Research
We are a world leading research group in the area of Civil Engineering Fluid Mechanics
The Fluid Mechanics Section is one of seven groups within the 5-star rated Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. It has ten academic staff members with a diverse range of research interests. These can be broadly split into two themes:
Research Areas
Coastal, waves and renewable energy
* Categorisation of real sea states
* Extreme wave modeling: application to offshore and coastal engineering
* Mean flow circulation patterns in estuarine and coastal environment
* Fluid-structure interactions: involving both offshore and coastal structures
* Wave and current transformation processes in nearshore waters
* Experimental fluid mechanics
* Fluid loading and flow-induced vibration
* Renewable energy in the marine environment: resources and devices
Environmental Fluid Mechanics
* Computational fluid mechanics
* Airflows in buildings-natural and hybrid ventilation
* Fire and smoke movement in tunnels and buildings
* Local exhaust ventilation systems
* Sediment transport: beach erosion and accretion
* Surf zone dynamics
* Jets, plumes and buoyancy driven flow
An overview of current research activity can be obtained by reference to the academic staff and researchers lists below.
Academic staff and on-going postgraduate research
Fluid Mechanics Academic and Teaching Staff A-Z
| Photo | Details |
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Henry BurridgeSenior Lecturer in Environmental Fluid Mechanics, PhDTransport of heat and mass by convection; Convection in the built environment; Effective ventilation of buildings; Modification of natural materials for use in buildings. |
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Adrian CallaghanSenior Lecturer, PhDDirector of MSc Engineering Fluid Mechanics for the Offshore, Coastal and Built Environments Breaking waves; Surface water waves; Two-phase flows; Air-entrainment; Upper ocean turbulence. |
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Marios ChristouSenior Lecturer in Fluid Mechanics and Mathematics, PhD, DIC, MEng, ACGIMetocean, Offshore and coastal engineering; Wave statistics; Freak/rogue waves; Analysis of field measurements; Wave-structure interaction; Wave-vessel interaction; Infragravity waves; Side-by-side and tandem offloading; Boundary Element Modelling. |
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John CraskeSenior Lecturer, Imperial College Research Fellow, PhDUndergraduate Examinations Officer Building physics; Buoyancy-driven turbulence; Jets and plumes; Numerical analysis; Inverse problems; Adjoint methods; Flow optimisation; Data assimilation. |
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Graham HughesChair in Environmental Fluid Mechanics, PhDHead of Fluid Mechanics Section Buoyancy-driven flows; Stratified turbulence and mixing; Convection; Turbulent plumes and jets; Flow energetics. |
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Ioannis KarmpadakisLecturer in Coastal Engineering, PhDCoastal engineering, wave heights, crest heights, wave breaking, coastal structures, nonlinear waves, shallow water depths, statistics Email Ioannis |
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Li MaLecturer in Fluid-Structure Interaction, PhD, DIC, MEng, ACGIFluid-structure interaction; Renewable energy systems; Extreme waves; Load statistics; Reliability; Hydrodynamic impacts; Wave-in-deck; Convective flows Email Li |
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Chris SwanProfessor of Hydrodynamics, PhD, CEng, MIMarESTSurface water waves; Extreme ocean waves; Wave kinematics; Wave statistics; Wave-structure and wave-vessel interactions; Wave loading; Impact loading; Experimental and numerical modeling. |
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Maarten van ReeuwijkProfessor of Urban Fluid Mechanics, BSc MSc PhDBuoyancy driven flows; Atmospheric and oceanic turbulence; Sustainable cities; Flow and dispersion in urban canopies; Heat and mass transfer; Direct Numerical Simulation; Large-eddy simulation. |
| Fluid Mechanics Academics A-Z | |
Download our Departmental Research Brochure
Fluid Mechanics Research Staff A-Z
| Photo | Details |
|---|---|
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Costanza RoddaResearch Associate, PhD[D*]stratify. The prediction and control of stratifications. Email Costanza |
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Kat RobertsResearch Associate, PhDSchools' air quality monitoring for health and education Email Kat |
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Andrew SmithResearch Associate, PhDQuantifying oceanic whitecap energy dissipation and bubble-mediated air sea fluxes. Email Andrew |
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Samuel WoodResearch Associate, PhDDeveloping models to better understand the role that building ventilation plays in the spread of Covid-19 Email Sam |
| Fluid Mechanics Research Staff A-Z | |
Fluid Mechanics Research Students A-Z
| Photo | Details |
|---|---|
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Yusuf AlmalkiStarted Jan 2020Coastal waves / Floating bodies Supervised by: Swan, C.; Karmpadakis, I. Email Yusuf |
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Nada AlsulaimanStarted Feb 2021Numerical modelling of the thermal effluent of power plants in a shallow, semi-enclosed bay Supervised by: Piggot, M; van Reeuwijk, M. Email Nada |
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Vasilis BellosStarted Jan 2020Wave propagation over complex coastal bathymetry Supervised by: Karmpadakis, I.; Swan, C. Email Vasilis |
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Rui CaoStarted Nov 2018Supervised by: Callaghan, A; Swan, C. Email Rui |
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Steven (Huo) CheongStarted Oct 2019Development of a probabilistic wave loading model for offshore structural designs Supervised by: Swan, C.; Ma, L.; Karmpadakis, I. Email Steven |
Constantin CraciunescuStarted Oct 2016 [submitted - pending award]Modelling realistic breaking waves Supervised by: Christou, M. Email Constantin |
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Lei DaiStarted Oct 2020Supervised by: Ma, L.; Swan, C. Email Lei |
Lizzie EllisonStarted Oct 2018As part of the CDT in Sustainable Civil Engineering Supervised by: Mashayek, A; Cheeseman, C.R. Email Lizzie |
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Pu GongStarted May 2018Numerical study of the natural ventilation driven by an occupant’s heat output considering the effect of radiation Supervised by: Hughes, G.; Burridge, H.C Email Pu |
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Jingzi HuangStarted Oct 2019Direct simulation of buoyancy driven flow Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M. Email Jingzi |
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Canwei JinStarted Jan 2022Peering inside breaking waves Supervised by: Callaghan, A; Craske, J Email Canwei |
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Cleo JongedijkStarted Dec 2017Lagrangian tracking of plastic particles in coastal areas and evaluation of beaching Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M., Alsina, J. Email Cleo |
Younmo LeeStarted Apr 2017Wave-structure and wave vessel interactions Supervised by: Swan, C. Email Younmo |
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Lucy Xinlu MaoStarted Oct 2021The reliability of offshore floating wind farms Supervised by: Swan, C.; Ma, L.; Karmpadakis, I. Email Lucy |
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Sam OwensStarted Oct 2019Towards real-time simulation of urban air quality and microclimate Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M. Email Sam |
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Xiwu PangStarted Nov 2021Simulating fluid load on offshore wind turbines Supervised by: Christou, M. Email Xiwu |
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Joe PeachStarted Oct 2019Measuring the space and time evolution of the geometric, kinematic and dynamic properties of oceanic breaking waves Supervised by: Callaghan, A; Benetazzo, A; Bidlot, J. Email Joe |
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Pepe Puchol-SalortStarted Sep 2018Infrastructure ecology framework for sustainable urban planning and water management As part of the CDT in Sustainable Civil Engineering Supervised by: Mijic, A.; van Reeuwijk, M. Email Pepe |
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Nick ReynardStarted Oct 2018As part of the CDT in Sustainable Civil Engineering Supervised by: Mashayek, A; Cheeseman, C.R. Email Nick |
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Chris WilsonStarted Oct 2021Quantifying variability of the surface energy balance in heterogeneous vegetated urban areas Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M. Email Chris |
| Fluid Mechanics Research Students A-Z | |
A good impression of our research interests and activities is also given by reviewing abstracts of completed Postgraduate research.
Completed PhD Research
Fluid Mechanics Alumni 2020-2023
2023
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Baker, Lois | The generation, propagation, and mixing of oceanic Lee waves Supervised by: Mashayek, A. |
| Mader, Johanna | Forward and inverse modelling of thermal stratifications in confined spaces Supervised by: Craske, J. |
2022
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Higton, Thomas | The fluid mechanics of unbalanced horizontal exchange flows in naturally ventilated buildings Supervised by: Burridge, H.C |
| Hossain, Md Rakib | Reconstructing flow from thermal wall imprint Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M.; Craske, J. |
| Vouriot, Carolanne | The potential for spatial variations in exposure and infection risk within a typical UK classroom: COVID-19 as a case study Supervised by: Burridge, H.C; van Reeuwijk, M. |
| Zve, Sotiria | Nonlinear interactions in random seas and crest-height statistics for sea-states in finite water depth Supervised by: Swan, C.; Hughes, G. |
2021
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Bangun, Emma | Nonlinear forcing, response and damping of Oscillating Water Columns Supervised by: Swan, C., |
| Dieu, Emily | Mixing and transport in inclined gravity currents Supervised by: Hughes, G. |
| Fiuza Dosil, Daniel | Improved models for natural displacement ventilation Supervised by: Burridge, H.C; Hughes, G. |
| Gray, Alexander | Extreme waves under significant wind stress As part of the CDT in Sustainable Civil Engineering Supervised by: Swan, C., Christou, M. |
| Jordan, Owen Huw (MPhil only) |
Turbulent plumes in a uniform crosswind Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M.; Vassilicos, J.C. |
| Le Cornec, Clemence | Real-world variability, modelling and mitigation of road transport emissions Supervised by: Stettler, MEJ.; van Reeuwijk, M. |
| Satheesh Kumar Nair, Vishnu | Particle and droplet dynamics at cloud-environment interfaces Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M. |
| Sutzl, Birgit | Rising from the ground: Distributed drag parameterization of urban environments for numerical weather prediction As part of the CDT in Mathematics of Planet Earth Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M.; Cotter, C.; Rooney, G (Met Office) |
2020
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Capril-Carniere Auwerter, Liliane | Low friction surfaces for water transmission As part of the CDT in Sustainable Civil Engineering Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M., Cheeseman, C., Tempelton, M. |
| Eichentopf, Sonja | Beach morphodynamics under sequences of high and low energy wave conditions Supervied by: Christou, M.; Alsina, J. |
| Grylls, Tom | Large-eddy simulation of air quality and building energy efficiency in urban areas As part of the CDT in Sustainable Civil Engineering Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M. |
Fluid Mechanics Alumni 2010-2019
2019
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Beyer, Magnus | Nonlinear interactions of waves with arbitraily-sheared currents Supervised by: Swan, C. |
| Hadjigeorgiou, Demetris | Nonlinear wave interactions in realistic sea states Supervised by: Swan, C.; Christou, M. |
| Karmpadakis, Ioannis | Wave statistics in intermediate and shallow water depths Supervised by: Swan, C.; Christou, M. |
| Padilla de la Torre, Enrique | Wave-group propagation and hydrodynamics in the inner surf and swash zones Supervised by: Swan, C.; Alsina, J. |
| Suter, Ivo | Simulating the impact of blue-green infrastructure on the microclimate of urban areas Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M. |
2018
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Alpresa Gutierrez, Paola | Fluid dynamics of orbitally-shaken shallow fluid layers Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M.; Sherwin, S.; Weinberg, P. |
| Kaisman, Erwan Hafizi | Numerical modelling of wave interactions with a vertical surface-piercing column. [Read the abstract] Supervised by: Swan, C. First Destination: |
| Ma, Li | The effective modelling of wave-in-deck loads. [Read the abstract] Supervised by: Swan, C. First destination: Post-doc position in the Fluid Mechanics Section |
2017
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Makri, Isavella | Hydrodynamics of floating offshore wind turbines. [Read the abstract] Supervised by: Christou, M. First Destination: |
| De Lutio, Livio | Extreme waves in intermediate and shallow water depth [Read the abstract] Supervised by: Swan, C. First Destination: Senior Analyst, Data Science & Analytics at Criteo |
| Bruggemann, Mark | Floating body hydrodynamics: A load driven approach. [Read the abstract] Supervisor: Spinneken, J., Swan, C. First Destination: Evergreen Innovations |
2016
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Aknin, David | Creating a shallow-water experimental wave environment. [Read the abstract] Supervised by: Spinneken, J., Swan, C. First Destination: Operations Assistant Manager on the ECO scheme at Ofgem |
| Craske, John | Unsteady turbulent jets and plumes. [Read the abstract] Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M. First Destination: Academic position at Imperial College |
| Haley, Joe | Fluid forcing in the crests of large ocean waves. [Read the abstract] Supervised by: Swan, C. First Destination: Shell |
| Rodriguez, Marcos | The nonlinear wave loading and dynamic response of a freely-floating two-dimensional box. [Read the abstract] Supervisor: Spinneken, J., Swan, C. First Destination: Offshore Structural Engineer, Ramboll (Offshore Wind) |
2014
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Acred, Andy | Natural ventilation in multi-storey buildings: a preliminary design approach. [Read the abstract][Read the abstract] Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M., Hunt, G.R. First Destination: Research Associate, University of Cambridge |
| Shrinivas, Ajay Balasubramanian | Unconfined and confined turbulent plumes and jets in stratified environments. [Read the abstract] Supervised by: Hunt, G.R., van Reeuwijk, M. First Destination: |
| Latheef, Mohamed | Surface wave statistics in directionally spread seas. [Read the abstract] Supervisor: Spinneken, J., Swan, C. First Destination: |
2013
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Ely, Alice | Numerical modelling of viscous and turbulent free-surface flows using smoothed particle hydrodynamics. [Read the abstract] Supervised by: Swan, C. First Destination: Scientist, Hydrodynamics & Metocean Group, HR Wallingford |
| Connick, Owen | The fluid mechanics of hybrid ventilation. Supervised by: Hunt, G.R. First Destination: Technology Analyst at ClearViewIP |
| Burridge, Henry | The behaviour of miscible Boussinesq fountains in uniform quiescent environments. [Read the abstract][Read the abstract] Supervised by: Hunt, G.R. First Destination: Post-doctoral researcher, University of Cambridge |
| Lynch, Paul |
Aspects of the fluid mechanics of night-purging multi-storey atrium buildings. [Read the abstract]
Supervisor: Hunt, G.R.First Destination: Engineer, ARUP |
2012
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Peric, Milena | Nonlinear wave interactions with multiple bodies in close proximity. [Read the abstract] Supervised by: Swan, C. First Destination: Civil and environmental engineer, ASMEC, Serbia |
2011
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Ezzamel, Adam | Free and confined buoyant flows. [Read the abstract] Supervised by: Hunt, G.R. First Destination: Senior Geotechnical Engineer, Senergy Energy Services |
| Myrtroeen, Joergen | Negatively buoyant fluid projectiles. [Read the abstract] Supervised by: Hunt, G.R. First Destination: Trainee in SN Power |
| Roos, Jannicke | Wave-structure interaction. The effective prediction of wave-in-deck loads. [Read the abstract] Supervised by: Swan, C. First Destination: Management Consultant, McKinsey & Co. |
| Spentza, Eirini | Nonlinear wave interactions with fixed and floating bodies leading to unexpected wave impacts. [Read the abstract] Supervised by: Swan, C. First Destination: Metocean engineer at GL Noble Denton |
| Archibald, Stuart | Modelling of extreme ocean waves using high-performance computing. [Read the abstract] Supervised by: Swan, C. First Destination: Technical member of staff at OpenGamma |
Fluid Mechanics Alumni 2000-2009
2009
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Economidou, Marina | Transient buoyancy-driven flows in multi-storey buildings -- the fluid mechanics Supervised by: Professor G. R. Hunt First Destination: Senior Expert in Energy Efficiency at Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) |
| Spinneken, Johannes | Wave generation and absorption using force-feedback control Supervisor: Swan, C. First Destination: Lecturer, Imperial College London |
| Larice, Giuliana | Classifying steady states in emptying-filling boxes Supervisor: Professor G. R. Hunt First Destination: Management Consultant, PWC |
| Cooper, Jonathan | The role of atria in the passive ventilation of multi-storey buildings Supervisor: Professor G. R. Hunt First Destination: Civil Engineer, Transport for London |
| Radomski, Simon | Ventilation driven by complex heat distributions Supervised by: Professor G. R. Hunt. First Destination: Anglican Church |
2006
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Hague, Caroline | Fully nonlinear computations of directional waves, including wave breaking Supervised by: Swan, C. First Destination: MSc in Web Intelligence at King's College London |
| Masterton, Stephen | Nonlinear wave-structure interaction: scattering, forcing and dynamic response Supervised by: Swan, C. First Destination: Shell International Exploration & Production B.V. |
| Allgayer, David | Air and heat movement by revolving doors Supervised by: Professor G. R. Hunt First Destination: Structural Engineer, Expedition Engineering |
| Coffey, Chris | The fluid mechanics of emptying boxes Supervised by: Professor G. R. Hunt First Destination: Ministry of Defence |
| Christou, Marios | Fully nonlinear computations of waves and wave-structure interaction Supervised by: Swan, C. First Destination: Shell International Exploration & Production B.V. |
| Syrios, Kostas | Natural ventilation of buildings in urban canyons Supervised by: Professor G. R. Hunt |
2005
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Katsardi, Vasiliki (Vanessa) | Surface water waves in intermediate and shallow water depths Supervised by: Swan, C. |
| Tzivanaki, Kalliopi (Kelly) | The measurement of surface water waves simultaneously in space and time Supervised by: Swan, C. First Destination: Researcher, National Technical University of Athens |
2004
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Sheikh, Rizwan | Wave scattering from a vertical, surface-piercing cylinder Supervised by: Swan, C. First Destination: Shell International Exploration & Production B.V., |
| Gibson, Richard | Wave interactions and wave statistics in directional seas Supervised by: Swan, C. First Destination: British Petroleum (BP) |
2002
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Fung, C F (Chak Fai) | The structure of air-flow over waves Supervised by: Swan, C. |
2000
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Bateman, Will | Numerical modelling of extreme 3-D waves Supervised by: Swan, C. |
| James, Richard | Nonlinear wave-current interactions Supervised by: Swan, C. |
| Chamberlain, Neil | Oil spills in a wave environment Supervised by: Swan, C. |
Fluid Mechanics Alumni 1990-1999
1990-1999
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Smith, Susan | Large transient waves in shallow water Supervised by: Professor C. Swan |
| Black, Duncan | The interaction between waves and an overlying air flow Supervised by: Professor C. Swan |
| Bashir, Tahir | Nonlinear inertial loading and the onset of structural "ringing" Supervised by: Professor C. Swan |
| Kwan, S H (Shun Hang | A study of the near-field characteristics of round turbulent jets discharged int Supervised by: Professor C. Swan |
| Johannssen, T B | The effect of directionality on the nonlinear behaviour of extreme transient oce Supervised by: Professor C. Swan |
| Cummins, Ian | Nonlinear wave-current interactions Supervised by: Professor C. Swan |
| Baldock, Tom (T E) | Nonlinear transient water waves Supervised by: Professor C. Swan |
PhD Applicants
The Fluid Mechanics section welcomes PhD applications from highly motivated and enthusiastic students with a good first degree in a relevant discipline. Please see our Postgraduate research (PhD) page for more information.
Research Collaboration
Research collaboration with researchers from other universities and institutes is welcomed where complementary capabilities can be used to address current problems. For enquiries please contact Professor Chris Swan.
Consultancy
Many of our academics offer consultancy and expert witness services to Industry and Government, putting their expert knowledge into practice to address engineering problems all over the world. For more information please visit the Department's consultancy pages.
