Meet our new Co-Director - Arash Rabbani

We are delighted to welcome Arash Rabbani as Co-Director of the CDT. To help introduce Arash to the CDT community, we asked him a few questions about his background and motivations for the role.

What attracted you to the role of Co-Director within the CDT?
My doctoral training in Chemical Engineering at Manchester and my present lectureship in Artificial Intelligence at Leeds placed me at the intersection of fluid dynamics and machine learning. I am already a component lead within COMP5455M Data-Driven Fluid Dynamics, a CDT supervisor, and an Internal Stakeholder Group member, and Co-Director felt like a natural next step in that engagement.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and research interests?
I lead the Data Flow Lab at the University of Leeds, where my research addresses flow-solid interaction and multi-phase transport phenomena in micro-structured and heterogeneous materials, spanning pore-scale simulation, Lattice Boltzmann methods, and pore network modelling, with machine learning deployed throughout for computational efficiency and property prediction.

What does this role mean to you, and what are you most looking forward to?
I am looking forward to contributing strategic leadership on data-driven methods across the CDT's research programme. I want training components and team challenge projects to give students hands-on, applied data-driven skills they can carry directly into their own doctoral research.

How do you define an inclusive and supportive research environment?
One where students feel welcome regardless of their background, are given equal opportunity to participate and contribute, and feel a genuine sense of belonging within the research community. It also means recognising that students arrive with different life circumstances and experiences, and shaping support around that rather than expecting everyone to fit the same mould.

What are your key priorities for enhancing equality, diversity and inclusion within the CDT?
My priority is ensuring students have equal opportunities to progress and succeed regardless of their background, including fair access to supervision, funding, and career development support throughout their PhD. I would also like to see this embedded from recruitment onward, so that selection processes are transparent and applied consistently, and inclusion is not something addressed only after students have already joined.

How do you plan to engage with students and staff across the CDT?
I currently co-supervise nine PhD students across four Schools and Faculties, including one within the CDT itself. I am keen to take on a personal tutor role for CDT students and to stay engaged with their career development throughout their time in the programme. I would also like to help students sharpen their AI skills and make thoughtful use of generative AI tools in their research.

What advice would you give to students from underrepresented backgrounds pursuing a PhD in fluid dynamics?
Coming from a minority background myself and having studied a PhD in a fluid-related topic, I am familiar with language barriers and the challenge of settling into a new academic culture. My advice is to build strong computational skills early. The ability to combine physical understanding with data-driven methods is increasingly what distinguishes impactful research in this field, and it is a skill set that can be developed regardless of your starting background.

What initiatives or activities would you like to introduce or expand?
I would like to expand data-driven training components across the CDT curriculum. I am also keen to support students in the ethical and professional use of generative AI tools, helping them build this as a genuine research skill they can carry forward whether their careers lead into academia or industry. Generative AI is increasingly shaping the future of data-intensive careers, and I want CDT students to be well prepared for that shift.

Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
In my spare time, I enjoy painting, either digital or the old-fashioned way. I'm also an avid reader of fantasy fiction, with favourites ranging from J.R.R. Tolkien to Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.

What is one thing you would like CDT students to know about you?
My door is always open (Bragg 2.21, and you still need to tap your card!), for research questions, career advice, or heated debates about whether the Eagles should have just flown the Ring to Mordor!