DAMTP · University of Cambridge

Duncan Hewitt

I am an applied mathematician and fluid dynamicist, and I am interested in using mathematics to model and understand physical processes in the world around us. I am particularly interested in the mechanics of rheologically complex materials, flow through porous and deformable media, and the behaviour of granular suspensions, and in geophysical, industrial and biological applications of these problems.

I am an Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics and Fluid Mechanics in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow and Director of Studies in Mathematics at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

Contact Publications
Portrait of Duncan Hewitt

Research interests

Research areas in which I have worked and topics of current interest include:

Non-Newtonian & ‘structured’ fluids

Geophysical applications (mud flows, magmatic systems, mud volcanism); industrial applications (mine tailings, batch processing, cleaning).

Viscoplasticity

Channel and displacement flows; failure modes (avalanche and landslide initiation); locomotion through viscoplastic fluids (swimming in mud and worm locomotion).

Two-phase suspensions & granular media

Flows of two-phase suspensions and granular media.

Clogging and jamming

Blood flow and sickle-cell disease; granular patterns in displacement flows.

Poro-elasticity & deformable media

Flow through/of deformable media: applications in geophysics (subsidence, sub-glacial till, liquefaction) and industry (pulp and paper, insulation).

Thixotropy and liquefaction

Time-dependent rheology and the liquefaction of structured materials.

Convection in porous media

Impact of heterogeneity; plume dynamics; dissolution and CO2 sequestration; astrophysical convection and internal heat.

Mixing in porous media

Mixing and viscous fingering.

Glaciological problems

Till mechanics; water transport.

Geological convection

Hydrological circulation, mid-ocean ridge dynamics, magma chambers.

Prospective students and postdocs: if you are interested in studying for a PhD or holding a postdoctoral position working with me, please get in touch. There is an ever-changing list of interesting problems to work on!

Current lecturing

Courses I am currently teaching.

  • Non-Newtonian Fluid MechanicsMathematics Part III · 24 lectures, Lent
  • Quantitative Climate and Environmental Science (QCES)Part III / MPhil

Publications

Journal articles, most recent first. Titles link to the published version.

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

PhD students

Present and past.

  • 2026 –Jay Manson-Whitton
  • 2026 –Teo Lara with Eric Lauga
  • 2026 –Murray Kiernan with Nicole Shibley
  • 2025 –Joe Eales with Andy Woods
  • 2024 –Jonathan Watts
  • 2023 –Emma Bouckley
  • 2022 – 2026Emily Cook
  • 2021 – 2025Anushka Herale with Philip Pearce
  • 2018 – 2022Kasia Warburton with Jerome Neufeld
  • 2015 – 2019Japinder Nijjer with Jerome Neufeld

Previously

From 2019–2023 I was a Lecturer and then Associate Professor at UCL; from 2015–2019 I was a Research Fellow and, latterly, Tutor, at Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge. Prior to that, I was a Killam Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver (2014–2015).

I hold a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of Cambridge; my PhD thesis, entitled ‘High Rayleigh number convection in a porous medium’, can be found here.

Contact

Email, Phone
d.r.hewitt@damtp.cam.ac.uk
01223 764067
Office
H1.07, Centre for Mathematical Sciences
M6, Corpus Christi College
Address
DAMTP, Centre for Mathematical Sciences,
Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA