• Ph.D in Applied Mathematics 1972
• B.Sc(Hons) Mathematics 1969

• Graduate of the University of Adelaide (Australia) and University of Cambridge (United Kingdom).
• Main research interests are in the area of applied mathematics and fluid mechanics with a particular emphasis on interdisciplinary research in science, engineering, medicine, sport and the environment.
• Teaching experience has been primarily associated with mathematical techniques during the first two years, while more discipline-specific courses have considered in the latter years of an undergraduate programme.
• Lectures have included Fluid mechanics, Low Reynolds number fluid mechanics, Biological & Physiological fluid mechanics, Dynamics of multi-phase flow and Environmental fluid mechanics.
• Former Head of School and Dean of Faculty at Universities of Wollongong (Australia) and Birmingham (United Kingdom).
• Former Member of Executive, University of Birmingham.
• Former Director of the UK Higher Education Academy's Mathematics, Statistics & Operational Research Network, a national learning and teaching support network and the U.K. Mathematics Courseware Consortium (MATHWISE).

• Single Honours Mathematics (G100, G103, G141)
• Mathematics Majors:
  Mathematics with Business Management (G1N2);
  Mathematics with Engineering (J920)
  Mathematics with Philosophy (G1V5)
• Joint Honours Mathematics:
  Mathematics & Computer Science (GG14)
  Pure Mathematics & Computer Science (GGC4)
  Mathematics & Sport Science (GC17)
  Mathematics & Music (GW13)
  Mathematics & Philosophy (GV15)
• Theoretical Physics and Applied Mathematics (FG31)
• Mathematics Minors:
  French Studies and Mathematics (GR11)
  German Studies and Mathematics (GR12)
  Natural Sciences (CFG0, FCG0)

Ph.D.
Australia:
G.R. Fulford "Slender body theory near an interface at very low Reynolds Numbers"
B.B. Taib "Boundary integral methods applied to cavitation bubble dynamics"
D. Yuen "Heat transfer analysis of sheet rolling"
J.P. Best "The dynamics of underwater explosions"

United Kingdom:
J.M. Boulton-Stone "Application of boundary integral methods to rising and bursting bubbles"
P.B. Robinson "Numerical modelling of bubble interactions"
M.C. Hooton "Underwater explosion bubbles"
J.E. Hall "Oxygen diffusion in food"
G.S. Keen "Modelling cell damage in bioreactors"
C.G. Round "Mathematical modelling of acoustic cavitation and sonoluminescence"
G. Jia "Cavitation on a hydrofoil"
M. Wilson "Mathematical modelling of bubble-vortex interactions"
M. Pettitt "Prey capture and ingestion in choanoflagellates"
B. Orme "Biological mixing and chaos"
A Pearson "Hydrodynamics of jet impact in a collapsing bubble"
E. Cox "The source signature due to the close interaction of marine seismic airguns"
D. Smith "Models of muco-ciliary transport in the lung"
S. Brown "Dynamics of large oscillating bubbles"
T. Collings "Acoustic cavitation and sonochemistry"
P. Wakeley "Optimisation and properties of gamete transport"
G. Curtiss "Cavitation bubble interaction with multiphase flow"
I. Ogilvy "Fluid dynamics of underwater explosions"

M.Sc./M.Phil(B)
S. Nicholls "Mathematical models of a muscle/tendon complex in a human joint"
A. Ahmed "Filter Feeding"
Subiarto "Water coning in oil reservoirs"
M. Grammatika "Transport phenomena associated with complex fluids in micro-fluidic devices"

Current Ph.D. students
J.Ndam "Fluid mechanics of a detached retina" (University of Jos, Nigeria)
T. Johnson "Modelling mechanics of sperm motility"
A. Smith "Fluid mechanics of nodal cilia"

RESEARCH ACTIVITY
In Biological and Physiological Fluid Mechanics: 

• Mechanics of ciliary propulsion
• Muco-ciliary transport
• Mathematical embryology: the fluid mechanics of nodal cilia
• Foetal lung physiology
• High frequency ventilation
• Some problems in plant physiology
• Filter feeding
• Bacterial locomotion
• Sperm and ovum transport
• Ultrasound and Shock Wave Lithotripters

In Low Reynolds Number Fluid Mechanics:

• Fundamental singularities and image systems in different boundaries
• Viscous eddies in confined geometries
• Slender body theory

In Engineering and Industrial Areas 

• Dynamics of growth and collapse of cavitation bubbles
• Acoustic cavitation and sonoluminescence
• Heat transfer during hot rolling
• Some aspects of blast furnace operations
• Fluid mechanics of coating technology
• Dynamics of underwater explosions
• Fluid mechanics of bioreactors

In Environmental Areas 

• Sedimentation of industrial slurries
• Pyritic oxidisation in waste rock dumps
• Convection in porous media

In Energy Research

• Two-phase flow in porous media
• Enhanced oil recovery

In Food Research

• Oxygen diffusion in food
• Mixing processes

In Sport

• Behaviour of a golf clubhead

SMITH, D.J., GAFFNEY, E.A., BLAKE, J.R. & KIRKMAN-BROWN, J.C. 2009 Human sperm accumulation near surfaces: a simulation study. J. Fluid Mech. 621, 289-320.

SMITH, D.J., GAFFNEY, E.A. & BLAKE, J.R. 2009 Mathematical modelling of cilia-driven transport of biological fluids. Proc. Roy. Soc. 405, 2417-2439.

SMITH, D.J. & BLAKE, J.R. 2009 Surface accumulation of spermatazoa: a fluid dynamic phenomenon. Math. Sci. 34, 74-87.

OGILVY, I., HAXTON, R.S. & BLAKE, J.R. 2009 UNDEX behaviour in littoral waters. IMA Conference on Mathematics in Defence, 19 November, Cody Technology Park, Farnborough.

WANG, Q.X. & BLAKE, J.R. 2009 Underwater explosion bubble dynamics in a weakly compressible fluid. IMA Conference on Mathematics in Defence, 19 November, Cody Technology Park, Farnborough.

BLAKE, J.R., TUCK, E.O. & WAKELEY, P.W. 2010 A note on the S-transform and slender body theory in Stokes flow. IMA J. Applied Math. 75, 343-355.

WANG, Q.X. & BLAKE, J.R. 2010 Non-spherical bubble dynamics in a compressible fluid. Part 1: Travelling acoustic wave. J. Fluid Mech. 659, 191-224.

SMITH, D.J., SMITH, A.A. & BLAKE, J.R. 2011 Mathematical embryology: the fluid mechanics of nodal cilia. J. Eng. Math (in press).

GAFFNEY, E.A., GADELHA, H., SMITH, D.J., KIRKMAN-BROWN, J.C. & BLAKE, J.R. 2011 Mammalian sperm motility: observation and theory. Ann. Rev. Fluid 43,501-528.