Faculty Directory
Julio M. Ottino

Walter P. Murphy Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and (by courtesy) Mechanical Engineering

Distinguished Robert R. McCormick Institute Professor

Professor of Management and Organizations, Kellogg School of Management

Contact

2133 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208

847-491-5220Email Julio Ottino

Website

Ottino Research Group

Departments

Chemical and Biological Engineering

Affiliations

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Graduate Program

Research Interests

Complex systems, dynamics of granular matter, mixing and segregation

Current topics of interest include investigations of a broad class of problems where there is a competition between order and disorder, such as in mixing and segregation of granular matter or fluid mixing and, more generally, problems in the realm of complex systems involving tools such as agent-based models and network theory.

The interest in basic understanding of mixing lies in the ubiquity of mixing processes in technology and nature; examples are found in chemical, mechanical, and aeronautical engineering, but also in geophysics, physiology, oceanography, polymer engineering, and environmental sciences.

The work in granular dynamics involves a blend of theory, computations, and experimental work that reaches into applications. While important to a wide range of industries, our understanding of solid mixing and segregation is primitive. Some key questions we are currently addressing are: What features of mixing can be predicted computationally? What causes demixing and how it interplays with mixing? How can mixing be optimized?

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Significant Recognition

  • Albert Michelson Memorial Lecture, United States Naval Academy, 2024
  • G.I. Taylor Medal, Society of Engineering Science, 2023
  • Member, National Academy of Sciences, 2022
  • Founders Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Chemical Engineering, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2018
  • Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education, National Academy of Engineering, 2017
  • 62nd Institute Lecture, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2010
  • Fluid Dynamics Prize, American Physical Society, 2008
  • AIChE 100th Anniversary, listed in “One Hundred Engineers of the Modern Era”, 2008
  • Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2003
  • John S. Guggenheim Fellowship, 2001
  • Danckwerts Memorial Lecture, London, England, 1999
  • Member, National Academy of Engineering, 1997
  • Alpha Chi Sigma Award for Chemical Engineering Research, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1994

Selected Publications

  • Gao, Song; Ottino, Julio M.; Lueptow, Richard M.; Umbanhowar, Paul B., Vertical velocity of a small sphere in a sheared granular bed, Physical Review Research (2024).
  • Xiao, Hongyi; Deng, Zhekai; Ottino, Julio M.; Umbanhowar, Paul B.; Lueptow, Richard M., Modeling stratified segregation in periodically driven granular heap flow, Chemical Engineering Science (2023).
  • Duan, Yifei; Peckham, Jack; Umbanhowar, Paul B.; Ottino, Julio M.; Lueptow, Richard M., Designing minimally segregating granular mixtures for gravity-driven surface flows, AIChE Journal (2023).
  • Gao, Song; Ottino, Julio M.; Umbanhowar, Paul B.; Lueptow, Richard M., Percolation of a fine particle in static granular beds, Physical Review E (2023).
  • Lynn, Thomas F.; Ottino, Julio M.; Lueptow, Richard M.; Umbanhowar, Paul B., Potentialities and limitations of machine learning to solve cut-and-shuffle mixing problems, Chemical Engineering Science (2022).
  • Jing, Lu; Ottino, Julio M.; Umbanhowar, Paul B.; Lueptow, Richard M., Drag force in granular shear flows, Journal of fluid Mechanics (2022).
  • Yu, Mengqi; Ottino, Julio M.; Lueptow, Richard M.; Umbanhowar, Paul B., Segregation patterns in three-dimensional granular flows, Physical Review E (2022).
  • Duan, Yifei; Jing, Lu; Umbanhowar, Paul B.; Ottino, Julio M.; Lueptow, Richard M., Segregation forces in dense granular flows, Journal of fluid Mechanics (2022).