Professional Profile

Dr. Takahiro Adachi is a distinguished academic and researcher currently serving as a Professor at Akita University within the Faculty of Engineering Science. With a career spanning over two decades, he has established himself as an expert in the mechanics of fluids and thermal systems, contributing significantly to both theoretical understanding and practical applications in engineering.

Academic Background

He earned his Doctor of Engineering (Ph.D.) in Mechanical Engineering from Doshisha University, Japan, in 1999. This rigorous academic foundation has underpinned his long-standing focus on complex thermal–fluid phenomena.

Research Expertise & Focus

Professor Adachi’s work sits at the intersection of classical fluid dynamics and cutting-edge computational methods. His primary areas of expertise include:

• Flow Stability: Investigating the transitions and behaviors of fluid motion.
• Heat Transfer Enhancement: Developing methods to improve thermal efficiency in engineering systems.
• Data-Driven Science: Leveraging modern data analytics to interpret and predict complex thermal–fluid behaviors.
• Electrification of Aircraft: Researching sustainable aviation technologies and the thermal challenges associated with electric propulsion.

Notable Achievements

Throughout his career, Professor Adachi has been a prolific contributor to the scientific community:

• Publications: He has authored numerous peer-reviewed studies in prestigious international journals such as Chemical Engineering Science and the International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer.
• Project Leadership: He has served as a Principal Investigator on multiple competitive research projects funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), tackling diverse topics from atomization to data-driven fluid analysis.
• Awards: In 2006, his excellence in research was recognized with the Paper Award from the Japan Society of Food Engineering.

Current Research Focus

Professor Adachi is currently spearheading research into aircraft electrification, a critical field for the future of sustainable transport. His work continues to evolve by integrating data-driven science approaches to better understand and solve contemporary challenges in thermal–fluid phenomena.

In 2015, Dan worked as a marketing manager for a luxury fashion company. One evening, while watching ice caps cascade into the ocean during a re-run of Frozen Planet, Dan suddenly realised he needed to do something to help. He quit his job the next day to join the global effort to reverse the climate crisis. While researching climate solutions, Dan came across Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, or OTEC. It had the potential to provide affordable, clean energy to the Small Island Developing States that urgently need it. But developers had been distracted by huge, mega-scale OTEC systems. This inspired Dan’s vision to start small and reduce tropical island nations’ reliance on fossil fuels through OTEC. Using his experience in building exceptional teams, he assembled world-class OTEC and offshore engineering professionals and launched Global OTEC in 2017. He’s been the main driver of the company’s development, forged partnerships with intergovernmental organisations, and speaks regularly at UN events as an ocean energy authority.

Dr Tan Wen Shan received the B.Eng. (honors) degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Universiti Malaysia Sabah in 2011, his M. Eng. degree and Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), in 2013, and 2017 respectively. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at Department of Electrical and Robotics Engineering and Centre for Net-Zero Technology, Monash University Malaysia. His research interests include power system operation and planning, power systems  resilience, machine learning assisted optimization, transactive energy market, and blockchain.