Tadd Truscott
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Tadd Truscott is an American mechanical engineer and experimental fluid dynamicist. He is an associate professor of mechanical engineering and chair of the Mechanical Engineering Program at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, where he leads the Splash Lab.[1]
Education and career
[edit]Truscott received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Utah in 2003 and a PhD in mechanical and ocean engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2009.[1] After completing his doctorate, Truscott worked as a research engineer at the United States Naval Undersea Warfare Center. He later held academic positions at Brigham Young University and Utah State University before joining KAUST.[1]
Research
[edit]Truscott's research concerns experimental fluid mechanics, including droplet manipulation and transport, water entry and impact, cavitation and bubble dynamics, fluid–structure interaction, splash dynamics, and advanced flow visualization. His work combines high-speed imaging with custom experimental equipment and three-dimensional flow-measurement techniques.[1] He leads the Splash Lab, whose research focuses on the behavior of fluids during impacts, splashing, droplet motion, water entry, cavitation, and related fluid–solid interactions.[2]
Egg sprinkler phenomenon
[edit]The Splash Lab has studied partially submerged rotating objects in a project popularly known as the "egg sprinkler" phenomenon. The research found that a rotating egg or sphere can draw liquid up its surface and eject it near the object's maximum radius. The observed ejection patterns included jets, sheets, and breaking sheets; their form depended on variables including viscosity, angular velocity, immersion depth, and object diameter.[3] The phenomenon is not limited to eggs. The laboratory reported similar behavior in other partially submerged rotating objects whose radius changes with height, including spheres, inverted cones, and rings.[3]
Water-skipping spheres
[edit]The laboratory has also investigated elastic spheres skipping across water. Its research reports that highly deformable spheres can skip effectively on water despite bouncing poorly on land. The behavior is associated with the deformation of the sphere during impact and its interaction with the water surface.[4] Truscott was a co-author of publications on water-skipping stones and spheres and on the physics of elastic spheres skipping on water.[4]
Urinal splashback
[edit]Truscott has also contributed to research on urinal splashback and other fluid-impact phenomena. A 2013 American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics conference abstract associated with his work examined liquid-stream breakup, impact angle, fluid depth, and methods of reducing splashback.[5][failed verification] In 2026, Truscott received the Ig Nobel Prize in Physics jointly with Randy Hurd, Zhao Pan and Kaveeshan Thurairajah for "theoretical and experimental attempts to design a splash-free urinal." The award recognized theoretical and experimental work on the fluid dynamics of urinal splashback and methods of reducing it through changes in surface geometry and impact angle.[6] The award-related research should be distinguished from the 2025 paper "Splash-free urinals for global sustainability and accessibility: Design through physics and differential equations". That paper discusses the designs known as "Nautilus" and "Cornucopia", but Truscott is not listed among its authors.[7][relevant?]
Awards and recognition
[edit]In addition to the 2026 Ig Nobel Prize in Physics, KAUST lists Truscott as a recipient of the American Physical Society's Milton Van Dyke Award, an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, and an ASME Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting Award.[1] His research has also received recognition through the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics Gallery of Fluid Motion, which recognizes notable scientific visualization and fluid-mechanics research.[2]
Selected publications
[edit]- Truscott, T. T.; Wright, M. M.; Langley, K. R.; Belden, J. "Holy balls! Balls that walk on water." Physics of Fluids 24 (2012): 091103. doi:10.1063/1.4746071.
- Truscott, T. T.; Belden, J.; Hurd, R. "Water-skipping stones and spheres." 2014. "Elastic spheres walk on water." 2016. [failed verification]
- "Two instabilities in one liquid sheet." Physical Review Fluids, 2024 Gallery of Fluid Motion collection.[failed verification]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "Tadd Truscott". King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
- 1 2 "People". Splash Lab. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Eggs in Milk". Splash Lab. 17 September 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Publications". Splash Lab. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
- ↑ "Urinal splashback abstract" (PDF). American Physical Society. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
- ↑ "2026 Ig Nobel Prize Winners". Improbable Research. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
- ↑ "Splash-free urinals for global sustainability and accessibility: Design through physics and differential equations". PNAS Nexus. 4 (4). 2025. doi:10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf087. Retrieved 21 September 2026.