Peter Howell

Pye Tutorial Fellow in Mathematics; Professor of Applied Mathematics

Teaching

In Univ I teach all the first and second year core and optional courses in applied mathematics. I also give Departmental lectures and intercollegiate classes in various third and fourth year options and graduate courses. Subjects in which I specialise include: calculus and differential equations; classical mechanics; fluid dynamics; elasticity and plasticity; perturbation methods; and applied complex analysis.

Research

My research generally involves the application of mathematics to problems in the real world. The mathematical skills that I use include perturbation methods, analysis of partial differential equations, complex variable techniques and scientific computation. Application areas on which I have worked recently include screen printing of solar cells; novel bistable liquid crystal devices; the manufacture of ultra-thin glass screens for smartphones and tablets; and theories for the extreme plastic behaviour of metals exposed to enormous pressures up to 10 million atmospheres.

Selected Publications

Influence of van der Waals forces on a bubble moving in a tube – Hammoud, NH; Trinh, PH; Howell, PD; Stone, HA; PHYSICAL REVIEW FLUIDS issue 6 volume 2 (6 June 2017)

Nematic Equilibria on a Two-Dimensional Annulus – Lewis, AH; Aarts, DGAL; Howell, PD; Majumdar, A; STUDIES IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS issue 4volume 138 page 438-466 (May 2017)

Quantum mechanical effects in continuum charge flow models – Black, JP; Breward, CJW; Howell, PD; IMA JOURNAL OF APPLIED MATHEMATICS issue 2volume 82 page 251-279 (April 2017)

Modelling the Effect of Shear Strength on Isentropic Compression Experiments – Thomson, S; Howell, P; Ockendon, J; Ockendon, H;  SHOCK COMPRESSION OF CONDENSED MATTER – 2015 volume 1793 (2017)

A model for extreme plasticity – Thomson, SJ; Howell, PD; Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solidsvolume 94 page 362-371 (1 September 2016)

Rivulet flow over a flexible beam – Howell, PD; Kim, H; Popova, MG; Stone, HA; JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS volume 796 page 285-305 (June 2016)

Convection of a fluid with strongly temperature and pressure dependent viscosity – Fowler, AC; Howell, PD; Khaleque, TS; GEOPHYSICAL AND ASTROPHYSICAL FLUID DYNAMICS issue 2 volume 110 page 130-165 (3 March 2016)

Edge behaviour in the glass sheet redraw process – O’Kiely, D; Breward, CJW; Griffiths, IM; Howell, PD; Lange, U; JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS volume 785 page 248-269 (December 2015)

Numerical studies of thermal convection with temperature-and pressure-dependent viscosity at extreme viscosity contrasts – Khaleque, TS; Fowler, AC; Howell, PD; Vynnycky, M; PHYSICS OF FLUIDS issue 7 volume 27 page 076603-076603 (July 2015)

For a full list please see my faculty website.