Manish Kumar received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering (ME) in 2017 from the Indian Institute of Technology and his PhD in ME in 2022 from Purdue University, where his research focused on viscoelastic flows through porous media and flagellated cells in complex flows. Currently, he is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where his main project focuses on the phenomenon of turbulent drag reduction with polymer or surfactant additives. One goal of his future research is to develop a quantitatively predictive model of complex fluids using theory and data-driven methods. Kumar’s firsthand understanding of the challenges of underrepresented communities stems from his journey as a child helping his father in the fields of rural India to becoming a U.S. researcher. When he travels back to India, he teaches classes and organizes small workshops to provide career guidance and share experiences. At UW-Madison, Kumar co-organized a science expo for school children and taught concepts of fluid mechanics. As a professor, he will incorporate machine learning into his courses to meet the growing use of these tools in various research fields. In addition, he plans to use small experiments and demonstrations to explain course materials, and to improve students’ presentation skills, he will assign projects and provide personalized feedback to every student.

Research Interests

Fluid dynamics