Dr Robert Dorrell

Dr Robert Dorrell

Reader in Environmental Fluid Dynamics

+44 (0)1482 463159 | R.Dorrell@hull.ac.uk

Faculty and Department

  • Institutes
  • Energy and Environmental Institute

Related groups

  • Energy and Environment Institute

Qualifications

  • MSc (University of Bristol)
  • PhD / DPhil (University of Bristol)

Summary

1) 08/2022-date Director of the EPSRC-NERC Centre for Doctoral Training in Offshore Wind Energy and the Environment.

2) 02/2021-date Reader in Environmental Fluid Dynamics, Energy and Environment Institute, University of Hull.

3) 01/2020-12/2024 NERC Independent Research Fellow.

4) 01/2018-09/2022 Visiting Researcher, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds.

5) 01/2018-09/2020 Visiting Researcher, School of Mathematics University of Leeds.

7) 08/2017-12/2019 Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, Energy & Environment Institute, University of Hull.

8) 08/2013-08/2017 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Earth and Environment, University of Leeds.

9) 01/2011-08/2013 Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Geography, University of Southampton.

10) 05/2010-09/2010 NERC Scientific Advisor, UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.

11) 09/2006-09/2010 Ph.D. Mathematics, University of Bristol

12) 09/2002-06/2006 M.Sci. I (Hons), Mathematics, University of Bristol.

I am Director of the EPSRC-NERC funded Aura Center for Doctoral Training in Offshore Wind Energy and the Environment, https://auracdt.hull.ac.uk, a partnership between the Universities of Hull, Durham, Sheffield and Newcastle with the offshore wind sector. The Aura CDT is an enabler for innovation in the offshore wind sector, unique in its cross-disciplinary engagement of engineering and environmental scientists, industry and policy makers.

The centre provides training and opportunities for postgraduate students to develop and integrate practical examples via taught courses across the first year with industry-led and challenge-led projects, followed by three years of focused doctoral research.

Recent outputs

View more outputs

Journal Article

Inadequacy of fluvial energetics for describing gravity current autosuspension

Fukuda, S., de Vet, M. G., Skevington, E. W., Bastianon, E., Fernández, R., Wu, X., …Dorrell, R. M. (2023). Inadequacy of fluvial energetics for describing gravity current autosuspension. Nature communications, 14(1), Article 2288. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37724-1

Xuxu Wu Edward Skevington

Multi-fidelity modelling of shark skin denticle flows: insights into drag generation mechanisms

Lloyd, C., Mittal, K., Dutta, S., Dorrell, R. M., Peakall, J., Keevil, G. M., & Burns, A. D. (2023). Multi-fidelity modelling of shark skin denticle flows: insights into drag generation mechanisms. Royal Society Open Science, 10(2), Article 220684. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.220684

Charlie Lloyd

Density stratification controls the bedform phase diagram of saline-gravity currents versus open-channel flows

Ohata, K., de Cala, I., Dorrell, R. M., Naruse, H., McLelland, S. J., Simmons, S. M., & McCaffrey, W. D. (in press). Density stratification controls the bedform phase diagram of saline-gravity currents versus open-channel flows. Sedimentology, https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.13075

Stuart McLelland Steve Simmons

Anthropogenic Mixing in Seasonally Stratified Shelf Seas by Offshore Wind Farm Infrastructure

Dorrell, R. M., Lloyd, C. J., Lincoln, B. J., Rippeth, T. P., Taylor, J. R., Caulfield, C. C. P., …Simpson, J. H. (2022). Anthropogenic Mixing in Seasonally Stratified Shelf Seas by Offshore Wind Farm Infrastructure. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, Article 830927. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.830927

Hydrodynamic studies of floating structures: Comparison of wave-structure interaction modelling

Sheng, W., Tapoglou, E., Ma, X., Taylor, C. J., Dorrell, R. M., Parsons, D. R., & Aggidis, G. (2022). Hydrodynamic studies of floating structures: Comparison of wave-structure interaction modelling. Ocean engineering, 249, Article 110878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2022.110878

Research interests

My research is, as an applied mathematician, studying the behaviour of flows of fluids (fluid dynamics) that shape the world the around us. My interests lie in using fluid dynamics-based research to addresses key societal challenges, as outlined by UN Sustainable Development Goals. These challenges include sustainable use of natural resources, including delivery of offshore renewables; managing hazards, including those arising from environmental change; and optimising industrial flow processes.

Of particular interest are highly energetic ‘turbulent’ flows. Examples of which are: turbidity currents, forming the largest sedimentary landforms on the planet; microplastic and pollution transport in rivers; and the deployment of offshore renewables in coastal shelf sea settings.

Inherent to all these environments, is the transport of scalars such as particulates, solutes and temperature that means flows are inherently density stratified. Turbulent mixing of stratified fluids yields unexpected, yet poorly understood, emergence of order from chaotic fluid motion.

As a principle control on physical environmental processes, turbulent mixing of stratified fluids is a common theme linking across my research. To advance understanding requires developing and integrating new theoretical, computational and experimental methods. To ensure impact I work to place such fundamental research within the needs and drivers of regional, national and international industry and policy.

Lead investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

The, statistically-Unsteady, Next Generation Sediment Transport model for ENvironmental flows

Funder

NERC Natural Environment Research Council

Grant

£587,886.00

Started

1 January 2020

Status

Ongoing

Project

Novel High Performance Wave Energy Convertors with advanced control reliability and survivability systems through machine -learning forecasting

Funder

EPSRC Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council

Grant

£282,486.00

Started

1 August 2021

Status

Ongoing

Project

The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training on Offshore Wind Energy and the Environment

Funder

EPSRC Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council

Grant

£3,840,952.00

Started

1 April 2019

Status

Ongoing

Project

NERC DTP

Funder

NERC Natural Environment Research Council

Grant

£275,466.00

Started

1 October 2019

Status

Ongoing

Project

Scour Tilting and Ringing in Monopiles

Funder

Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult

Grant

£50,008.00

Started

1 March 2019

Status

Complete

Project

Carbon Trust TLM

Funder

JDR Cable Systems Ltd

Grant

£3,570.00

Started

1 January 2018

Status

Complete

Project

New field-scale calibration for turbidity current impact modelling

Funder

NERC Natural Environment Research Council

Grant

£7,363.00

Started

1 September 2017

Status

Complete

Project

Future of Advanced Metrology for Environmental fluid dynamics

Funder

NERC Natural Environment Research Council

Grant

£714,051.00

Started

1 February 2021

Status

Complete

Project

LoSSGO: Local Sea-State for Stop-Go offshore Operations

Funder

Green Port Hull

Grant

£191,082.00

Started

1 May 2018

Status

Complete

Project

New models of sediment suspensions

Funder

Royal Society

Grant

£21,500.00

Started

1 October 2018

Status

Complete

Project

Formative conditions of plane bed and antidune in turbidity currents

Funder

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Grant

£9,200.00

Started

20 August 2018

Status

Complete

Co-investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

Heterogeneous Fibre Optic sensor Arrays to Monitor Composite Manufacture

Funder

EPSRC Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council

Grant

£700,042.00

Started

1 September 2022

Status

Ongoing

Project

Towards enabling sustainable expansion of offshore wind while protecting marine benthic biodiversity and functioning (BEcoWIND)

Funder

NERC Natural Environment Research Council

Grant

£612,236.00

Started

1 April 2023

Status

Ongoing

Project

eSWEETS: Enabling Sustainable Wind Energy Expansion in Seasonal Seas

Funder

NERC Natural Environment Research Council

Grant

£163,853.00

Started

1 May 2024

Status

Ongoing

Project

Project Aura: Visiting Appointments and Post-Graduate Placements

Funder

HCC Hull City Council

Grant

£50,000.00

Started

11 January 2017

Status

Complete

Project

Offshore Wind Library for ICURe funding

Funder

SetSquared

Grant

£46,164.00

Started

1 January 2021

Status

Complete

Project

NERC: Supporting Interdisciplinarity in Discovery Science 2022

Funder

NERC Natural Environment Research Council

Grant

£14,197.00

Started

1 October 2022

Status

Complete

Project

Rutherford Fellowship

Funder

BEIS Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

Grant

£41,700.00

Started

1 August 2018

Status

Complete

Project

River of Plastic: The Journey of plastics along the Mekong and it ultimate fate in the world's oceans

Funder

National Geographic Society

Grant

£18,231.00

Started

5 October 2018

Status

Complete

Postgraduate supervision

PhD Students

1) 01/2023- Collins, C. Uni. of Hull Scholarship; Supervisors: Bolland, J., Haenfling. B. & Dorrell, R.M.

2) 09/2022- Dhar, N.; ORE Catapult & Aura CDT Scholarship; Supervisors: Dorrell, R.M. & McLelland, S.J.

3) 09/2022- Goodfellow, E.; ORE Catapult & Aura CDT Scholarship; Supervisors: McLelland, S.J., Dorrell, R.M.

4) 09/2021- Morgan-Clague, O.; Siemens Gamesa & Aura CDT Scholarship; Supervisors: Gilbert, J.M. & Dorrell, R.M.

5) 09/2021- Bradbury, M.; HR Wallingford & Aura CDT Scholarship; Supervisors: McLelland, S.J. & Dorrell, R.M.

6) 09/2021- Pickett, B.; ORE Catapult & Aura CDT Scholarship; Supervisors: Dorrell, R.M., Dean J.R. & Parsons, D.R.

7) 09/2021- Besonova, V.; ORE Catapult & Aura CDT Scholarship; Supervisors: Dorrell, R.M., & Dethlefs, N.

8) 09/2019- Alvarez, L.; Uni. of Hull Scholarship; Supervisors: Dorrell, R.M., A. Baar, R. Fernandez, R.

9) 01/2019- Fukuda, S.; Turbidites JIS; Supervisors: Dorrell, R.M., Skevington, E.W., & McCaffrey, W.D.

10) 09/2018-11/2022 de Vet, M.; Turbidites JIS; Supervisors: Dorrell, R.M., Fernandez, R. & McCaffrey, W.D.

11) 06/2018-02/2023 Adekanye, D.; EPSRC Fluids CDT; Supervisors: A. Khan, Dorrell, R.M. & McCaffrey, W.D.

12) 06/2018-03/2019 Ohata, K.; JSPS Fellow; Supervisors: Naruse, H. & Dorrell, R.M.,

13) 06/2018-07/2022 Crisostomo, A.; CONACYT; Supervisors: McArthur, A., Dorrell, R.M. & McCaffrey, W.D.

14) 09/2016-03/2021 de Cala, I.; Leeds Academic Research Scholar; Supervisors: Dorrell, R.M., Patacci, M. & McCaffrey, W.D.

15) 06/2016-04/2021 Hetherington, R.; EPSRC Fluids CDT; Supervisors: Nikitas, N., Peakall, J. & Dorrell, R.M.

16) 06/2016-04/2021 Marshall, C.; EPSRC Fluids CDT; Supervisors: Keevil, G.M. Dorrell, R.M., Peakall, J. & Tobias, S.E.

17) 06/2016-11/2020 Allen, P.; EPSRC Fluids CDT; Supervisors: Harlen, O.G., Dorrell, R.M. & McCaffrey, W.D.

18) 06/2016-02/2020 Lloyd, C.; EPSRC Fluids CDT; Supervisors: Peakall, J., Dorrell, R.M., Keevil, G.M. & Burns, A.D.

19) 01/2016-11/2019 Barrett, B.; SMRG Phase 1; Supervisors: Hodgson, D.M., Collier, R.E.L. & Dorrell, R.M.

20) 06/2015-11/2018 Kelly, R.; EPSRC Fluids CDT; Supervisors: Dorrell, R.M., Burns, A.D. & McCaffrey, W.D.

21) 09/2014-11/2017 Ho, V.L.; TRG Phase 7; Supervisors: Dorrell, R.M., Keevil, G.M., & McCaffrey, W.D.

22) 01/2013-03/2016 Arfaie, A.; TRG Phase 7; Supervisors: Burns, A.D., Dorrell, R.M., & McCaffrey, W.D.

Postdoctoral Research Assistants

1) 04/2022- Rizaev, I. EPSRC NHP-WEC.

2) 06/2021-06/2023 Skevington, E.W. TRG Phase 9.

3) 04/2021-11/2022 Bastianon, E. TRG Phase 9.

4) 02/2020-02/2022 Lloyd, C.J. ORE-Catapult.

5) 06/2019-10/2020 Mockutė, A. Greenport Hull Visiting Fellow, HEIF & ORE-Catapult.

6-9) 01/2019-03/2019 Sanchez, A., Lopez, R., Dutta, S. & Patra, A. Greenport Hull Visiting Fellow.

10) 12/2018-02/2022 Tapoglou, E. Greenport Hull LoSSGO & HEIF.

11-13) 06/2018-03/2019 Sato, T., Nishida, N. & Yamaguchi, N. UUKi Rutherford Fellow.

14) 06/2015-12/2017 Yan, N., Nexen.

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