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Overview

Prof Jim McElwaine

Professor of Geohazards

BA,MA,MMath,CASM,PhD


Affiliations
AffiliationRoom numberTelephone
Professor of Geohazards in the Department of Earth SciencesRm 333+44 (0) 191 33 42286

Biography


2013 – present — Professor of Geohazards, Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University.

2012 – 2013 — Senior Research Scientist, Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, Davos

2012 — Research Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia

2011 – present — Senior Scientist, Planetary Science Institute, Tucson Granular and fluid dynamics on Earth and other planetary bodies.

2001 – 2012 — Senior Research Associate, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge. Royal Society University Research Fellowship and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Advanced Research Fellowship

2003 – 2005 — Visiting Scientist, Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, Davos.

1996 – 2001 — European Union Research Fellow, Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University


Conferences and Workshops


2009 — co-Chair; Institute of Mathematics Granular Dynamics Workshop, Cambridge.

2009 — Scientific Committee; KITP programme on Granular Matter.


Fellowships


2004 — EPSRC Advanced Research Fellowship (PI)

2001 — Royal Society University Research Fellowship (PI)


Recent and Current Grants


2012 — Swiss Science Foundation

"High Resolution Radar Imaging of Snow Avalanches"

2012 — WSL

"Advanced Radar Imaging and Air Pressure Analysis of Snow Avalanches"

2010 — The Royal Society

"The Dynamics of Washboard Road"

2008 — NERC Standard grant

"Geophysical Flow Dynamics Using Pulsed Doppler Radar"

2008 — US Department of Defense

"The Role of eIF4E Activity in Breast Cancer"


Research interests

  • Avalanches
  • Turbidity Currents
  • Segregation
  • Gravity Currents
  • Granular Flows
  • Debris Flows
  • Two-Phase Flows

Research groups

  • Geodynamics Research Group
  • Geohazards

Awarded Grants

  • 2017: Scaling and design of laboratory experiments to understand environmental flows(£40249.00 from NERC - Natural Environment Research Council)

Publications

Chapter in book

Conference Paper

Conference Proceeding

  • J. N. McElwaine & B. Turnbull (2006). Plume Theories Versus Compact Models for Powder Snow Avalanches. Sixth International Symposium on Stratified Flows, Perth, December 11-14, 2006.
  • D. Issler, C. B. Harbitz, K. Kristensen, K. Lied, A. S. Moe, M. Barbolini, F. V. De blasio, G.Khazaradze, J. N. McElwaine, A. L. Mears, and M. Naaim & R. Sailer (2005). A comparison of avalanche models with data from dry-snow avalanches at Ryggfonn. Landslides and Avalanches ICFL 2005 Norway, Taylor \& Francis Ltd.
  • J.N. McElwaine (2004). Image Analysis For Avalanches. Snow and avalanche test sites, Cemagref.
  • J. N. McElwaine & K. Nishimura (2000). Size Segregation in Snow Avalanches: Observations and Experiments. IUTAM Symposium on Segregation in Granular Flows IUTAM, Dordrecht, Kluwer.
  • A. Hachikubo, J. N. McElwaine, M. Nemoto, T Kaihara & K. Nishimura (1999). A study of an avalanche at the ski resort Niseko, Japan. Proceedings International Snow Science Workshop, Sunriver, Oregon 1998.
  • K. Nishimura, Y. Ito, S. Keller, J. N. McElwaine, Y. Nohguchi, K. Izumi & K. Kawada (1998). Snow Avalanche Dynamics: Observations and Experiments. 25 Years of Snow Avalanche Research, Voss 12-16 May, Oslo, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute.

Doctoral Thesis

  • Anjum, Hafiz Junaid Anjum & McElwaine, JN (2014). Numerical modelling of compositional and particle-driven gravity currents. PhD.
  • McElwaine, J. N. (1996). Approximate Consistency and Prediction Algorithms in Quantum Mechanics. DAMTP, Cambridge University. PhD.

Journal Article

Other (Print)

  • J.N. McElwaine (1998). Random Hamiltonian Models and Quantum Prediction Algorithms. quant-ph/9812051

Report

  • B. Sovilla, U. Gruber, F. Tiefenbacher, M. Hiller, A. Felber, B. Turnbull, M. A. Baillifrad, J. N. McElwaine, K. Platzer, M. Kern, F. Dufour & P. Bartelt (2005). Avalanche dynamics experimental site "VAllée de la Sionne" Arbaz, Valais: Final Report Winter 2003/2004. SLF, Flüelastrasse 11, Davos 7260, Switzerland.
  • J.N. McElwaine (2005). Calibration and Design of Multi-hole Pitot Probes for Snow Avalanches.
  • J.N. McElwaine (2003). Filming Avalanches.

Supervision students