The Flow of Innovation
04 February 2022
Georgia Tech’s Hydraulics Lab studies environmental fluid dynamics across various STEM disciplines
Assistant Professor
Biography
Dr. Chris Lai is a Hong Kong native, received his BEng and MPhil degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Hong Kong. He pursued PhD research on oil spill modeling at Texas A&M University and was awarded his degree in December 2015. In the following three years (2016-2019), he was a postdoctoral research associate at the Extreme Fluids Team (P-23, Physics Division) at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. In November 2019, he joined CEE at Georgia Tech as an assistant professor in the Water Resources group.
Research
Dr Lai’s research focuses on understanding the role of fluid turbulence in environmental processes and applications. He has previously worked on (1) marine outfall designs for treated domestic wastewater and brine discharges from desalination plants, (2) accidental oil spills modeling for disaster management (e.g. 2010 Deep Horizon spill in Gulf of Mexico), and (3) the role of large fluid density gradients in shaping turbulent flows as seen in inertial confinement fusion. His work combines experiments, theories, and mathematical modeling to develop simplified, yet physics-based, engineering predictive models to aid in management-level decisions. His current research interests focus on how turbulence mediates/controls (1) breakup and coalescence of droplets and bubbles, with applications in gas-water mass transfer (2) mass loss of ice from sea-terminating glaciers, with applications in sea-level rise prediction and polar water circulation, and (3) the generation of water hammers in fluid transport systems, with applications in leak detection, mapping of underground water distribution systems, and removal of biofilms from water pipe walls.
Education
- Doctor of Philosophy Texas A&M University 2015
- Master of Philosophy The University of Hong Kong 2009
- Bachelor of Engineering The University of Hong Kong 2007
Teaching
Dr Lai’s teaching interests include environmental fluid mechanics, experimental fluid mechanics, hydraulic engineering, open channel flows, and turbulent flows.
Distinctions & Awards
GoMRI (Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative) Scholar, 2012-2015
Publications
- Lai, C.C.K. and *Hung, W-C. (2025). New 1D unsteady friction model for turbulent, rough pipe flows undergoing mild acceleration/deceleration: the case of closely packed uniform spheres, J. Hydraul. Eng., ASCE, 152(1):04025050
- *Mustafa, M., Lai, C.C.K. and *Zimmer, A. (2025). Simultaneous temperature and velocity measurements of a turbulent plane wall jet rising along a melting vertical ice wall, Exp. Fluids, 6(66):1-23
- *Mamer, M.S., Robel, A.A., Lai, C.C.K., Wilson, E. and Washam, P. (2025). High-fidelity modeling of turbulent mixing and basal melting in seawater intrusion under grounded ice, EGUsphere, 19(8):3227-3251.
- Paul, I., Fraga, B., Dodd, M.S. and Lai, C.C.K. (2022b). The role of breakup and coalescence in fine-scale bubble-induced turbulence: part 2 – kinematics, Phys. Fluids, 34:083322 (Editor’s Pick)
- Paul, I., Fraga, B., Dodd, M.S. and Lai, C.C.K. (2022a). The role of breakup and coalescence in fine-scale bubble-induced turbulence: part 1 – dynamics, Phys. Fluids, 34:083221 (Featured Article)
- Fratantonio, D. Lai, C.C.K., Charonko, J.J. and Prestridge, K. (2021). Beyond Taylor’s hypothesis: a novel volumetric reconstruction of velocity and density fields for variable-density and shear flows, Exp. Fluids, 62(4):1-25
- Bordoloi, A.D., Lai, C.C.K., Clark, L., Carrillo, G.V. and Variano, E. (2020). Turbulence statistics in a negatively buoyant multiphase plume, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 896:A19
- Wang, B., Lai, C.C.K. and Socolofsky, S.A. (2019). Mean velocity, spreading and entrainment characteristics of weak bubble plumes in unstratified and stationary water, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 874:102-130
- Lai, C.C.K. and Socolofsky, S.A. (2019). The turbulent kinetic energy budget in a bubble plume, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 865:993-1041.
- Lai, C.C.K. and Socolofsky, S.A. (2019). Budgets of turbulent kinetic energy, Reynolds stresses and dissipation in a turbulent round jet discharged into a stagnant ambient, Environmental Fluid Mechanics, 19(2):349-377
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