Maxwell Institute · Heriot-Watt University

Mathematical fluid mechanics for real-world flows.

We combine mathematical analysis, computation, and experiment to explain and predict flows where intuition (and standard models) fall short, from wave-driven microplastic transport to the aerodynamics of seeds.

Research featured in Nature, BBC, Discovery, Time, and The New York Times.

Explore Research Meet the Team
Vortex-dominated flows
Seed flight, wakes, biological transport
Interfacial & multiphase flows
Drops, bubbles, liquid bridges, stability
Waves, structures & the seabed
Coastal structures, seabed failure, offshore loading
Sinking bubbles in Guinness Dandelion flight Pull-up flow Droplet dispersion Wave energy converter Face covering aerosol flow

Research featured in

Nature BBC Discovery Channel Time Magazine The New York Times

Supported by

UK Research and Innovation Royal Society Heriot-Watt University
We are recruiting! Looking for passionate PhD students, postdocs, and Master's students — see open positions.

Research overview

The Contraflow Group studies fluid mechanics across biological, interfacial, and coastal systems, with counterintuitive behaviour as the unifying theme and vortices as a recurring mechanism. Our work combines mathematical analysis, numerical simulation, and physical modelling to explain counterintuitive flow phenomena and to develop predictive tools for real-world applications.

Recent work has focussed particularly on wave-induced loading, seabed instability, and structural failure near marine and offshore infrastructure, while earlier discoveries on dandelion flight, uphill-moving droplets, and sinking bubbles revealed new mechanisms in vortex-dominated and multiphase flows.

Affiliated with

Maxwell Institute Heriot-Watt University