Professor Nigel Peake

Nigel is a Professorial Fellow at Emmanuel, and is one of our Fellows in Mathematics, elected in 1990. At the University, he is Professor of Applied Mathematics and the Head of the School of the Physical Sciences. Until 2020, he was the Head of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP).

Biography

Born in Lancashire, Nigel studied for his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the University of Cambridge. On finishing his PhD, he became at Research Fellow at Emmanuel, and following his postdoctoral projects, he joined the College as an Official Fellow in 1994. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics (IMA) and a member of their Research Committee. Nigel is also the IMA Representative at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences. 

Research

Nigel has recently published papers on high-frequency wave scattering and acoustic and hydrodynamic power. His recent research has concerned how owls fly and hunt in silence. His group helped develop a prototype material coating for wind turbine blades made of 3D–printed plastic, that could significantly reduce the amount of noise they make. In wind tunnel tests, the treatment reduced the noise generated by a wind turbine blade by 10dB, without any appreciable impact on aerodynamics. He has also worked on noise prediction methods for propfan and propeller driven aircraft.

Nigel's current project is a collaboration between University of Cambridge, University of Bristol and Queen Mary (University of London), with the aim of developing improved understanding of, and reduction strategies for, noise pollution by large wind turbines. Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and working with several industrial partners, it looks at the aeroacoustics of Dynamic Stall, using a blend of advanced techniques in applied mathematics and fluid mechanics.