Photo © Howard Guest
Keith Moffatt
I am an Emeritus Professor of Mathematical Physics in the University of Cambridge, a member of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP), and a Life Fellow of Trinity College Cambridge.
email: hkm2 at cam.ac.uk
My research field is Fluid Dynamics and its applications, particularly in Geophysics and Astrophysics. My PhD thesis in 1962 was entitled Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence, a subject that I have returned to regularly ever since.
Magnetic fields are ubiquitous in planets, stars and galaxies, and indeed in the intergalactic medium. We have seen a huge revolution in the understanding of how such magnetic fields are generated, by a process of turbulent dynamo action in rotating conducting fluids. I have been privileged to contribute to this great field of scientific endeavour at critical stages in the development of the subject.
I have also contributed to other areas of fluid dynamics: slow viscous flow, free surface flow, vortex dynamics, and the more recently emerging field of Topological Fluid Dynamics, in which I have played a key role.
I am fortunate to live by the banks of the River Cam in Cambridge, with
my wife Linty. We celebrated our Diamond Wedding Anniversary
in December 2020.
In these pages, I offer an informal discussion of these topics in conjunction with comments on a selection of my published papers -- a full list of these can be found here, a Google scholar citation list here, and my cv here.
This is followed by a brief account of my early years, an account of my periods of leave from Cambridge and visits to other Universities and Institutes around the world, my three years at Bristol University, my period as Director of the Newton Institute, and my involvement with AIMS (the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences). I conclude with some family matters and some 'rhyme and rhythm' for which I must plead indulgence; do skip to these final sections if the science bores you!