Meng Research Group is led by Dr. Yue (Olivia) Meng. Our group is broadly interested in the physics of ice-ocean interactions, with a current focus on ice sheet hydrology, ice sheet calving dynamics, sea ice mechanics, and coastal engineering. Through the interdisciplinary lens of porous media flows, granular mechanics, and geoscience, our group aims to bridge pore/grain-scale physics with observations of Earth’s surface processes by integrating hydraulic flume experiments, computational modeling, and remote observations.

Principal Investigator

Dr. Yue (Olivia) Meng is an Assistant Professor of Civil and Construction Engineering and an Affiliated Faculty of Computational Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs (CIGP) at Purdue University. She completed her undergraduate study (2018) in Civil Engineering at the University of Hong Kong, Master (2020) and PhD (2022) in Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT, and postdoctoral research in geoscience at Princeton University (2023), and geophysics at Stanford University (2024). Outside academics, she is a weekend warrior for triathlon races.

Email: meng188@purdue.edu [Google Scholar] [CV]

Postdoctoral Researchers

Krutika Appaswamy works on computational fluid dynamics, heat transfer, granular flows, and combustion. She earned her MSc (2021) in Aeronautics and Astronautics and her PhD (2025) in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. Her doctoral research combined discrete element modeling, two-fluid models, and CFD to investigate heat transfer in fluidized beds for concentrating solar power and thermal energy storage, in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. In this group, she will focus on modeling wave–sea ice interactions. Outside of research, she enjoys running and reading novels.

Email: kappaswa@purdue.edu [Google Scholar]

Graduate Students

Xueji Shi is a PhD student in our group. His research interests lie at the intersection of computational fluid dynamics and structural dynamics. He employs a combination of discrete element modeling and computational fluid dynamics to study fluid-structure interactions. He earned his master’s degree (2025) in Civil Engineering from Southeast University. In our group, he investigates the interactions between iceberg calving and the surrounding ocean. Outside of academics, he maintains a regular workout routine and aims to achieve a one-handed pull-up before graduation.

Email: shi750@purdue.edu [Google Scholar]

Research Areas

  • Ice-Sheet Hydrology

    Understanding the fate of meltwater through the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets and how it affects ice sheet mass losses.

  • Ice-Ocean Interactions

    Exploring the interactions between sea ice or calved icebergs and the ocean, and their impacts on the Earth's climate system.

  • Multiphase Flow and Granular Mechanics

    Applying pore and grain-scale physics to large-scale Earth science problems in the areas of energy and the environment.

Publications

Journal Publications

  • Nissanka, K., Vora, N., Harper, J. M., Burton, J. C., Amundson, J. M., Robel, A. A., Meng, Y., & Lai, C. Y. (2025). Laboratory Experiments Reveal Transient Fluctuations in Ice Mélange Velocity and Stress During Periods of Quasistatic Flow. Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface, doi: 10.1029/2024JF008071
  • Meng, Y., Lai, C. Y., Culberg, R., Shahin, M., Stearns, L., Burton, J., & Nissanka K. (2025). Seasonal Changes of Mélange Thickness Coincide with Greenland Calving Dynamics. Nature Communications, doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55241-7
  • Meng, Y., Culberg, R., & Lai, C. Y. (2024). Vulnerability of Firn to Hydrofracture: Poromechanics Modeling. Journal of Glaciology, doi: 10.1017/jog.2024.47
  • Meng, Y., Li, W., & Juanes, R. (2023). Crossover from Viscous Fingering to Fracturing in Cohesive Wet Granular Media: A Photoporomechanics Study. Soft Matter, doi: 10.1039/D3SM00897E
  • Guével, A., Meng, Y., Peco, C., Juanes, R., & Dolbow, J. E. (2023). A Darcy-Cahn-Hilliard Model of Multiphase Fluid-driven Fracture. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, doi: 10.1016/j.jmps.2023.105427
  • Meng, Y., Li, W., & Juanes, R. (2022). Fracturing in Wet Granular Media Illuminated by Photoporomechanics. Physical Review Applied, doi: 10.1103/PhysRevApplied.18.064081
  • Li, W., Meng, Y., Primkulov, B. K., & Juanes, R. (2021). Photoporomechanics: An Experimental Method to Visualize the Effective Stress Field in Fluid-filled Granular Media. Physical Review Applied, doi: 10.1103/PhysRevApplied.16.024043
  • Meng, Y., Primkulov, B. K., Yang, Z., Kwok, C. Y., & Juanes, R. (2020). Jamming Transition and Emergence of Fracturing in Wet Granular Media. Physical Review Research, doi: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.2.022012
  • Juanes, R., Meng, Y., & Primkulov, B. K. (2020). Multiphase Flow and Granular Mechanics. Physical Review Fluids, doi: 10.1103/PhysRevFluids.5.110516
  • Meng, Y., Zhu, H., Kwok, C. Y., Kuo, M., Jing, L., & Huang, X. (2018). Effect of Coefficient of Friction on Arch Network in Shearing Process under Low Confinement. Powder technology, doi: 10.1016/j.powtec.2018.05.002

Opportunities

The admissions cycle for Fall 2026 has opened! Prospective graduate students interested in joining my new research group in the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering at Purdue University starting Fall 2026 can reach out to me at meng188@purdue.edu. Please include your CV, a brief description of your research interests, and why you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree with my group. The application process and requirements can be found here.

We welcome undergraduate students interested in completing an independent study or thesis in our group. Students should contact Dr. Yue Meng at meng188@purdue.edu to discuss projects and opportunities. We also work with undergraduate students through summer research programs such as Purdue University Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) .

Students with interests or experience in any of the following are particularly encouraged to apply:

  • Geophysical glaciology
  • Multiphase flow in porous media
  • Hydrology, hydraulics, sediment transport
  • Oceanography
  • Granular mechanics