The present study analyzes mixed convection of laminar pulsatile flow and heat transfer past a backward-facing step in a channel. Discretization of the governing equations was achieved through a finite element scheme based on the Galerkin method of weighted residuals. Temporal variations of streamlines, isotherms, and dimensionless skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number were presented for various relevant dimensionless groups. Fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics were examined in the domain of the Reynolds number, Richardson number and the dimensionless oscillation frequency such that: 100 <= Re <= 1000, 1.78 x 10(-3) <= Ri <= 10, and 0.1 <= (SIC) <= 5. The working fluid is assigned a Prandtl number of 0.71 throughout this investigation. Our results illustrates that Reynolds number, Richardson number, and dimensionless oscillation frequency have a profound effect on the structure Of fluid flow, heat transfer fields, and skin friction coefficient. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.