As Simple as Possible, but Not Simpler

Abstract

For at least two decades, Alfio Quarteroni has been at the forefront of research on fluid dynamics, especially in the most complicated type of problems: those in which a moving fluid interacts with a flexible surface. He is perhaps most noted for his role as the chief scientific advisor for the Swiss team that won the America’s Cup yacht race in 2003 and defended its title successfully in 2007. The team’s secret weapon was computational fluid dynamics, which they used to obtain the largest possible performance improvements from tiny tweaks in the shape of the boat.