Leyla Amiri

Short CV

Leyla Amiri is an early-career Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Université de Sherbrooke, where she has been faculty since 2022. She specializes in multiphysics energy systems with emphasis on fluid flow and heat transfer in porous media. She earned her PhD in Mining Engineering from McGill University (2020) after completing her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Civil–Environmental Engineering at the University of Tehran.

Her research integrates advanced numerical modeling with experimental validation to enhance thermal energy storage (TES), with a focus on rock-based packed beds. She has developed pioneering pore-scale and 3D conjugate CFD models for large natural heat exchanger units used in heating, cooling, and ventilation of deep underground mines in Canada, and has led pilot-scale projects on greenhouse climate control as well as low- to high-temperature TES systems.

With 40+ peer-reviewed publications, collaborations across Europe, Africa, and North America, and over $1M in research funding, her work has strong industrial and societal impact. As a Hans Fischer Fellow, she will collaborate with TUM to develop modular TES systems operating up to 800 °C, advancing renewable integration and delivering sustainable energy solutions for industry and remote communities.

Selected Awards

• 2025–2028, Hans Fischer Fellowship, Technical University of Munich – Institute for Advanced Study, Germany
• 2025, International Young Researcher Award, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
• 2020–2022, Claire Deschênes Postdoctoral Fellowship, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada
• 2020–2022, FRQNT Postdoctoral Fellowship, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada
• 2020–2021, Killam Trusts Postdoctoral Fellowship, Dalhousie University, Canada
• 2018,  McGill University Silver Medal, Mining & Materials Department, Canada
• 2018, James Douglas Award in Mining Engineering, McGill University, Canada
• 2016, Hatch Fellowship in Engineering, McGill University, Canada

Research Interests

Thermal Energy Storage (TES), Rock TES, Porous Media Heat Transfer, Multiphysics Modeling, CFD, Renewable Integration, Industrial Decarbonization

Selected Publications

• Hosseinnia, S.M., Ermagan, H.*, Sasmito, A.P., Poncet, S., Amiri, L. (2025). Two-stage transcritical high temperature CO₂ heat pump for dual heating-cooling coupled with thermal energy storages. Applied Thermal Engineering, 279:127802.
• Mousavi Ajarostaghi, S.S.*, Poncet, S., Amiri, L. (2025). Freezing process in a cold energy battery: A combined experimental, numerical and statistical perspective. Applied Thermal Engineering, 264:125370.
• Afsharpanah, F. *, Masoudi Izad, M., Mousavi Ajarostaghi, S.S., Poncet, S., Amiri, L. (2025). Numerical simulation of axial bent fins for the phase-change heat transfer enhancement in triplex-tube ice storage systems. International Journal of Thermofluids, 29:101404.
• Hoffmann, J.E., Ermagan, H.*, Sasmito, A.P., Amiri, L. (2025). Computational fluid dynamics challenges in packed bed of rocks: A technical note on volume averaging method. Energy Storage and Saving, in press.
• Hosseinnia, S.M.*, Amiri, L., Poncet, S. (2024). Performance analysis of a novel air-source ammonia/water cascade heat pump for heating buildings in subarctic climate. International Journal of Refrigeration, 164:57–74.
• Mousavi Ajarostaghi, S.S.*, Amirsoleymani, A., Arici, M., Dolati, A., Amiri, L. (2023). Thermal energy storage with PCMs: A comprehensive study of horizontal shell and multi-tube systems with finned design. Journal of Energy Storage, 72:108762.
• Amiri, L., Ermagan, H.*, Kurnia, J.C., Hassani, F., Sasmito, A.P. (2023). Progress on Rock Thermal Energy Storage (RTES) – A state of the art review. Energy Science & Engineering, 1–28.
• Mousavi Ajarostaghi, S.S.*, Poncet, S., Sedighi, K., Amiri, L. (2023). Solidification analysis in an ice-on-coil ice storage system: Experimental and numerical approaches.
  Journal of Energy Storage, 65:107291.
• Amiri, L., Madiseh, A., Hassani, F.P., Sasmito, A.P. (2020). Friction factor correlation for airflow through broken rocks and its applications in mine ventilation. International Journal of Mining Science and Technology, 30:455–462.
• Amiri, L., Rodrigues de Brito, M.A., Baidya, D., Kuyuk, A.F., Madiseh, A., Sasmito, A.P., Hassani, F.P. (2019). Numerical investigation of rock-pile based waste heat storage for remote communities in cold climates. Applied Energy, 252:113475.
• Amiri, L., Madiseh, A., Hassani, F.P., Sasmito, A.P. (2019). Estimating pressure drop and Ergun/Forchheimer parameters of flow through packed bed of spheres with large particle diameters. Powder Technology, 356:310–324.
• Amiri, L., Sasmito, A.P., Hassani, F.P., Madiseh, A. (2018). Effect of buoyancy-driven natural convection in a rock-pit mine air preconditioning system acting as a large-scale thermal energy storage mass. Applied Energy, 221:268–279.