Nicola Mingotti 
One of the challenges with modelling subsurface flows is the uncertainty in measurements of geological properties, mostly due to limited resolution in observation methods. Typically, the observations of subsurface systems have a resolution of order 1 m, and this leaves a large amount of uncertainty in the small-scale variation in properties such as permeability. Many
In small rocky planets, the interplay between pressure and temperature profiles may cause the iron-rich liquid core to solidify from the outer boundary inward. As pure iron crystals form, they are denser than the surrounding liquid mixture. Consequently, they sink into the core before remelting at greater depth due to the increasing temperature. This process
The Cambridge Energy Masterclass was a two-day intensive meeting of lectures and discussions, with talks from leading experts in various aspects of energy demand and supply. It focussed on the energy transition and the technologies needed to optimise new energy systems. We discussed the current energy system, and the different contributions provided by a number
Investigating exsolution of metal nanoparticles is an area of evolving interest. Metal nanoparticles have been found to exsolve from metal oxides in the perovskite family under reducing conditions and investigated as fuel cell anodes. Professor Stephen Skinner works at the Department of Materials at Imperial College, and today spoke about the research his group has been carrying
The storage of renewably-generated energy as hydrogen via the electrolysis of water is a fundamental cornerstone of a sustainable hydrogen economy. Conventional electrolysers usually require stable power inputs in order to operate effectively and safely and so may be unsuited to harnessing renewable power, which is often intermittent and diffuse. Professor Mark Symes, from the
PhD student Poorya Shaghaghi recently took part in the 2025 International Video Challenge developed by the journal Buildings & Cities and the Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Assocation. This challenge is open to PhD students worldwide, and gives them an opportunity to showcase their research and explain the significance of their work.
Aquifer thermal energy storage systems can provide a heat source in the winter by extracting warm water from a subsurface reservoir. The extracted fluid cools as it passes through a heat exchanger and is then injected into a colder aquifer. The cold fluid can provide a source of cooling in the summer, absorbing heat rejected
During the last fifteen years there has been a paradigm shift in the continuum modelling of granular materials, most notably with the development of rheological models, but also with significant advances in theories for particle segregation. Professor Nico Gray from the University of Manchester has developed new theoretical and numerical frameworks which couple granular flows
Professor Joe Howe is the Net Zero Professor at the University of Lincoln and the academic lead for the Humber Industrial Cluster. The Humber Cluster spans both banks of the Humber Estuary, connected by the Humber Bridge and hosting the ports of Goole, Grimsby, Hull, Immingham and Killingholme. £18 bn of the UK’s economy is
Particle-driven convection occurs when a layer of fluid containing dense particles is located above a layer of clear, particle-free fluid. This can drive a variation on the classical Rayleigh-Taylor instability, where the particles induce the density difference between the layers. Variants of this instability occur in a number of geophysical flows, such as the undersides