Bio

Jim is a physicist, materials scientist and the Founder and CEO of The Fluid Group, Oxford. He began his career modelling the atomic structure of glass with reverse Monte Carlo (RMC), combining neutron, X-ray and EXAFS data for the first time [1]. Now, he applies Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and other techniques to solve hydrodynamic problems from nano- to kilometre-scale in the water, chemical and environmental engineering industry [2] around the world.

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Curriculum Vitae (pdf) available on request.

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Education

B.A. (Hons), M.A. Physics, Lincoln College, Oxford  (1990)

D.Phil. on 'The Structure of Disordered Materials', Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford, UK  (1993). Supervisor: R. L. McGreevy MBE

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Academic and Business Appointments

1993-96:  Founder Member, Condensed Matter & Materials Physics (CMMP), UCL Department of Physics & Astronomy

1996-97:  Research Associate, School of Physical Sciences, The University of Kent, Canterbury

1997-98:  Lloyds' of London Fellow, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge

1998-99:  Research Fellow, Department of Materials, University of Oxford

1999-2005:  Founder Member and Head of Anglian Water Process & CFD Modelling Team

2005-     :  Founder and CEO of The Fluid Group, Oxford

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Research

Jim focusses extensively on the combination of simulation techniques: ASM (activated sludge modelling) with fluid dynamics (CFD), solids transport in magnetic fields, and plasma physics with high temperature liquid and glass simulation.

He works regularly in the areas of industrial mixing and separation, fluid structure interaction, non-Newtonian physics, renewable energy, public health and water resource recovery (water treatment, disinfection and anaerobic digestion).

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62 articles in peer-reviewed journals  (publication list available on request). 1000+ citations as of May 2023.

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Fellowships, Memberships and Committees

Lloyds Tercentenary Foundation Fellow, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge  (1996 - 1998) 

Chartered Physicist and Member of the Institute of Physics  (1998 -   )

Founder Member and Vice Chair of the CFD Working Group for the International Water Association  (2008 -     )

​Founder Member of The Henry Moseley Society, Oxford University Physics Department  (2015 -   ) 

Member of UKRI (EPSRC) Peer Review College  (2017 -     )

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Member of International Water Association, IWA  (2006 -   )

Member of Water Environment Foundation, WEF  (2008 -   )

Member of the Society of Glass Technology, SGT  (2018 -   )

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EPSRC Programme Grant Interview Panel Member  (2018)

EPSRC Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT) Expert Panel Member  (2018, 2023)

EPSRC Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT) Interview Panel Chair  (2018)

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships (FLF) Core Panel Member and Interviews  (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)

EPSRC Collaborative Computational Projects (CCP) Expert Panel Member  (2019)

EPSRC High End Computing Consortia Expert Panel Member and Interviews  (2022)

EPSRC ExCALIBUR (UK Exascale Computing Development) Expert Panel Member (2020, 2021) and Vice Chair (2020)

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Recent Conference Activity

Scientific Committee Member and CFD Workshop Co-Chair, WRRmod2018, Lac Beauport, Quebec, Canada  (2018)

Scientific Committee Member, WRRmod2021, Arosa, Switzerland  (2021) - online through pandemic

CFD Workshop, WRRmod2022+, Cape Town, South Africa  (2023)

Scientific Committee Member, Watermatex2023, Quebec, Canada  (2023)

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Contact details

Email: jim.wicks@thefluidgroup.com