a globally recognized expert in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), known for his bridging of academic theory and high-level industrial application.
Milovan Perić was born on August 24, 1957, in Čečava, Bosnia and Herzegovina. His interest in engineering began at age six after seeing an engineer draw a car and an airplane.
studied mechanical engineering at the University of Sarajevo (1976–1980), specializing in power and process engineering. He earned his PhD from Imperial College London in 1985. His thesis focused on flow computation in complex ducts using non-orthogonal grids.
Between 1986 and 1991, he was a researcher at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, where he pioneered work on parallel computing and multigrid methods. Technische Universität Hamburg
he was the Vice President for Technology at CD-adapco, a company known for its CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software, STAR-CCM+. In this role, he reported to the CEO, Steve MacDonald, and helped lead a team of over 800 employees. He shifted from full-time work to consulting due to the extensive travel demands, which kept him away from home for over half the year.
Since 2014, Milovan has worked as an engineering consultant, mainly for CD-adapco and later Siemens, which acquired the company in 2016. He has also consulted for other companies in Germany and taught Applied CFD at the University of Duisburg-Essen. As he plans to retire at the end of the year, Milovan is winding down his teaching and consulting roles but continues to pursue his passion for CFD on his terms.
He is working with Professor Bob Street on the fifth English edition of their book, “Computational Methods for Fluid Dynamics,” and will start publishing his work on CFD on the website for book readers: www.cfd-peric.de. Sponsored by Siemens, Milovan is also working on two YouTube video series on CFD, offering free lectures, presentations, and additional resources for students and teachers.
As he wraps up these projects, Milovan is considering future work that might involve improving current CFD techniques or exploring new, advanced methods.
Professional Milestones
- Academic Leadership: He served as a Professor for Fluid Dynamics at the Institute of Shipbuilding in Hamburg (now part of TUHH) from 1993 to 2001. He also holds a faculty position at the University of Duisburg-Essen.
- Software Founding: In 1997, he founded the ICCM Institute of Computational Continuum Mechanics GmbH. This company developed Comet, a groundbreaking CFD code for naval hydrodynamics later acquired by CD-adapco.
- Industry Executive: After Comet’s acquisition in 2002, he moved to CD-adapco (later Siemens Digital Industries Software), eventually becoming Vice President of Technology. He was a core architect of the STAR-CCM+ platform.
The George Washington University +7
Honors and Legacy
- Key Publications: Beyond his textbook, he has authored over 200 scientific papers.
- Awards: He is a recipient of the Japanese Government Award for Foreign Specialist and delivered the prestigious 43rd Georg Weinblum Memorial Lecture (2021/22).
- Current Projects: Now retired, he manages CoMeT Continuum Mechanics Technologies and recently released the Perić Lectures, a massive open-access video series on CFD.
Milovan Perić is most famous for his seminal textbook, which has gone through multiple editions and remains a core reference in the field of fluid mechanics.
- Computational Methods for Fluid Dynamics
- 4th Edition (2019/2020): Co-authored with Joel H. Ferziger and Robert L. Street. This edition features significant revisions and is available through Springer.
- 3rd Edition (2001/2002): Co-authored with Joel H. Ferziger.
- 2nd Edition (1999): Co-authored with Joel H. Ferziger.
- 1st Edition (1996): Co-authored with Joel H. Ferziger.
Foreign Language Editions
Due to its global importance, the book has been translated into several languages:
- German: Numerische Strömungsmechanik (published in 2008).
- Japanese: コンピュータによる流体力学 (published in 2003).
- Other licensed translations include Russian and Greek