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Zheng Jane Wang

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  • Zheng Jane Wang
  • Dept: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  • Title: Professor
  • Address: 323 Thurston Hall
  • Phone: 607 255-5354
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Biography

PhD Physics, University of Chicago (1992-1996).

NSF-NATO Fellow, Theoretical Physics, Oxford University (1996). 

Visiting Member, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences-New York University (1997-1999). 

Assistant (1999-2004), Associate (2004-2009), Professor (2009-), Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Cornell (1999-2009), 

Professor Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell (2009-), 

Professor Physics, Cornell (2010-)

Research Interests

We strive to find sharp and intuitive answers to inter-connected puzzles in complex systems. Much of our work is driven by our desire to see and conceptualize the world around us.

Current research: Insect Flight (Unsteady Aerodynamics, 3D Flight Dynamics and Control, From Dynamics to 'Brain'), Fluttering and Tumbling Objects in Fluids, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Hydrodynamic Interactions, and Interactions Among Organisms.

Previous research: Statistical Physics of Turbulence, Turbulent Diffusion, Fokker-Planck Equation, and Random Non-Hermitian Matrices.

Teaching Interests

Biological Fluid Dynamics (TAM6170/PHYS7617) Applied Mathematics, Fluid Dynamics

Selected Publications

  • Bergou, A J., L. Ristroph, J. Guckenheimer, I. Cohen, Zheng Jane Wang. 2010. "Fruit Flies Modulate Passive Wing Pitching to Generate In-Flight Turns." Physical Review Letters 104: 148101.
  • Pesavento, U., Zheng Jane Wang. 2009. "Flapping wing flight can save aerodynamic power compared to steady flight." Physical Review Letters 103 (11): 118102.
  • Bergou, A. J., S. Xu, Zheng Jane Wang. 2007. "Passive wing pitch reversal in insect flight." Journal of Fluid Mechanics 591: 321-337.
  • Berman, G. J., Zheng Jane Wang. 2007. "Energy-minimizing kinematics in hovering insect flight." Journal of Fluid Mechanics 582: 153-168.
  • Sheng, X., Zheng Jane Wang. 2006. "An Immersed Interface Method for Simulating the Interaction of Fluids with Moving Boundaries." Journal of Computational Physics 201: 454-493.

Selected Awards and Honors

  • Cornell Provost's Award for Distinguished Scholarship (Cornell University) 2005
  • Radcliffe Fellowship for Advanced Study (Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University) 2007
  • David and Lucile Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering (David and Lucile Packard Foundation) 2002
  • NSF Early Career Award (National Science Foundation) 2001
  • ONR Young Investigator (Office of Naval Research) 2001

Websites

Education

  • BS Fudan University, 1989
  • Ph D (Physics), University of Chicago, 1996