The University Mourns. Professor Luigi de Luca Has Passed Away
The University Mourns. Professor Luigi de Luca Has Passed Away
Full Professor of Fluid Dynamics. A professor who is always present, capable of combining scientific excellence with a deep dedication to education
Professor Luigi de Luca, full professor of Fluid Dynamics in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Federico II, has passed away.
A native of Naples, born in 1952, Luigi de Luca graduated with honors in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Naples Federico II in 1977. After years of training as a CNR fellow and a period of international experience, he embarked on an academic career as a researcher, then as an associate professor in Turin and Naples, eventually becoming a full professor of Fluid Dynamics in 2000.
For over forty years, he has been a guiding figure for students: teaching Thermofluid Dynamics to entire generations of aerospace engineering students, Fluid Dynamics Stability for the Master’s program, and, since 2002, also lecturing at the Aeronautical Academy in Pozzuoli.
He served as Director of the Department of Energy, Applied Thermofluid Dynamics, and Environmental Control (DETEC) from 2000 to 2006, as Coordinator of the Ph.D. program, and as a member of the National Commission for Scientific Qualification. He has mentored an entire cohort of Ph.D. graduates who now work in both academia and industry.
An internationally recognized scholar, he has collaborated with NASA working groups on tethered satellites and with ESA, CIRA, Thales Alenia Space, and Avio. His research has spanned a wide range of topics, from non-intrusive diagnostics using infrared thermography for hypersonic flows to the numerical simulation of diesel engines and liquid jets, as well as theoretical studies on convective instability and separation control using plasma actuators and synthetic jets.
He is remembered as a rigorous researcher, curious about new methodologies—from computational fluid dynamics codes to the latest simulation techniques—and as a teacher who was always there for his students, capable of combining scientific excellence with a deep dedication to education. Those who were fortunate enough to know him will remember above all the kindness and purity of spirit that distinguished him in every relationship—with colleagues, collaborators, and students.
The Federico community shares in the grief of his family, colleagues, and students.