Gemma Houston

Dr. Gemma Houston is a Teaching Professor in the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering department at the University of Strathclyde, part of the Faculty of Engineering. She holds an Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) recognizing her commitment to teaching excellence. Her research focuses on fluid mechanics and microfluidics, particularly viscoelastic fluid behavior in complex geometries. She has received multiple teaching awards, including the Strathclyde Union's Teaching Excellence Awards in 2018 and 2023, and was nominated for the Celebrate HER Women+ in Leadership Award in 2024.

Education:

• PhD in Engineering (2023) - University of Strathclyde (Thesis: 'Newtonian and viscoelastic fluid flows in extensional microfluidic devices with multiple fluid streams')

Research Interests:

• Microfluidic device design and analysis
• Viscoelastic flow instabilities
• Multiphase flow dynamics
• Engineering education and student resilience

Her recent work explores flow focusing phenomena and stabilization strategies in microfluidic systems, with applications in rheology and industrial fluid processing. Collaborative projects include EPSRC-funded research on microfluidic device optimization.

Grants:

• EPSRC National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) Innovation Placements (2019)
• Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) 2016-2017 (Research Co-investigator)

Labs/Teams: Active in the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering research group at Strathclyde, focusing on fluid dynamics and engineering education initiatives.