Spencer Sherwin

Spencer Sherwin is Professor of Computational Fluid Mechanics and Head of the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London, Faculty of Engineering. He leads a prominent research group focused on high-order spectral/hp element methods and their applications in aerospace and biomedical engineering. He is Principal Investigator of the EPSRC-funded Platform for Research In Simulation Methods and has extensive collaborations with industry leaders such as McLaren Racing, Airbus, and Rolls-Royce.

• Ph.D., Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Princeton University
• M.S.E., Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University
• B.Eng., Aeronautical Engineering, Imperial College London

His research centers on computational fluid dynamics, particularly the development and application of high-order spectral/hp element methods (Nektar++) for complex flows. Key areas include vortical and bluff body flows, biomedical modeling of the cardiovascular system, and industrial aerodynamics. His work spans both fundamental numerical method development and real-world applications in Formula 1, turbomachinery, and vascular science.

The recent articles (2024–2025) highlight a strong trend in high-fidelity simulations using spectral/hp and discontinuous Galerkin methods, with emphasis on compressible and incompressible LES/DNS, turbomachinery flows, aeroacoustics, biomedical hemodynamics, and mesh generation. There is growing integration of machine learning for turbulence closure and industrial application of high-order methods, particularly in automotive and aerospace contexts.

Scientific awards include:

• Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng)

Professor Sherwin has supervised numerous students and leads an active research group. He has secured significant funding, notably as Principal Investigator of the EPSRC Platform for Research In Simulation Methods. His work bridges academia and industry, with projects involving McLaren Racing, Airbus, and Rolls-Royce, focusing on aerodynamics, flow control, and simulation technology development.

His research group is associated with multiple interdisciplinary networks including the Biological Fluid Mechanics, Biomedical Flows, Centre for Cardiac Engineering, ElectroCardioMaths Programme, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Space Lab, and Vascular Science Network. The group develops and maintains the Nektar++ and NekMesh open-source software platforms for high-fidelity simulation.