michael.r.cox [at] durham.ac.uk
I am a postdoc in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Durham University working with Hossein Kafiabad on problems in geophysical fluid dynamics. My doctoral studies were supervised by Hossein and Jacques Vanneste at the University of Edinburgh. Prior to this, I studied theoretical physics and applied mathematics at the University of Birmingham, completing my dissertation in quantum field theory under the supervision of Curt von Keyserlingk.
Motivated by a concern for the changing climate, my research focuses on internal waves in the atmosphere and ocean. Throughout my PhD, I looked at how internal waves interact with inhomogeneities such as eddies and topography. The key results of this work can be found in the papers below, the first of which is summarised in my recent talk as part of the TRR 181 seminar series.
Currently, I am developing and implementing a numerical method for multi-timescale systems. I enjoy perturbation theory and asymptotics and I am also interested in internal tides and tidal observations.
Cox, M., Kafiabad, H., & Vanneste, J. (2023). Inertia-gravity-wave diffusion by geostrophic turbulence: the impact of flow time dependence. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 958, A21. doi:10.1017/jfm.2023.83
Cox, M., Kafiabad, H., & Vanneste, J. (Under review). Inhomogeneity-induced wavenumber diffusion. doi:10.48550/arXiv.2406.17149
To complement my ocean studies, I like to swim in the sea.