Turbulence
Turbulence remains one of the last great unsolved problems in the engineering sciences. Developing our understanding of these complex flows allows us to formulate more accurate and robust predictive tools, which may then have applications in areas ranging from aircraft design to weather forecasting, commercial agriculture and even diagnostic medicine.
Research
Fundamental turbulence is a vibrant and growing area of research, encompassing a very broad mix of specialist fields including (amongst others) mathematics, nonlinear dynamics, electronics, acoustics, signal processing and high-power computing, alongside aerodynamics and thermodynamics.
Current work
Our current areas of work include:
- Data-driven analysis and modelling of turbulent flows by Dr Giovanni Iacobello
- Direct numerical simulations of turbulent flows and transition by Dr Olaf Marxen
- Investigating similarity characteristics within turbulent boundary layers and turbulent vortex flows by Dr David Birch
- Pollutant dispersion modelling in the atmospheric environment by Professor Alan Robins.
Get in contact
Contact our Administrative Hub at MES MES-SchoolAdminHub@surrey.ac.uk if you would like to know more about our turbulence research.
Facilities
We have numerous wind tunnels including a meteorological wind tunnel and EnFlo tunnel which is one of few in the world which allow experiments to be carried out in controlled conditions simulating the Earth's atmosphere.
Meet the team
Academic staff
Dr David Birch
Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering; Head of Centre for Aerodynamics & Environmental Flow
Dr Matteo Carpentieri
Associate Professor of Environmental Fluid Mechanics
Dr Philip Hancock
Emeritus Reader in Fluid Mechanics
Professor Nicholas Hills
Professor of Computational Engineering, Faculty Associate Dean of the Doctoral College
Dr Giovanni Iacobello
Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering Sciences
Dr Olaf Marxen
Senior Lecturer
Dr Marco Placidi
Senior Lecturer in Experimental Fluid Mechanics
Professor Alan Robins
Professor of Environmental Fluid Mechanics
Associated staff
Dr Michael Pekris
Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering Sciences
Professor Rex Thorpe
Professor of Chemical Engineering
Dr Mark Whiting
Associate Professor of Materials Ageing and Performance / Director of the Centre for Engineering Materials / William Penney Fellow in Materials Ageing
Postgraduate research students
Cam Southgate-Ash
Postgraduate Research Student