About
I am a final-year PhD researcher in applied mathematics at the University of Bristol, working in fluid dynamics under the supervision of Dr Andrew Lawrie and Dr Stuart Thomson.
My research concerns buoyancy-driven mixing in confined environments. I combine mathematical modelling, laboratory experiments and numerical simulation to study how plumes develop, mix and produce density stratification. The work is motivated by the safe storage of nuclear waste, where hydrogen may accumulate within enclosed vaults.
I studied Mathematics at Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge, from October 2019 to June 2022, graduating with a BA (Cantab). My MA (Cantab) was conferred in April 2026. I began my PhD at Bristol in November 2022, with completion expected in October 2026.
Research overview
My doctoral work uses salt and fresh water experiments as a dynamically analogous model for hydrogen released into air. This allows the evolution of buoyant plumes and stratification to be measured in a controlled setting and compared with reduced mathematical models.
Further details of the experimental, theoretical and computational work are available on the research page.
Research interests
- Buoyant plumes
- Mixing and stratification
- Confined fluid flows
- Gravity-driven instabilities
- Planar laser-induced fluorescence
- Mathematical and numerical modelling
Teaching and outreach
I have supervised undergraduate mathematics for Cambridge colleges since October 2024, teaching Part II Fluid Dynamics II to 29 students across ten colleges in 2024/25 and 2025/26. At Bristol, I was a Graduate Teacher Level 1 and Demonstrator from September 2023 to January 2026, teaching across pure and applied mathematics.
I have taught mathematics in university, school and residential settings, including the She Talks Science STEP Summer School at Murray Edwards College. I am particularly interested in widening access to mathematics and supporting students from a broad range of educational and socioeconomic backgrounds.
See my academic outreach work. Specialist TMUA, STEP and Cambridge interview tuition is kept separately at maths.arijasad.com.