I am interested is in the intricate behaviour of complex systems from the dynamics of fluid flows to the deformation of elastic materials, encompassing both curiosity-driven and industrially-relevant phenomena. Our laboratory-based research into complex systems is a creative activity as it often reveals unexpected phenomena, whose understanding and interpretation in turn requires mathematical modelling.

Current research in my group is focused on the dynamics and instabilities that arise from the displacement of one fluid by another is either rigid or flexible vessels. Applications range from pulmonary airway reopening to enhanced oil recovery applications.  One particular interest is the influence of non-uniform vessel geometry on the modes of bubble propagation and liquid recovery. The presence of a fluid interface that is inherently nonlinear means that complex dynamics occur even for slow flows where inertial forces are negligible. Our experimental approach often leads to unexpected observations, which we follow up with a programme of careful experimentation and modelling in collaboration with A. Hazel and M. Heil (Mathematics). We have recently extended this two-pronged approach to industrial problems, with projects ranging from free-surface flows of chocolate to multiple droplet impacts in inkjet printing.