Lou Kondic, associate professor, in the department of mathematical sciences at NJIT, is currently involved in the mathematical modeling and simulating of granular materials in a microgravity environment.  The development of numerical methods for highly nonlinear partial differential equations related to the flows of thin liquid films also interests him as well as modeling and the numerical simulations of fluid flows focusing on interfacial dynamics, free surface flows and the dynamics of granular systems.

Kondic’s research interests have also led him to the supersonic dynamics of gas bubbles in liquids exposed to acoustic radiation.  He has done analytical and computational modeling of convective and radiative energy transfer between fluids.  The work has been applied to the effect of single bubble sonoluminescence.  In the area of granular materials, Kondic has focused on developing analytical models plus molecular dynamics simulations of two- and three-dimensional granular systems. Thin liquid films performing large-scale computational simulations to understand contact line instabilities and resulting pattern formation has been an another interest.  

In 2005, Kondic received a Fulbright Foundation grant and traveled to Argentina to study the dynamics of non-Newtonian liquid films involving contact lines. He currently leads two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants totaling almost $600,000: “Bridging the Spatial and Temporal Scales in Dense Granular Systems” a $170,000 (from 2006-2009) and a new $378,000 collaborative research grant running through 2012: Computational Homology, Jamming and Force Chains in Dense Granular Flows.  From 2006-2008, he was the PI for a $100,000 NSF grant focusing on interfacial fluid dynamics.

Kondic received his doctorate from the City University of New York.