Rate My Professor Novak Elliott

Dr. Novak Elliott serves as a Casual Academic and Adjunct Lecturer (Research) in the School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering within the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Curtin University. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Information Technology from the University of Western Australia (2000), a BE (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering and an MBiomedE in Biomedical Engineering from the University of New South Wales (2004), a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Warwick (2009), and a BSc in Physiotherapy from Curtin University (2022). Following his PhD, Elliott worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Curtin University, contributing to the Fluid Dynamics Research Group. His academic career bridges biomechanical engineering and clinical rehabilitation, leveraging expertise in human movement analysis, biological tissue mechanics under stress and strain, and joint replacement functionality. Elliott has also practiced as a physiotherapist since 2022, integrating engineering principles into patient care.

Elliott's research specializes in fluid-structure interactions (FSI) within physiological contexts, including wave propagation in poroelastic models of the spinal canal relevant to syringomyelia pathogenesis, compliant wall dynamics in channel flows analogous to human snoring and sleep apnoea, and patient-specific upper airway flow modeling. Key publications include 'The stability of a flexible cantilever in viscous channel flow' (with M. Heil, 2016), 'Fluid–structure interactions in a cylindrical layered wave guide with application in the spinal column to syringomyelia' (Journal of Fluids and Structures, 2017), 'Large-Amplitude Oscillations of a Finite-Thickness Compliant Plate in Viscous Channel Flow' (2010), 'Syringomyelia and the Fluid-Structure Interactions of a Compliant Spinal Insert' (2014), and 'Stability of a Flexible Wall Separating Two Inviscid Channel Flows' (2013). His work has garnered approximately 367 citations. Elliott has presented research globally, including 'Wave propagation in a poroelastic model of the spinal canal' at the 1st CSF Hydrodynamics Symposium (2011) and 'Modelling waves in the spinal canal' (2014), addressing audiences of doctors, allied health professionals, and engineers. His contributions advance understanding of biomechanical stresses from cerebrospinal fluid dynamics and airway airflow.