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Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics

Career

Oct. 90 - Present: Assistant Lecturer, then Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer, University of Cambridge

Oct. 11 - Present: Bye-Fellow and Director of Studies, Emmanuel College, Cambridge

Oct. 90 - Sept. 98: Fellow and Director of Studies, Selwyn College, Cambridge

Oct. 85 - Sept. 90: Lecturer, Imperial College London

Oct. 83 - Sept. 85: Lecturer, University College London

Oct. 82 - Sept. 83: Research Fellow, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge

Oct. 81 - Sept. 82: Research Fellow & Fulbright Scholar, Northwestern University

Jan. 81 - Sept. 81: Research Fellow, Selwyn College, Cambridge

Short and medium term visitor to the University of Brasilia, Caltech, Cornell University, Imperial College, NASA Langley, NASA Lewis, Ohio State University, Oxford University, the University of Michigan, Monash University, Moscow State University and PUC-Rio.

Qualifications

  • BA Mathematics (1977), University of Cambridge
  • Part III Mathematics (1978), MMath (2011), University of Cambridge
  • MA (1980), University of Cambridge
  • PhD (1981), University of Cambridge

Research

My research  centres around asymptotic descriptions of high-Reynolds-number (i.e. fast) fluid flows, such as occur in flows past aircraft wings/fuselages, space shuttles, turbine blades, ships, cars and other transport, and as also occur in the larger blood vessels.  Specifically I have been interested in separation/stall, the growth of instabilities leading to turbulence (i.e. transition to turbulence), the validity of the high-Reynolds-number approximation, and vortex-sheet roll-up.

Teaching

I have taught a range of courses in the Mathematical and Natural Science Triposes, including Vectors & Matrices (Part IA, previously Algebra & Geometry), Methods & Calculus (Part IA, now Vector Calculus), Numerical Analysis (both Part IB and Part II), Waves (Part II), High-Reynolds-Number Flows (Part III), Computational Methods in Fluid Dynamics (Part III), Perturbation Methods (Part III, and in a number guises) and Mathematical Methods (NST Part IB). I was the Director of CATAM from 2008-2014 (for my sins).

Other Internal Activities

I was an elected member of the University's Council (2007-14, 2017-20) and, inter alia, served on the University's Finance, HR, Resource Management, Planning & Resources and Business Committees. I was also an appointed member of the Council of the School of Physical Sciences (2008-14, 2017-20), and an elected member of the University's Board of Scruitiny (2001-05).

I was Chair of the Faculty of Mathematics (2011-2014).

External Activities

I have served on EPSRC grant and evaluation committees.

Publications

Elastic jumps on fluid-filled elastic tubes
SJ COWLEY
– Journal of Fluid Mechanics
(2006)
116,
459
Computer extension and analytic continuation of Blasius’ expansion for impulsive flow past a circular cylinder
SJ COWLEY
– Journal of Fluid Mechanics
(2006)
135,
389
Laminar Boundary-Layer Theory: a 20th Century Paradox?
SJ Cowley
– Mechanics for a New Millenium
(2001)
389
On the nonlinear growth of two-dimensional Tollmien–Schlichting waves in a flat-plate boundary layer
J Moston, PA Stewart, SJ Cowley
– Journal of Fluid Mechanics
(2000)
425,
259
When is the weakly nonlinear evolution of a localized disturbance governed by the Ginzburg-Londau equation?
MJ Jennings, PA Stewart, SJ Cowley
– Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
(1999)
455,
1521
On the formation of Moore curvature singularities in vortex sheets
SJ Cowley, GR Baker, S Tanveer
– Journal of Fluid Mechanics
(1999)
378,
233
Steady flow through distorted rectangular tubes of large aspect ratio
SJ COWLEY
– Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences
(1997)
385,
107
On the use of lagrangian variables in descriptions of unsteady boundary-layer separation
SJ COWLEY, LL VANDOMMELEN, ST LAM
– Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Physical and Engineering Sciences
(1997)
333,
343
On the origin of singularities in vortex sheet motion
SJ Cowley, GR Baker, S Tanveer, M Page
– Fluid Dynamics Conference
(1995)
1
On the nonlinear evolution of instability modes in unsteady shear layers: The stokes layer as a paradigm
XS WU, SJ COWLEY
– The Quarterly Journal of Mechanics and Applied Mathematics
(1995)
48,
159
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