After graduating from the University of Malta with a B.Eng. (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering, Dr Jean-Paul Mollicone obtained his Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Sapienza, University of Rome where he then also worked as a researcher. Before recently returning to Malta, he also spent several years working as a researcher at Imperial College London and later at Chalmers University of Technology, and was an adjunct lecturer at Temple University. His research interests include computational fluid dynamics (CFD), turbulence, multi-phase flows, water treatment and environmental engineering.
Dr Mollicone has worked in the field of fluid dynamics, specifically CFD, for most of his career. He has extensive experience with direct numerical simulations (DNS) using both open-source codes and in-house codes running on computers ranging from clusters up to Tier0 European supercomputing facilities, together with the coding of custom postprocessors for complex data analysis of large datasets. The large-scale DNS were used to study physical phenomena involving turbulent flow over bluff bodies and rough surfaces, turbulent jets and plumes, gravity currents and stratified mixing layers, micro-particle/bubble transport in turbulent flow in complex geometries, and superhydrophobic surfaces and their effect on drag and turbulent flow characteristics. He also has extensive experience with commercial CFD software, using RANS/LES turbulence modelling, used for a variety of internal and external flows, with and without heat transfer, applied to for example system/component design and optimisation, ventilation, renewable energy and water treatment.
He supervises undergraduate, master’s and PhD students and is currently a principal investigator and co-investigator in various externally funded projects by Xjenza Malta. He was also a team member in various ISCRA (Italian Super Computing Resource Allocation) projects, PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe) projects, an EPSRC (Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council, UK) project at Imperial College London and an ERC (European Research Council) advanced grant project at Sapienza University of Rome.
