Eurogen 2025 Program

Dr. Cornelia Grabe’s presentation will explore the integration of adjoint-based methods and machine learning for data-driven approaches to turbulence modeling. These innovative methods promise higher prediction accuracy, improving the effectiveness of turbulence models in design and optimization—a topic closely aligned with the conference’s focus on advancing computational engineering solutions.

Dr. Grabe earned her PhD from the University of Stuttgart in 2012. Following this, she joined the C²A²S²E department (Center for Computer Applications in Aerospace Science and Engineering) within the Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Göttingen as a postdoctoral researcher. Her work focused on developing CFD-compatible laminar-turbulent transition models for aircraft applications.

In 2017, Dr. Grabe became the head of the C²A²S²E department, and since 2023, she has also served as Deputy Head of the Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology in Göttingen, overseeing aeronautical research and the development of numerical methods.

Dr. Grabe’s expertise lies in the development of advanced computational tools for aerospace applications. Under her leadership, the C²A²S²E department has been at the forefront of developing compressible CFD solvers such as TAU and CODA, cutting-edge turbulence and transition models, multi-disciplinary analysis and optimization methods, reduced-order and surrogate models, and scale-resolving simulation methods. These tools are widely applied in aerospace industries and academic institutions across Europe, reinforcing her authority in the field.

Dr. David Greiner is an Associate Professor at the Civil Engineering Department and the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Numerical Applications in Engineering (SIANI) at the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Spain. He holds a degree in Industrial Engineering (Mechanical) and a PhD in Intelligent Systems and Numerical Applications in Engineering.

Since 1995, Dr. Greiner's research has focused on optimal design in engineering applications using evolutionary algorithms. His extensive publication record includes over 120 works, encompassing JCR-indexed journal articles, edited books, book chapters, and presentations at national and international conferences. He has actively contributed to various national and international research projects, including the INGENET research network funded by the European Union (1997–2002). Additionally, he has held visiting scholar positions at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the USA and the University of Jyväskylä in Finland.

Dr. Greiner has served as a reviewer for more than 30 JCR-indexed journals (including Elsevier, Springer, IEEE, and MDPI) and as an organizer or scientific committee member for numerous international conferences, such as EUROGEN, CMN, GECCO, IEEE-CEC, Civil-Comp Conferences, and ECTA. Notably, he has served as General Chair for:

• EUROGEN 2013
• The XVIII Spanish-French School “Jacques-Louis Lions” on Numerical Simulation in Physics and Engineering (EHF 2018)
• The Spanish-Portuguese Congress on Numerical Methods in Engineering (CMN 2022)

Dr. Greiner has also held various administrative roles at ULPGC, including Vice-Dean of the Industrial and Civil Engineering School (2007–2013), Academic Secretary and Deputy Director at the SIANI Institute (2014–2017), and Director of Scientific Organization and Research at the Vicerrectorate of Research & Innovation (2017–2021).

Dr. Greiner’s dedication to research, teaching, and scientific collaboration underscores his significant contributions to computational engineering and optimization techniques.

Dr. Rainald Löhner is the head of the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Center at the College of Science, George Mason University, located in Fairfax, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. He earned his MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Technische Universität Braunschweig in Germany and holds both a PhD and DSc in Civil Engineering from the University College of Swansea, Wales.

Dr. Löhner’s research interests encompass a wide range of fields, including numerical methods, field solvers, grid generation, parallel computing, visualization, pre-processing, fluid-structure interaction, shape and process optimization, digital twins, and computational crowd dynamics. His innovative codes and methodologies have been widely applied across diverse industries and research domains, such as:

• Aerodynamics: Analysis of airplanes, drones, cars, and trains.
• Hydrodynamics: Studies on ships, submarines, and underwater autonomous vehicles (UAVs).
• Shock-Structure Interaction: Simulation and assessment of dynamic stress effects.
• Dispersion Analysis: Urban area modeling for safety and environmental studies.
• Haemodynamics: Research on vascular diseases and blood flow dynamics.
• Turbulence Studies: Fundamental investigations of chaotic and turbulent flows.
• Crowd Dynamics: Modeling and optimizing evacuation strategies and the management of mass events.

Dr. Löhner has authored more than 800 scientific publications, including a widely respected textbook, Applied CFD Techniques. He also serves on the editorial boards of seven international scientific journals.

Professor Marko M. Mäkelä, a leading expert in applied mathematics, serves as Vice Head of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Turku, Finland. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Jyväskylä in 1990.

Nonsmooth optimization (NSO) is one of the most challenging areas in deterministic optimization, dealing with problems where the objective or constraint functions have discontinuous gradients. NSO has critical applications in diverse fields, including optimal control, engineering, computational chemistry, data analysis, and machine learning. Beyond these direct applications, smooth optimization techniques—such as decomposition methods, dual formulations, and exact penalty methods—often lead to NSO problems that are smaller in dimension or simpler in structure. Additionally, optimization problems that are analytically smooth may exhibit nonsmooth behavior numerically, further broadening the relevance of NSO.

Professor Mäkelä’s research spans nonsmooth and nonconvex analysis, multiobjective optimization, and the application of these techniques to solve real-world industrial problems. His extensive expertise in the theory and practice of NSO makes his contributions invaluable to the field of computational mathematics.

Dr. Jos Vankan holds an MSc in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Biomechanics from TU Eindhoven, the Netherlands. With over 25 years of experience as an R&D engineer, senior scientist, and principal scientist at the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) in Amsterdam, he is a recognized leader in aeronautical research and development. He currently serves as a principal scientist in NLR’s Aerospace Vehicles Division and is a member of the NLR Science Society, which ensures the scientific quality of the organization’s work.

Dr. Vankan has been extensively involved in numerous international multidisciplinary aeronautical R&D projects over the course of his career. His expertise lies in multidisciplinary and multi-objective design optimization, with significant contributions in the following areas:

• HAR Wing Design: NLR R&D lead in the UPwing project, focusing on high-aspect-ratio (HAR) multifunctional wing design and advancements in novel control technologies.
• Aircraft Concept Studies: Lead researcher in studies on aircraft concepts and powertrain systems across various international research projects.
• Composite Manufacturing Techniques: Contributions to technology developments in thermoplastic composites manufacturing and assembly techniques, such as induction welding modeling, in recent research initiatives.
• Aero-Structural Modeling: Involvement in aero-structural modeling and design of composite fan blades for scaled wind-tunnel testing of turbofan engines.

Dr. Vankan’s long-term dedication to advancing aeronautical technologies and his involvement in cutting-edge international projects make him a pivotal figure in the aerospace research community.