Bremhorst Lecture Series

Professor Bremhorst is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Queensland where he also gained his PhD and DEng.  After some time in industry with ICIANZ Ltd, he returned to The University of Queensland to follow interests in the fields of thermodynamics, fluid flow and heat transfer.  An Alexander von Humboldt scholarship allowed him to pursue joint research with the University of Karlsruhe and the Nuclear Research Centre in Karlsruhe, Germany. His interest in heat exchangers extended to fundamental work in turbulent flows, turbulent heat transfer, development of hot-wire and hot-film anemometry as well as laser Doppler anemometry alongside with modelling of turbulent flows.

Professor Bremhorst’s major contribution to the science of modelling turbulence --- the Lam-Bremhorst model --- is widely used and universally acknowledged. An interest in jet noise, as well as fluid mixing processes led to research of turbulent jet flows with collaborators at the University of Texas A&M and the University of Manchester.  In later research the focus became the role of turbulence in flow corrosion processes with emphasis on the application of direct numerical simulation of turbulent flows.

As the Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering (1992-2001), Professor Bremhorst fostered traditions of scholarly excellence and mentored a new generation of academics researching turbulence, thermodynamics and energy. He also had a ten-year appointment as the Chair of the Queensland Board of Professional Engineers during which time, an Act of Parliament was developed for the registration of professional engineers in Queensland which has become a model for compulsory registration of professional engineers in several other Australian states.  In 2006 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia and was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor of The University of Queensland.