Research

Arterial Plaque Growth

Cardiovascular diseases remain one of the leading causes of death worldwide, largely due to the blockage of coronary arteries. Simulating blood flow in arteries is highly challenging because of factors such as the pulsatile nature of blood flow, elasticity of vessel walls, complex vascular geometries, non-Newtonian properties of blood, and uncertain boundary conditions. On top of this, plaque formation involves intricate biochemical interactions within the vessel wall, adding further complexity to modeling. Our group develops mathematical and computational models to capture these processes and also explores their implications for pharmaceutical treatments and conditions such as arrhythmia.

Blood Clot Formation

Blood clotting is a vital biological process that prevents bleeding when endothelial cells lining blood vessels are damaged. However, in narrowed or weakened arteries, clot formation can accelerate vessel blockage, or detached clots may travel and cause embolisms and strokes. The clotting process is influenced not only by blood flow and vascular geometry but also by a network of biochemical reactions. In some cases, vessel walls may develop aneurysms—hollow bulges that increase blood residence time and clot growth, especially in cerebral arteries where they can be fatal. Our research focuses on computationally modeling clot formation in coronary and cerebral vessels to better understand its dynamics and risks.

Tumor Growth and Immunotherapy

Tumor cells proliferate uncontrollably and manipulate their surroundings to secure nutrients by secreting biochemical signals that stimulate the growth of new blood vessels. This process involves the transport of oxygen, glucose, and other molecules across porous media such as vessel walls, extracellular space, and the tumor itself. Alongside, various cells—including endothelial cells, immune cells, and stromal cells—exhibit independent behaviors like proliferation, migration, and death. By simplifying and integrating these phenomena into mathematical frameworks, our team develops computational models of tumor growth. These models are used to study the effects of anticancer drugs and to evaluate the tumor’s response to immunotherapy strategies.

Dense Turbulent Flows

When two fluids with different densities come into contact, the denser fluid tends to move under the lighter one due to gravity, creating what is known as a density current. These flows occur in a wide range of natural and engineered systems, such as sediment-laden river discharges into reservoirs, wind-driven dust storms, and mixing in sedimentation basins during water treatment. In cases involving suspended particles, particle size plays a crucial role in flow behavior. The turbulence and multiphase nature of these flows make their modeling highly complex. In our lab, we study density-driven turbulent flows using both experimental and theoretical approaches to improve understanding and predictive capabilities.

Atmospheric Dust Transport

On larger spatial scales, density currents manifest as atmospheric dust transport across cities and regions. Modeling such phenomena introduces additional complexities, including large-scale geometries, solar radiation, heat transfer, and the need for specialized turbulence models. Accurate boundary conditions often require integration with global climate datasets. Our group investigates dust flow modeling at these scales, focusing on urban and regional environments in Iran, where dust storms pose significant environmental and health challenges. Through advanced computational simulations, we aim to better predict and analyze dust transport and its broader impacts.