Student Program / Keynotes / Georgios H. Vatistas
Georgios H. Vatistas was heralded by Québec Science Magazine in January 2009 for his research into the stability of vortex rings as one of the top ten discoveries of 2008. His breakthrough, with the help of his research team, has made him the first person to physically validate Nobel Prize winner J. J. Thomson’s 126-year old theory on vortex rings. This groundbreaking researcher has been recognized for making a “significant step forward for science and knowledge” and is considered one of the world’s leading scientists in vortex theory. The applications of this discovery are countless and help explain everything from the structure of the universe, to forecasting tornado development but can also be relevant to increasing efficiency and noise reduction for many companies using machinery for various chemical and process engineering applications.
Vatistas, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Concordia University, focuses his research in not only vortex instability and models but also in liquid sloshing and purely accelerating or decelerating flows. Furthermore, he is acknowledged for his expertise in fluid dynamics, fluid mechanics, flow instabilities and vortex dynamics to name a few.
Vatistas received his BEng in1978, MEng in 1980 and PhD in1984 in mechanical engineering from Concordia University in Montreal. He later took on the position as assistant professor in 1985 and was promoted to the rank of professor in 1994. He was appointed graduate programme director for Concordia University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1990, followed by an appointment as associate dean for Concordia’s School of Graduate Studies in 1992 and associate dean for the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science in both 1995 and 2001. He proudly continues to serve as professor at this university in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Vatistas currently serves on the editorial board of the Transactions of the Canadian Society Mechanical Engineers and is a Fellow of the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineering and senior member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has won numerous distinctions and awards such as the SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award for significant contributions to teaching research and student development (1987), the Best Paper Award by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Computers in Engineering Division for his paper entitled "Dynamic Characteristics of Liquid Draining from a Tank in Weightlessness" (1995) and the Provost’s Circle of Distinction (2009) to name a few. In March of 2009, Global Clean Energy, Inc. has chosen to work on a joint research project with Vatistas in its expansion into new renewable energy areas.
Georgios H. Vatistas
Concordia University
Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
vatistas@encs.concordia.ca