A Spotlight on Women in Fluid Dynamics in the UK

This seminar will feature the UK Fluids Network Women in Fluid Dynamics UK Special Interest Group (SIG) and several invited speakers. There is currently a substantial underrepresentation of women in fluid dynamics at all career stages, and this SIG will provide a space to network, raise the profile of women across the breadth of fluid dynamics, support career development, be a voice for the community and to funders, and ultimately be a platform to enhance wider aspects of diversity in fluid dynamics. Introduction In this session the SIG leader, Dr Claire Savy (University of Leeds) will first summarise the SIG’s overall purpose and strategic aims. We will then dive into the key results and recommendations from the national women in fluids survey conducted by the SIG in 2024 and discuss next steps for the SIG based on the survey results. Three short talks from women in fluid dynamics in the UK across different topic areas in fluids will then close out the session. Unravelling three-dimensional active transport by ciliary arrays on coral surfaces Cilia-driven flows in corals are crucial for exchanging nutrients, removing waste, and maintaining the ambient conditions necessary for corals' survival. While various studies have identified that ciliary activity can influence mass transport, the effect of local ciliary orientation and heterogeneity remains unexplored. In this study, we combine non-invasive experimental measurements of ciliary distribution and alignment, quantification of flow fields and spatial oxygen distributions among several species of reef-building corals, and develop a mathematical model based on singularity solutions of the Stokes equations to investigate mass transport near the coral's surface. The study highlights the critical role of ciliary orientation in modulating transport processes and exemplifies the role of ciliary transport, particularly in low flow regimes. Ice particle motion near an aircraft surface Aircraft icing is a phenomenon wherein tiny ice particles from the atmosphere adhere to the surfaces of aircraft during flight, in worst cases causing serious accidents. Mathematical models of ice particle motion near aircraft surfaces are therefore needed for aircraft safety testing. In this talk, I will give an overview of the models of various common aircraft icing scenarios I developed during my PhD, including when ice particles enter the aircraft boundary layer, and when the aircraft surface is coated in a layer of water. Laboratory Generation and Visualisation of Internal Solitary Waves Internal solitary waves (ISWs) are large amplitude, nonlinear disturbances that propagate along density interfaces in stably stratified fluids such as oceans and lakes. Occurring at depth along the pycnocline, they can travel long distances without losing shape. Generated by large scale forcing such as tides and wind, ISWs transfer energy from basin scale motions to smaller scales where it is dissipated, driving diapycnal mixing that influences global circulation and biogeochemical cycles. They also affect offshore structures, navigation, and acoustic propagation, while interactions with the seabed resuspend sediments and modify benthic habitats. In this talk I will show how we generate, visualise, and measure ISWs in the laboratory. Using high resolution experimental movies, I will present examples of breaking waves, shoaling waves, and waves of different modes, illustrating the rich dynamics that arise even in controlled settings.