Promoter: Sam Van Wassenbergh
​Co-promoter: Stefan Van Dongen
Subject: Flatfish exhibit pronounced morphological asymmetry, but how external body-shape asymmetry varies among species and individuals, and what its hydrodynamic consequences are, remain poorly understood. In this project, 3D surface scans of flatfish will be used to quantify external body-shape asymmetry. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations will then explore how this asymmetry affects hydrodynamic forces and moments during gliding or when a stationary fish is exposed to flow near the substrate. The results will provide insight into how hydrodynamic function may constrain the evolution of body-shape asymmetry in flatfish.
Techniques: 3D surface scanning and mesh processing; 3D morphometrics and quantification of shape asymmetry; statistical analysis of asymmetry; computational fluid dynamics (CFD); hydrodynamic analysis of drag, lift and moments.