Federico Toschi

Computational Multiscale Transport Phenomena (Toschi)

We study how things flow. From simple fluids, with their beautiful turbulent patterns, to complex fluids with their stick-slip dynamics and avalanches, to active matter with its complex self-organizing patterns.

Research Profile

Our interest focuses on the emerging complexity in challenging multi-scale problems at the crossroad between statistical physics, fluid mechanics, soft condensed matter and biophysics. How do small-scale interactions and forces lead to large-scale complexity and chaos? How to analytically and numerically model complex flow problems? We employ experimental, numerical and theoretical methods to investigate amongst others fluid dynamics turbulence; lagrangian turbulence; thermal convection; complex fluids; soft condensed matter; active matter; crowd dynamics; scientific computing and Lattice Boltzmann methods.  
 
Several of the topics that we investigate are strongly multidisciplinary and involve pushing the boundaries of physics across different disciplines. We pursue the innovation of numerical methods and develop state-of-the-art large-scale, massively parallel, numerical codes. Our research is embedded in the 4TU Centre of Excellence for Multiscale Phenomena, the JMBC Burgerscentrum for fluid dynamics, and the Eindhoven Multiscale Institute.

News

DYNAMICS OF CROWDS

Understanding human behavior in crowds is interesting from a scientific point of view, and it can also provide solutions to many societial problems. One of those is a congestion, which can turn dangerous in busy times. Over the past two years, TU/e has been working together with ProRail to use sensors to keep platforms in train stations safe. 

To improve safety at train stations and tackle busy hotspots, ProRail, the authority that runs the Dutch rail infractructure, anonymously measures crowd dynamics of travelers. Federico Toschi and Alessandro Corbetta assist the railway manager with the analysis and also uses the information to investigate the behavior of crowds. That behavior has completely changed due to the corona social distancing rule. TU/e researchers searched for new patterns and published their results in the journal Plos One. Read more 

Publication of 14 December 2018 in the journal Physical Review E

Listen to the Drivers of Change 2019 podcast

Next to this research, ProRail and TU/e also work closely together in the field of education. This way, ProRail offers students the opportunity to work with real data in order to solve societal problems. This so-called 'USE learning line: Physics of Social Systems' is accessible for all TU/e students. The goal is to learn to look at social structures through a mathematical perspective, combining it with psychology and ethics.

Meet some of our Researchers