My research lies in the boundary between theoretical and computational fluid dynamics. My PhD research used numerical methods to validate the theoretical assumptions around the presence of a lubricating air layer that is present beneath bouncing droplets. It was motivated by work done on hydrodynamic pilot-wave theory, and considered millimetric droplets rebounding on a liquid bath, at speeds where surface tension of the free surfaces is important.
During my PhD I was fortunate to be supervised by Prof. Paul Milewski, and collaborate with Dr Radu Cimpeanu.
Post-PhD my research has had a large industrial motivation, as I completed a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the University of Bath and Wessex Water, studying hydrodynamical models of river networks looking towards contaminant tracing.
I am now part of the Centre for Applications of Mathematical and Computing Sciences at the University of Warwick, where I work on a series of impact driven research projects.
Phillips, K. A., Cimpeanu, R., & Milewski, P. A. (2024). Modelling droplet rebounds off fluid baths. arXiv preprint arXiv:2406.16750.
Through considering separately the bath, air, and drop regions of fluid, we introduce a fully coupled reduced dynamic model of two-dimensional droplets rebounding off liquid baths, which incorporates an evolving lubricating air layer
Phillips, Katie A., and Paul A. Milewski. "Lubrication-mediated rebounds off fluid baths." arXiv preprint arXiv:2406.17138 (2024).
We present herein the derivation of a lubrication-mediated (LM) quasi-potential model for droplet rebounds off deep liquid baths, assuming the presence of a persistent dynamic air layer which acts as a lubricating pressure transfer.