Professor Andrew Woods elected as Fellow of the Royal Society

Professor Andrew Woods, Fellow of St John’s College, has been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society.

Professor Andrew Woods, BP Professor and Head of the BP Institute, University of Cambridge, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society due to his outstanding contributions to science.

Andrew Woods studied Mathematics at St Johns and undertook his PhD studies in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP), Cambridge, on Geophysical Fluid Dynamics. He was elected to a Research Fellowship at St John’s, and after two years he was awarded a Green Scholar at the IGPP, USCD, San Diego. He was then appointed to a lectureship at the Institute of Theoretical Geophysics, University of Cambridge, and became a Teaching Fellow in Applied Mathematics at St John’s. After three years as Professor of Applied Mathematics at University of Bristol he was appointed BP Professor and Head of the BP Institute, University of Cambridge, and was elected to a Professorial Fellowship at St John’s.

Andrew’s research involves modelling fluid flow processes primarily related to the Earth Sciences, including volcanic systems, flow and reactions in porous media, and the deposition and remobilisation of sediment. His work on the dynamics of mixing in turbulent buoyant plumes and gravity currents has led to new insights about the ascent height of volcanic eruption columns and the run-out distance of ash flows, as well as constraints on the dynamics of hydrothermal and oil plumes in the deep sea. He has also developed a fundamental understanding of ventilation flows in buildings, developing strategies to minimise heat loss associated with low-energy natural ventilation.

The Fellowship of the Royal Society, dedicated to promoting excellence in science, is made up of the most eminent scientists, engineers and technologists from or living and working in the UK and the Commonwealth. Fifty scientists were elected as Fellows of the Royal Society and 10 as new Foreign Members.

Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society, says: “The new Fellows of the Royal Society have already contributed much to science and it gives me great pleasure to welcome them into our ranks.”