional state preceding turbulence.
CAVE Immersion
Scope TV, Ten Network Australia, 19 Mar 2018
Our postdoctoral fellow, Dr Stephen Dubsky, showcases his lung imaging data on the Ten Network's SCOPE program as part of a segment on the Monash CAVE2 immersive visualisation platform.
Welcome to our new PhD student, Chris Camobreco
The Sheard Lab, 26 Feb 2018
We welcome our newest PhD student, Chris Camobreco, who joins us having undertaken his final year project with us last year.
Welcome to our new PhD student, Sneha Murali
The Sheard Lab, 19 Feb 2018
We welcome the newest addition to our group, PhD student Sneha Murali.
$800k ARC Discovery and DECRA grant successes!
The Sheard Lab, 10 Nov 2017
Our lab secures over $468k from the Australian Research Council under the Discovery Projects scheme to investigate horizontal convection at ocean-relevant conditions, and Dr Steve Dubsky secures a $358k Discovery Early Career Researcher Award.
Welcome to our new PhD student, Peyman Mayeli
The Sheard Lab, 3 Oct 2017
We extend a warm welcome to the newest member of our team. Peyman Mayeli joins the group to study non-Boussinesq effects in natural convection flows.
Our work featured on cover of Journal of Fluid Mechanics
Cambridge University Press, 27 Jun 2017
Work by PhD student Azan Sapardi, Wisam Hussam, Greg Sheard and our UK collaborator Alban Potherat, on the flow around a 180-degree bend has been featured on the cover of the leading Journal of Fluid Mechanics.
PhD completion for Ahmad Hamid
The Sheard Lab, 19 Oct 2016
We congratulate Dr Ahmad Hamid on the conferral today of his PhD. Ahmad's thesis investigated electrical and physical mechanisms for heat transfer enhancement in magnetohydrodynamic duct flows.
Congratulations Tony and Sally on their Wedding!
The Sheard Lab, 1 Oct 2016
We congratulate our team member Tony Vo on his marriage today to Sally. Best wishes for your future together, and thanks for having us share the occasion with you!
Ahmad Hamid wins Best Paper Award!
The Sheard Lab, 27 Sep 2016
Congratulations to our PhD candidate, Ahmad Hamid, on winning the Best Paper Award at the Fifth International Conference on Advances in Civil, Structural and Mechanical Engineering - ACSM 2016 (see link for a copy of his paper).
Welcome to our new PhD student, Sajjad Hossain
The Sheard Lab, 6 Jun 2016
We extend a warm welcome to Sajjad Hossain, who joins the lab today to study a PhD into horizontal convection, a class of natural convection flows driven by non-uniform heating across a horizontal boundary.
PhD success for Michael Curtis!
The Sheard Lab, 25 May 2016
We congratulate Dr Michael Curtis, who today graduated from his PhD, entitled "A Novel Method for the Manipulation of Biological Cells using Fluid Flow and Realtime Control".
Our latest research on baroclinic instability in rotating horizontal convection published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics
The Sheard Lab, 16 Apr 2016
We combine linear stability analysis with an energetics analysis to divulge the conditions under which rotating horizontal convection destabilizes via oceanographically relevant baroclinic instability.
We show how electrically generated vortices can enhance heat transfer in MHD ducts
The Sheard Lab, 3 Mar 2016
In our latest paper published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics, we combine disturbances generated electrically and by physical obstacles to enhance heat transfer in high-magnetic-field liquid-metal duct flows.
Photo slideshow from the 9ANCW workshop
The Sheard Lab, 16 Dec 2015
Thanks to Oliver Cassells, a slideshow of photos from the recent 9th Australasian Natural Convection Workshop may be accessed from the link attached to this news story.
9ANCW Organising Committee at Banquet Dinner
The Sheard Lab, 15 Dec 2015
Organising committee and Sheard Lab team members enjoy a brief respite at the Workshop Dinner. Left to right are Wisam Hussam, Ahmad Hamid, Tzekih Tsai, Oliver Cassells, Azan Sapardi, Tony Vo and Zhi Ng.
9ANCW comes to a close!
The Sheard Lab, 15 Dec 2015
We have been honoured to host the 9th Australasian Natural Convection Workshop, bringing together the largest cohort of the region's top researchers in the field in the history of the Workshop series. Image: Delegates at the 9ANCW Banquet Dinner.
9ANCW underway!
The Sheard Lab, 14 Dec 2015
The 9th Australasian Natural Convection Workshop is underway at Monash University today!
Our team presents 5 papers at CFD2015 (Melbourne, Australia, 7-9 December 2015)
The Sheard Lab, 8 Dec 2015
Our PhD students at the CFD2015 banquet dinner. Left to right: Zhi Ng, Azan Sapardi, Ahmad Hamid, Tzekih Tsai and Oliver Cassells.
Research Highlights from Physics of Fluids
AIP Physics of Fluids, 11 Sep 2015
We again feature amongst papers selected from recently published Physics of Fluids papers for having made timely and diverse contributions to the journal for our work on the spatial evolution of quasi-2D vortex streets in MHD duct flows.
Research Highlights from Physics of Fluids
AIP Physics of Fluids, 2 Jul 2015
Our work on the spatial evolution of quasi-2D vortex streets in MHD duct flows is amongst papers selected from recently published Physics of Fluids papers for having made timely and diverse contributions to the journal.
New laboratory branding unveiled
The Sheard Lab, 27 Jun 2015
The Sheard Lab today unveiled its new branding in the form of a logo designed to evoke a swirling vortex, a ubiquitous feature of the fluid flows our research seeks to understand.
PhD success for Chris Butler!
The Sheard Lab, 12 May 2015
We congratulate Chris Butler on passing his PhD Thesis examination. Chris' s thesis reported on the shear flow around idealised and actual thrombotic plaques.
Welcome to our newest PhD student
The Sheard Lab, 16 Feb 2015
We extend a warm welcome our new PhD student, Oliver Cassells. Oliver will be investigating heat transport in MHD duct flows using quasi-2D and 3D simulation methods.
Our team delivers 11 papers at 19AFMC (RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, 8-11 Dec 2014)
The Sheard Lab, 10 Dec 2014
Sheard Lab researchers at the 19AFMC banquet dinner held at Melbourne Aquarium. Left to right:: Yu Li (behind), Azan Sapardi, Wisam Hussam, Greg Sheard, Ahmad Hamid (behind), Zhi Ng, Matt Leigh, Tzekih Tsai and Oliver Cassells.
ARC Grant success!
The Sheard Lab, 5 Nov 2014
Our lab secures over $375k of funding from the Australian Research Council to find the elusive upper bound of heat transfer in horizontal convection, plus $334k with Professor Fouras and the Laboratory for Dynamic Imaging to model lung biomechanics.
Welcome to our new recruit
The Sheard Lab, 6 Aug 2014
We extend a warm welcome our new PhD student, Zhi Yuen Ng. Zhi will be investigating the role that separation points play in bluff body flows and wake stability.
PhD success for Tony Vo
The Sheard Lab, 5 Aug 2014
We congratulate our PhD candidate Tony Vo, who today received news that his PhD thesis on Stewartson shear layer stability in rotating flows has passed its examination.
Rotating radial horizontal convection research published in International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer
The Sheard Lab, 2 Jun 2014
In radially forced horizontal convection in a rotating system, we have found that at high rotation rates the forcing boundary layer thickness and Nusselt number scalings follow the balance proposed by Stern (1975).
Stewartson layer stability analysis published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics
The Sheard Lab, 4 Dec 2013
PhD student Tony Vo has published a detailed linear stability analysis of a Stewartson layer generated by differential rotation of disks in the lid and base of a rotating cylindrical tank.
Heat transfer improvement in MHD duct flow research published in International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer
The Sheard Lab, 24 Sep 2013
In this paper a cylinder is used to invoke instability in a high-field quasi-2D magnetohydrodynamic duct flow. Optimal cylinder positions are between 0.83 and 1.4 diameters from the hot duct side-wall.
Outstanding Paper award for young researcher
Monash Memo, 18 Sep 2013
A PhD student in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering was awarded one of only two Outstanding Paper Awards selected from over 400 papers by international peer-reviewed journal Measurement Science and Technology.
Announcing the 2012 Measurement Science and Technology Outstanding Paper Awards
IOP Science, 1 Jul 2013
The MST outstanding paper selection committee for measurements in fluids, chaired by Professor John Foss, has nominated our article proposing a polynomial element technique for improving PIV resolution the MST 2012 outstanding paper award.
A PhD for candidate Nick Boustead
The Sheard Lab, 12 Jun 2013
We congratulate our student Nicholas Boustead, whose PhD work on a novel fluid-structure model of aneurysms has passed examination.
PhD for our grad student Chris Ellis
The Sheard Lab, 13 Dec 2012
We congratulate PhD candidate Chris Ellis, whose PhD thesis on the stability of aircraft wakes has passed its examination.
Wisam's thesis accepted for award of PhD
The Sheard Lab, 13 Nov 2012
Congratulations to our PhD candidate Wisam K. Hussam, who we've just learned has passed his PhD examination! Wisam's thesis investigated heat transfer in magnetohydrodynamic duct flows.
Running the numbers
Australian Life Scientist, 1 Nov 2012
Our patented microfluidic lab-on-a-chip device for disease detection has been reported in Australian Life Scientist magazine.
A squishy cell is a healthy cell
VLSCI Science Story #9, 8 Oct 2012
Clinicians may soon be able to diagnose and track the progress of diseases such as diabetes and malaria through a patented Lab-on-a-chip diagnostic device developed by a team of Monash University engineers.
Health check for live cells
Science in Public, 30 Jun 2012
Unhealthy cells are less “squishy” than their healthy counterparts. That difference is used by a small device developed by engineers at Monash University to test living blood cells for diseases such as malaria and diabetes.
ARC Grant success!
The Sheard Lab, 11 Nov 2011
Our lab secures $320k from the Australian Research Council to investigate natural convection at high Rayleigh numbers and instabilities in polar vortices.
Visualization Society of Japan Award for Excellent Visualization 2011
The Sheard Lab, 8 Jul 2011
Our work on an imaging-based free-surface topography technique based on particle image velocimetry (PIV) has been recognized for its outstanding visualization of jet shock cells.
Chris Butler wins IBM Collaboratory Summer Internship
VLSCI, 29 Nov 2010
PhD candidate Chris Butler awarded one of three IBM Collaboratory Summer Internships with the Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative (VLSCI).
PhD students conduct high-performance research
Monash Memo, 8 Jul 2009
Sheard Lab PhD students Nick Boustead, Chris Ellis and Christopher Butler among eight Monash e-Research Centre scholarships supporting their research using high-performance computing.
Featured Article in Physics of Fluids
Americal Institute of Physics, 8 Aug 2007
Our research into the fluid dynamics around a body undergoing a sudden arrest chosen as the Featured Article in volume 19, issue 8 of Physics of Fluids
ARC Grant success!
The Sheard Lab, 17 Nov 2005
Our lab secures $355k for research into high-speed flows around micro-scale particles, which has application in material processing industries.
Dr Greg Sheard awarded an ARC Postdoctoral Fellowship
The Sheard Lab, 21 Jul 2005
Postdoctoral fellow Dr Greg Sheard is part of an engineering/medicine collaboratvie team that received $338,000 in funding from the Australian Research Council to study fluid dynamics of blood flow within the kidney.
Mollie Holman medals awarded
Monash Memo, 8 Jun 2005
Dr Greg Sheard judged to have presented the best PhD thesis in 2004, earning him the Faculty of Engineering Kenneth Hunt medal and the university's Mollie Holman Medal for Excellence.
Young Researcher Fellowship Award
The Sheard Lab, 1 Feb 2005
Dr Greg Sheard has been awarded the Young Researcher Fellowship Award, funding travel and participation in the Third MIT Conference on Computational Fluid and Solid Mechanics, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 14-17 June 2005.