Summary
Oliver Buxton is a Reader in Experimental Fluid Mechanics in the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London. The main focus of his research is the application of laser diagnostics to turbulence research. In particular, he has focused on multiscale-generated turbulence and turbulent entrainment, specifically turbulent entrainment from a turbulent background. He is currently an EPSRC fellow applying these advances to understanding, and modelling turbulent wakes produced by wind turbines which is a vital precurosr to developing accurate wind-farm optimisation tools.
Another of his interests is cloud microphysics. In particular he is interested in exploring the nature of the turbulent/turbulent entrainment physics for warm cumulus clouds as well as the interaction between cloud-turbulence and water droplets. He has secured ERC funding for this purpose running from 2024 - 2029.
He also has a developing interest in Martian aerodynamics. Due to the thin atmosphere, and different chemical composition (primarily carbon dioxide), flight on Mars is characterised by a peculiar combination of transonic Mach number and very low Reynolds number (typical of insect flight on Earth).
Background
- 2021 - present Reader in Experimental Fluid Mechanics in the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London
- 2017 - 2021 Senior Lecturer in Experimental Aerodynamics in the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London
- 2013 - 2017: Lecturer in Experimental Aerodynamics in the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London
- 2011 - 2013: Post Doctoral Research Fellow at the Flowfield Imaging Lab at the University of Texas at Austin
- 2007 - 2011: PhD at Imperial College London, thesis title "Fine scale features of turbulent shear flow"
- 2003 - 2007: M.A/M.Eng in Engineering at St. John's College, the University of Cambridge
Publications
Journals
Bastankhah M, Mohammadi M, Lees C, et al., 2024, A fast-running physics-based wake model for a 2 semi-infinite wind farm, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, ISSN:0022-1120
Biswas N, Buxton O, 2024, Effect of tip speed ratio on coherent dynamics in the near wake of a model wind turbine, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol:979, ISSN:0022-1120
Buxton O, Chen J, 2023, The relative eļ¬ciencies of the entrainment of mass, momentum, and kinetic energy from a turbulent background, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol:977, ISSN:0022-1120, Pages:1-12
Caros L, Buxton O, Vincent P, 2023, Optimization of triangular airfoils for Martian helicopters using direct numerical simulations, Aiaa Journal: Devoted to Aerospace Research and Development, Vol:61, ISSN:0001-1452, Pages:4935-4945
Conference
Caros Roca L, Buxton O, Vincent P, 2024, The effects of free-stream eddies on optimized Martian rotorcraft airfoils, AIAA SciTech 2024 Forum, AIAA