Dr Vladimir Shtern is an applied mathematician. He received his PhD (1970), Doctor of Sciences (1978) and Professor (1990) degrees from the Institute of Thermal Physics in Novosibirsk, Russia. He has worked at the University of Houston (1990–2003), the University of Seville (1993–1994), the DLR Institute of Fluid Mechanics in Gottingen, Germany (1994–1995), the University of Bristol (1997) and as the Senior Scientist of General Vortex Energy Inc. in Missouri City, Texas (2008–2010). He has also served as a consultant for Shell US and BP-Amoco Exploration. Dr Shtern is a specialist in fluid mechanics and heat transfer with a focus on vortex flows, thermal convection, combustion, hydrodynamic instability and bifurcation theory. His results include analytical solutions of the Navier–Stokes, Boussinesq, MHD and compressible gas equations, and explaining mechanisms of intriguing and practically important flow effects, such as multiple solutions, hysteretic transitions and vortex breakdown among others. Dr Shtern is an author of three books and more than one-hundred papers in referred archival journals.
'This book is very interesting and well written. Each chapter is clearly developed and the problems are well treated from both the theoretical and the practical points of view. It will be useful to all researchers interested in various problems related to counterflows.' Mirela Kohr, Mathematical Reviews