|
Background
|
I joined the School of Computing
in September 2000 to take up my first permanent lectureship position.
Prior to this I spent a number of years doing postdoctoral research, first
in the Department of
Mathematics at the University of Reading (where I also did my Ph.D.),
and then in DAMTP at Cambridge
University. I also have a couple of years of industrial experience, having
worked for British Aerospace immediately after graduating from my first
degree.
|
|
Research
|
Within the School, I am part of the
Scientific Computation group and contribute to the
work of the Computational
PDEs Unit. My research interests are generally in the area of
Scientific Computing and Computational Fluid Dynamics, but the main
focus is on creating numerical methods which naturally retain the
properties of the underlying partial differential equations. It can
be summarised crudely by the following headings.
|
- Methods:
- numerical methods for multidimensional conservation laws;
- finite volume, finite element and fluctuation splitting schemes,
and their interrelationships;
- upwind schemes for hyperbolic equations;
- total variation diminishing/monotonicity preserving/positive schemes;
- high order methods on unstructured meshes;
- adaptive mesh refinement and movement;
- balanced discretisation of source terms;
- computational methods for reaction-diffusion equations;
- approximation of problems with moving boundaries;
- multiscale modelling.
- Applications:
- aerodynamics;
- hydrodynamics and coastal engineering;
- meteorology, global atmospheric modelling;
- flow in porous media;
- electromechanical heart activity;
- cancer modelling, especially angiogenesis.
I am always looking to take on high quality research students or develop
new collaborations so please get in touch if you have interests in any of
the above areas or related subjects. Below are links to pages which provide
more detail about my
I am also a member of the University of Leeds
Earth, Energy and Environment Interdisciplinary Institute .
|
|
Teaching
|
Having a maths background has meant that most of my teaching prior to
arriving in Leeds has been mathematical, ranging from introductory
calculus and matrices and advanced numerical analysis to FORTRAN
programming and a variety of specialist courses on the (now renamed)
M.Sc. in Numerical Solution of Differential Equations
at Reading University. Since coming to Leeds I have been involved in the
following modules. An outline of each one can be found
here.
- Object Oriented Programming (OOP/COMP5010):
ensuring that M.Sc. students in Information Systems and Distributed
Multimedia Systems all reached an appropriate level of expertise in
Java programming (2000/01).
- Advanced Scientific Computation (SC33/COMP3570/CCFD5210):
teaching final year Computing and Mathematics undergraduates, and M.Sc.
students in Computational Fluid Dynamics about the practicalities of
using computers to efficently (and adaptively) approximate integrals and
derivatives, to solve large systems of equations, and to apply
these techniques to the ordinary and partial differential equations that
are used to model the physics of the world around us (2000/01--2002/03).
- Mathematics for Computing I (MA11/COMP1500):
discrete mathematics for first year Computing undergraduates, many of
whom had hoped that they'd got rid of maths when they'd finished their
GCSEs (2001/02--2006/07).
- Introduction to Scientific Computation (SC23/COMP2570):
foundation material for second and third year Computing and Mathematics
undergraduates who want to know more about how computers can be used to
simulate continuous processes, including function approximation and data
interpolation, solution of nonlinear equations and systems of equations
and, possibly most importantly the vagaries of floating point arithmetic
(2003/04--2007/08).
- Computational Modelling (CMD/COMP5320M):
foundation material for masters students introducing computational algorithms
for data modelling and kinematic simulation of physical and biological systems,
for students both within Computing and on the
M.Sc. in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (2007/08).
- Specialist/Non-Specialist Projects
(PD32/COMP3510--PD33/COMP3520):
an opportunity for final year students to work on an independent project
of their own choice, which means that I could end up supervising just
about anything related to Computing (2000/01--present).
- M.Sc. Projects
(PR3/COMP5200M):
independent projects carried out by masters students over the summer,
both within Computing and on the
M.Sc. in Computational Fluid Dynamics
(2000/01--present).
|
|
Administration
|
I have had a variety of administrative tasks since arriving in Leeds, listed below.
- Student Feedback Representative (2000--2001).
- Scientific Computation Course Team Convenor (2001--2007):
representing Scientific Computing on the School Learning and
Teaching Committee and guiding its teaching in the School.
- Scientific Computation seminar organiser: see
here
for a list of recent and upcoming seminars (2001--2008).
- Year Tutor (2001--2004): general responsibility for one particular
cohort of students throughout their time in the School, not least
representing them on exam boards.
- Undergraduate Admissions Tutor (2003--2008): taking on the
task of keeping the quantity and quality of our students up just
as applications for computing-related subjects seem to have peaked
for the moment -- for more information about our degree programmes
please either see our
web page
or email the admissions team at
ugadmit@comp.leeds.ac.uk
|
|
