The Fluid Mechanics Research Group in Aberdeen has a long history that started in 1946 when Professor Jack Allen was appointed to the Jackson Chair at the (then) Department of Engineering. Over the years, the research focus of the group has significantly expanded and currently covers a wide spectrum of present-day topics and problems. Although they are often interrelated, for convenience the research topics are grouped into the following major Research Areas:
- Open-channel flow hydrodynamics
- Coastal hydraulics
- Sediment dynamics
- Porous media flows
- Droplet and liquid-solid impacts
- Renewable energy hydraulics
- Hydrodynamics of aquatic ecosystems and biomimetics
- Biomedical fluid mechanics
- Mathematical modelling and Computational Fluid Dynamics
These areas constitute the remits of the Fluid Mechanics Research Group that involves 15 members representing diverse research directions. The central goal of the Group is to advance fundamental knowledge of the fluids phenomena in order to develop better understanding and advanced tools for enhanced design and management of natural and engineered fluid systems and processes, such as rivers, canals, coastal seas, subsurface flows, multi-phase systems, biomedical flows and flow-biota interactions in aquatic systems.
The Group’s research combines in-depth theoretical analysis, numerical simulations, and advanced experimentation, underpinned by advanced facilities and computational tools. Among them, the Group is proud of the Aberdeen Fluid Mechanics Laboratory that houses state-of-the art water flumes, wave tanks and flow tunnels, equipped with advanced instrumentation such as the world-first robotic multi-camera Particle Image Velocimetry System developed by the Group, and other acoustic and laser-based measurement systems.