My PhD advisor is Dr. Mette Olufsen, and I am a member of the Cardiovascular Dynamics Group at NCSU. My research focuses on applying mathematical concepts to problems in cardiovascular health. My general research interests include mathematical modeling, cardiovascular physiology, and computational fluid dynamics.
Numerical predictions of shear stress and cyclic stretch in pulmonary hypertension due to left heart failure
We use in-silico computational fluid dynamics of large and small pulmonary arteries and veins to predict wall shear stress (WSS) and cyclic stretch (CS), quantities serving as biomarkers for disease severity of pulmonary hypertension due to left heart failure. We calculate dynamic blood pressure, blood flow, area deformation, WSS, and CS in the pulmonary circulation, providing a new way to investigate hypotheses related to disease progression.
Development of a pulmonary arteriolar-alveolar capillary model
The pulmonary capillaries surround the alveoli and have an irregular branching pattern that is distinct from the tubular structure of arteries and veins. As first suggested by Fung, the dense capillary network can be most accurately modeled by a sheet of fluid flowing between two membranes. We develop a model for the capillaries that connects each arteriole segment to the corresponding venule segment in a ladderlike manner. This allows us to create a multiscale model that contains large arteries and veins, arterioles and venules, and capillaries, enabling dynamics predictions of pressure and flow in the complete pulmonary circulation.