Associate Professor, School of Mechanical Engineering
What is your research background and current field of research?
My core research background is thermofluids, which involves fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and heat and mass transport phenomena. Specifically, we explore challenges at the interface between multiphase thermofluids, sustainable mechanical synthesis of materials, and their engineered applications. Much of our focus is on low-dimensional materials - materials with at least one of their dimensions being at an atomic or molecule scale. These are very interesting, as their properties can differ significantly than their bulk counterpart, leading to numerous opportunities for energy, wearables, environmental remediation, and many more technologies in the future.
Which BEAR Services have been most helpful to you in your research?
BlueBEAR HPC [High Performance Computing] and RDS [Research Data Store] facilities have been key for our research. Our work combines experiments with high-fidelity computational modelling to provide insights into the synthesis processes we are investigating. These models are complex, containing liquids, solids, gases, and many nonlinear flow phenomena (e.g. interfacial waves, turbulence). Access to the HPC and RDS facilities allows us to solve these problems and study them in detail.
How widespread do you think BEAR Services are known in your School and how do you plan to spread the word?
Engineering is one of the largest schools in the university, with a broad range of research activities spanning Mechanical, Electrical and Civil Engineering disciplines that all benefit from BEAR Services in different ways. Nonetheless, it is important to maintain an awareness of the continually evolving BEAR Services, and how this can progress research within the School. At the same time, there may be academics and researchers who would like to use this facility, or who have recently joined, and are not aware of the capabilities available. As an academic in the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, I have regular cross-departmental meetings with academics, post-docs, and PGR and taught students, and will use this to promote the resources and support those who would like to engage with the services.
How can researchers in your School/College contact you?
I can be contacted by email at j.stafford@bham.ac.uk
What's an interesting fact about you?
Before moving to the UK, I used to play hurling which is a fast-paced Irish field sport.