Oliver Buxton is a Professor of Fluid Mechanics in the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London. The main focus of his research is the application of laser diagnostics to turbulent flows, although he also collaborates with colleagues conducting DNS. 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 pre-curosr 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 and NERC 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

2024 - present Professor of Fluid Mechanics in the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London
2021 - 2024 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