Alfonso A. Castrejon-Pita BSc DPhil (Oxon) MA MSc

Professor Alfonso A. Castrejon-Pita obtained his D.Phil. in Physics at the University of Oxford, funded by a prestigious Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate award. His research was centred on experimental and theoretical studies of synchronization phenomena in fluids. This was followed by a postdoctoral position in the same laboratory funded by NERC (Natural Environment Research Council, UK) that led to the experimental demonstration of synchronisation of chaos in mutually-coupled fluid flows, with greater implications in atmospheric dynamics such as weather forecast.

From April 2011 to September 2013 he was a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, and a researcher at St. John’s College, where he redirected his research towards a better understanding of the dynamics of small-scale free surface flows.

Alfonso was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship in October 2013 which he holds at the University of Oxford, where is also an Associate Professor in Fluid Mechanics and a Tutorial Fellow at Wadham College. In Oxford, he established the Fluid Dynamics Laboratory for (mainly) the study of drops and liquid jets. He also supervises the research of MEng, MSc(R) and DPhil students in the Department and in College.

Softening surfaces stops liquids from splashing when they hit

In a new experiment, physicists have shown how to stop droplets of liquid from flying through the air. By lining the lab bench or a surgeon’s instrument tray with soft materials, you can keep the splattering to a minimum.

“Even if you spill a couple of drops, you can be confident they are not going to splash,” says Alfonso Castrejon-Pita, a physicist at the University of Oxford. “The big drop is going to stay as a big drop, and that’s the end of the story.”

-New Scientist, 10 October 2016

Professor Castrejon-Pita’s Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at Oxford focuses on (but is not limited to) the study of drops and liquid jets. Current research activities deal with the breakup of harmonically stimulated liquid jets, drop deposition and splashing dynamics, contact line dynamics, novel droplet generation techniques, and pinch-off of viscous filaments. A variety of novel and traditional diagnostic and imaging techniques such as laser visualisation and velocimetry, shadowgraphy, and high-speed imaging are applied to reveal the complex dynamics of these phenomena. The Laboratory maintains collaborations with groups in the UK, Spain, France, USA, Mexico and Germany.

Their work includes:

• Physics of drops and liquid jets.
• Fluid visualisation and velocimetry.
• Nonlinear dynamics and chaos (Fractals and Synchronization)
• Oscillatory flows.
• InkJet and additive manufacturing (3D Printing)

The group is currently funded by the Royal Society, the Newton Fund, the John Fell Fund (OUP), and EPSRC.

Drops and liquid jets

We study the fundamental fluid dynamics involved in the generation, breakup, coalescence and splash of drops.

Self-stimulation of liquid jets

This project is devoted to understanding and exploiting the breakup of liquid jets via feedback.

Drops and Jets: From fundamental fluid dynamics to applications

The Royal Society, University Research Fellowship Renewal

10/2018-9/2021

Award: URF\R\180016, £335,670.

Principal Investigator/University Research Fellow

Control of the pinch-off asymmetry for the generation of satellite-free liquid drops for Continuous Inkjet Applications.

Department of Engineering Science October

2017

Round Research Equipment Fund £12,836 ex VAT

Portable extensional rheometer for the characterisation of complex fluids

Impact Acceleration Account (MPLS/EPSRC).

08/2018 - 07/2019.

Technology Fund, Grant: 0005037, £65,453.00

Principal Investigator

Towards nano-inkjet 3D-bioprinting

John Fell Fund, Oxford University Press Pump-Priming Award

07/2018-07/2021

Grant: 0005176, £145,000 (£95,000 from JFF, £50,000 from Engineering Science)

Principal Investigator (with Prof. A. Korsunsky, Andrew Carr, and J. Dye as Co-I)

Non-Standard droplet generators for the generation of liquid crystal-based soft photonic devices

The Royal Society, Enhancement Awards

Award: RGF\EA\180061, £10,000

Principal Investigator

Heat and mass transfer in drops

The Royal Society, Newton Mobility Award (UK – Applicant)

08/2017 – 08/2019

Grant: NI170191, £12,000

Principal Investigator in the UK.

Self-stimulation and single droplet in the controlled breakup of liquid jets

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

31/03/2017 – 30/03/2018 Grant: EP/P024173/1 £125,000

Principal Investigator

I'm open to applications for a DPhil working on (i) fundamental dynamics of drops and jets and (ii) inkjet printing of liquid crystals for soft photonics applications.