Bruce Sutherland, PhD

About

Biography

• BMath (1983-1987), Applied and Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
• MSc Physics (1987-1988), Dept Physics, University of Toronto
• PhD Physics (1988-1994), Dept Physics, University of Toronto
• Research Associate (1995-1997), Dept Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics, U. Cambridge
• Asst/Assoc/Full Professor (1997-2007), Dept Mathematical & Statistical Sciences, U. Alberta
• Professor (2007-), Dept of Physics and of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, U. Alberta

Other Positions

• Director (2012-2018), Institute for Geophysical Research, U. Alberta
• Associate Editor (2014-2016), Physics of Fluids
• Editorial Committee Member (2015-2020), Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics
• Associate Editor (2016-), Physical Review Fluids

Awards

• McCalla Research Professorship (2006-2007)
• Killam Annual Professor (2010-2011)
• Gledden Visiting Senior Fellowship (2012)
• Churchill Overseas Fellowship (2012)
• Fellow of the American Physical Society (elected 2016)

---

Research

Interests

• atmospheric, oceanic and environmental fluid dynamics
• stratified flows, internal waves, plumes and gravity currents
• particle-bearing and particle-laden flows

Skills

• laboratory experiments, numerical simulations and mathematical theory

Climatological, Environmental and Industrial Applications

• particle transport in rivers and the ocean (clays and microplastics)
• collective particle settling and turbulent resuspension with impact upon off-shore oil and marine biology
• clay - plastic interactions including flocculation and diffusion-limited aggregation
• transport and mixing by oceanic internal waves

Lab - Environmental and Industrial Fluids Laboratory

3-257 CCIS

This interdisciplinary experimental laboratory brings together researchers in Atmosphere-Ocean Dynamics, Physics, Engineering and Mathematics. Wide-ranging problems are studied from the Earth's circulation, to waves in the atmosphere and ocean, plumes, gravity currents, particle transport, percolation flows, viscous flows, etc.

Collaborator: Morris Flynn

PHYS 144 - Newtonian Mechanics

This calculus-based course introduces the fundamentals of classical mechanics: general kinematics, Newtonian dynamics, work-energy and energy conservation, impulse-momentum and momentum conservation, rotational kinematics and dynamics, rigid bodies, angular momentum and its conservation. The course concludes with a discussion of the elastic deformation of solids and simple fluid mechanics. Prerequisites: Mathematics 30-1 and Physics 30. Mathematics 31 is strongly recommended. Corequisites: MATH 117 or 144. Note: Credit may be obtained for only one of PHYS 124, 144 or EN PH 131.

---

Browse more courses taught by Bruce Sutherland

---

---

A. Kav, B.R. Sutherland, D. Varma, C. Pacary and S. Joubaud

J. Fluid Mech.. 2025 July; 1018

---

B.R. Sutherland, M. DiBenedetto, A. Kaminski and T. van den Bremer

Phys. Rev. Fluids. 2023 July; 8

---

B.R. Sutherland, M.S. Dhaliwal, D. Thai, Y. Li, M. Gingras and K. Konhauser

Nature Comm. Earth & Environ.. 2023 April;

---

B.R. Sutherland, Y. Ma, M.R. Flynn, D. Frank, P.F. Linden, D. Lemasquerier, M. Le Bars, C. Pacary, T. Jamin, T. Dauxois, S. Joubaud

J. Fluid Mech.. 2021 July; 924

---

L.E. Baker and B.R. Sutherland

J. Fluid Mech.. 2020 May; 891

---

B. R. Sutherland and N. J. Balmforth

Phys. Rev. Fluids. 2019 January; 4

• Personal home page