Professor Clovis R. Maliska, a pioneer CFD Professor, honored at the University of Waterloo, Canada
On November 26, the Faculty of Engineering gathered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, to celebrate the outstanding achievements of three distinguished alumni during this year’s Awards Dinner. On this occasion, Professor Clovis R. Maliska, an internationally recognized Brazilian expert in Computational Fluid Mechanics, and currently active contributor to the ESSS Institute, received the Alumni Achievement Medal for Academic Excellence, the highest honor granted to an alumnus. This accolade aims to acknowledge exceptional achievements in academic, professional, and social realms.
The event, hosted by Dr. Lisa Aultman-Hall, Professor and Chair of the System Design Department, highlighted the contributions of the honored leaders, showcasing the extensive impact of Waterloo Engineering alumni on technology, society, and innovation. The awards span three categories: Academic Excellence, awarded to Prof. Maliska; Professional Achievement, to Dr. Gamal Refai-Ahmed; and Community Services, to Belinda Elysee-Collen.
A pioneer of CFD in Latin America
In 1978, Prof. Clovis Maliska traveled to Canada to pursue his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. Under the guidance of Prof. George D. Raithby, he completed his degree in 1981, establishing a distinguished academic career over the years. According to the University, his pioneering work in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has supported engineers and industries in South America, Europe, and North America through his scientific works, courses and books.
The award received in Canada honors Prof. Maliska’s entire academic and professional journey. According to him, the recognition is mainly due to the consistency of his work in the field of CFD. “If you ask engineers and professors in which field Prof. Maliska works, they’ll say that he works with Computational Fluid Dynamics,” he explains. His main contribution has been spreading CFD in Brazil and Latin America through his work as professor, the books he wrote, the courses he taught, and his involvement with companies on innovative projects in the numerical simulation field. He was therefore an important vector in the dissemination and popularisation of Computational Fluid Dynamics.
After completing his PhD, Prof. Maliska returned to Brazil determined to apply CFD technologies and founded the CFD laboratory at the Federal University of Santa Catarina – UFSC, despite the technological challenges he faced. “I brought something new, since CFD was emerging, and there was almost no work about this numerical technology in Brazil. At that time, it was difficult to work because we lacked adequate equipment. Running a simple engineering problem required a computer that cost around 1 million US dollars,” he recalls. “But I knew that computational fluid dynamics would grow a lot—not because I’m a visionary, but because numerical methods grow along with the advances in computers. In the following years, computers became more accessible in Brazil and created better conditions for us,” he remarks.
Prof. Maliska delivers a speech during the ceremony.
Alumni Achievement Medal for Academic Excellence.
Prof. Maliska quickly became an international reference in the development and application of numerical methods for heat transfer and fluid mechanics. However, his goal was not limited to academia; he also focused on the development and application of these technologies in industry. His work with the Simulation Laboratory – SINMEC at UFSC was a driving force behind the creation of ESSS – Engineering Simulation and Scientific Software – a spin-off of his laboratory. The company became a pioneer in computer simulation in Brazil and has since gained international recognition. “We wanted to work with the industry while maintaining our commitment to excellence and the quality of our work,” says Maliska.
Since its foundation in 1995, as a spin-off of SINMEC, ESSS has maintained strong ties with research, education, and industrial challenges. Throughout its history, the company has successfully combined academic development with market initiatives. ESSS has earned international recognition by providing a comprehensive range of numerical simulation solutions to thousands of companies in industries such as oil and gas, aerospace, mining, automotive and energy. This synergy is still active today, with ESSS contributing directly to education and research in more than 1000 universities throughout Latin America and South Europe, providing technology ranging from basic concepts to highly complex projects. Through the ESSS Institute, the company also offers a wide range of courses, from introductory levels to advanced specializations, for academics and engineers who want to continue and improve their education. ESSS Institute also performs R&D work, keeping Prof. Maliska active in this sector, contributing to important ESSS projects in the field of numerical methods for fluid flows.
A path of academic excellence
Clovis Maliska holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from UFSC (1973), where he also received his Master’s degree (1975). Since 1974, he has worked as a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UFSC, where he also coordinated SINMEC, the Laboratory of Numerical Simulation in Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer.
As a faculty member, he taught courses in Fluid Mechanics, Heat Transfer, and Computational Fluid Dynamics at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. During his 49 years of teaching career, he supervised 51 master’s students and 24 doctoral students before retiring in 2023. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering (ANE), where he holds Chair 71, and a Commander of the Brazilian National Order of Scientific Merit, awarded by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Prof. Maliska (center), along with his son, Clovis Maliska Jr., CEO of ESSS (left), and Marcus Reis, Vice President of ESSS (right).
Prof. Maliska’s academic and bibliographic contributions are remarkable. In 1995, he published a pioneering book in Brazil on CFD, Heat Transfer and Computational Fluid Mechanics, whose second edition (2004) is widely used as a textbook in most engineering programs. His most recent book, Fundamentals of Computational Fluid Dynamics, has been downloaded more than 16,000 times, both as a complete book and as individual chapters.
In addition, Prof. Maliska has worked extensively in the Oil and Gas sector, coordinating two major projects: PRH09, a human resources training program of the National Petroleum Agency (ANP), and PFRH-Superior, a training program of Petrobras. He maintained a partnership with Petrobras to develop methodologies in reservoir simulation, well-reservoir coupling, and geomechanics. He also served three terms as a member of CNPq’s Advisory Committee for Mechanical Engineering (CA-EM), elected by his peers.
Recently, after his retirement from the University of Santa Catarina, Prof. Maliska has been dedicating part of his professional time as an “academic advisor” to ESSS Institute, guaranteeing high-quality standards to all training/educational material produced, as well as getting involved in R&D projects for ESSS’s important customers and partners around the world.
