The inaugural lecture series in honour of Sir James Lighthill took place last week as Professor Stephen H. Davis addressed a packed lecture theatre.

The audience, among whom were members of Professor Lighthill's family, enjoyed an engaging and insightful talk on the problem of moving contact lines, as well as a touching introduction from Professor Trevor Stewart, a friend and former colleague of the man who "did so much for fluid dynamics and for Imperial College".

Launched to celebrate the opening of the new Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Fluid Dynamics across Scales, the series of annual lectures commemorates the work of Professor Sir James Lightill FRS, one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th Century and a pioneer in several areas of fluid dynamics.

"He had a remarkable knowledge of all sorts of mathematics", Professor Stewart observed. "With a problem of physics in any kind, or in fluid mechanics or in any aspect of physiology, he could find the right piece of mathematics to make progress. And he made remarkable progress in so many disciplines."

Professor Lightill's work at Imperial, where he arrived in 1966, included major contributions to the new field of biofluid dynamics, investigating areas as diverse as the fluid dynamics of swimming animals and blood flow in arteries. He was also instrumental in establishing the Physiological Flow Studies Unit, a forebear of the current Department of Bioengineering.

In keeping with "the spirit of James who who did many things for the first time", Professor Stewart welcomed Professor Stephen H. Davis, "a man who can speak across a great range of topics" and his talk on "a subject that didn't exist forty years ago".

The lecture examined various applications that involve moving contact lines, as well as two of the theories on approaches to spreading. Omar Matar, Director of Operations at the Fluid Dynamics across Scales CDT, who attended the lecture, said:

"It was a pleasure to attend the Inaugural Lighthill Lecture delivered by Professor Davis. He rolled back the years and recounted a number of anecdotes that reminded us of Sir James’ unique mathematical prowess, and his tremendous contributions to mathematics and fluid dynamics.

"Prof. Davis also provided a magnificent historical perspective that highlighted the complexities associated with contact line motion. This phenomenon is encountered on a daily basis in such commonplace systems as liquid droplets moving on solid surfaces; and yet elucidating the mechanisms underlying this motion involves the unravelling of multi-scale physics: from the molecular to the continuum."

The lecture was a real success and sets a high standard for future talks at this prestigious event.

For more information on the CDT, please visit the Fluid Dynamics across Scales website. You can also watch a recording of the lecture below.

Inaugural Imperial College Lighthill Lecture 2014