Laminar-to-turbulent transition, which critically affects efficiency-focused applications such as wind turbine blades and aircraft wings, remains poorly understood. These flows involve complex turbulent interactions (high turbulence levels, unsteady wakes, separated shear layers), which standard modeling techniques struggle to accurately capture. This project addresses these challenges by leveraging high-fidelity experiments and numerical simulations to study transition flow physics. While these techniques offer unparalleled detail, the resulting large datasets are difficult to interpret and integrate due to the diverse flow conditions and geometries involved. As a result, the datasets are not immediately usable for developing low-order models and flow control strategies. The project's goal is to create a compact representation of the complex transition scenario using a data-driven and theoretical framework. This methodology will reveal the driving effects behind the amplification of unstable coherent flow structures during transition. It will integrate three high-fidelity heterogeneous experimental and numerical datasets of turbomachinery flows at engine-relevant conditions. The COMPOSE project leverages these datasets to provide insights applicable across various fields where transition impacts performance. The outcomes will not only deepen our understanding of laminar-to-turbulent transition but also enable the development of accurate reduced-order models. These models will be essential for creating flow control strategies to reduce the adverse effects of transition in aerodynamic components, such as turbomachinery blading, wind turbine blades, and aircraft wings. The project's impact could lead to significant efficiency improvements in these components, with broad implications for the aerospace and energy sectors.

Energy efficiency in buildings is a critical aspect of addressing climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To contribute to this endeavor, our research project focuses on the development and optimization of phase change materials (PCMs) derived from biomass as a sustainable solution for thermal energy storage in buildings. PCMs have shown promise in enhancing energy efficiency by storing and releasing thermal energy as they undergo phase transitions. However, challenges such as low thermal conductivity and leakage have limited their widespread application, especially in construction materials. Our project seeks to address these challenges by exploring the use of natural biomass materials, such as plant fibers, wood particles, endocarps, and husks, as containers for PCMs. These lignocellulosic materials possess unique properties, including high deformation capacity and porosity, which make them promising candidates for effectively containing and activating PCMs. By utilizing biomass as PCM containers, we aim to improve the thermal performance of building materials, reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve our objectives, we will conduct a comprehensive research program that includes experimental testing, numerical simulations, and optimization techniques.

Since the Syrian civil war began in March 2011, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that more than 13 million people are in need and an estimated 5.6 million Syrians have fled the country. From this group of Syrian refugees, around one million have requested asylum in different countries of the European Union. While in the EU there is a strong debate concerning the recent refugee crisis and the need to completely reform the current asylum system, in Canada the resettlement and integration of refugees has been a considerable success through the implementation of the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program which has received much attention from policy-makers in other countries over the past decades. The Overall Objective of this project proposal is a comprehensive analyze of the Canadian private sponsorship model to integrate refugees, of its impact in providing to Syrian refugees a safe and legal way to resettlement and socio-economic integration, and an exploration of its possible modalities of application in some countries of the European Union. The researcher will firstly analyze and present, based on a comprehensive review of government documents, existing academic literature and available data, the overall program, and it will describe its benefits, general results and challenges. Subsequently, the researcher will analyze the private sponsorship program impact in the case of Syrian refugees and will compare the outcomes of this model with the outcomes of other programs such as federal government support and Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program. Then, the researcher will explore the possible application of the Canadian model in some specific EU countries such as Italy and Germany, identifying and discussing possible benefits and challenges, and comparing the results obtained by policies already implemented by these countries with the results of the Canadian model.