UC Spark

Dr Phillip Lawrence Wilson

Mathematics and Statistics

Fields of Research

  • Biomathematics
  • Fluid mechanics
  • Modelling biological and medical processes
  • Modelling industrial processes
  • Mathematics education

Researcher Summary

Pure mathematicians study patterns in ideas which typically arise from other ideas; I'm not a pure mathematician. Statisticians study patterns in data; I'm not a statistician. Applied mathematicians of type 'E' use mathematical tools to study the world around them; I am not an applied mathematician of type 'E'. Applied mathematicians of type 'M' discover interesting mathematics lurking in the real world around them; I call myself an applied mathematician of type 'M'.

A very general theme in what I like to do is the idea of "seeing differently" as well as "seeing further". For example, treating biological questions mathematically still retains a whiff of heresy, as does thinking seriously about the artistic and aesthetic qualities of mathematical knowledge.

Subject Area: Disciplines

Key Methodologies

  • Asymptotic analysis
  • Numerical methods
  • Mathematical Modelling
  • Dimensional analysis
  • Solution of differential equations
  • Thinking
  • Reading
  • Talking with clever, hard-working, deep-thinking people

Affiliations

Prizes and Awards

  • Best Poster Award (2008)

Research Service

  • The Reality Club (2012)
  • Associate supervisor of MSc project at University College London. (2010)
  • Visiting Erskine Fellowship (2009)
  • NZMS Newsletter Deputy Editor (2008-2011)
  • Associate supervisor to MSc student in Bioengineering. (2007-2009)
  • Local organising committee, 7th Australia-New Zealand Mathematics Convention. (2007-2008)

Publications


Journal Article
  • Ackerley, E.J., Cavan, A.E., Wilson, P.L., Berbeco, R.I. and Meyer, J. (2013) Application of a spring-dashpot system to clinical lung tumor motion data. Medical Physics 40(2): 021713. http://link.aip.org/link/doi/10.1118/1.4788643.
  • Smith, F.T. and Wilson, P.L. (2011) Fluid-body interactions: Clashing, skimming, bouncing. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A 369(1947): 3007-3024. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2011.0092.
  • Wilson, P.L. and Meyer, J. (2010) A spring-dashpot system for modelling lung tumour motion in radiotherapy. Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine 11(1): 13-26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17486700802616534.
  • Wilson, P.L., Huang, H. and Takagi, S. (2009) Hydrophobic effect in a continuum model of the lipid bilayer. Communications in Computational Physics 6(3): 655-672.
  • Wilson, P.L. and Smith, F.T. (2005) A three-dimensional pipe flow adjusts smoothly to the onset of a bend. Physics of Fluids 17: 048102. http://pof.aip.org/.
  • Wilson, P.L. and Smith, F.T. (2005) Compressible swirling flow through a significantly bent duct. Computers & Fluids 34(8): 891-926.
Conference Contribution - Paper in published proceedings
  • Wilson, P.L. and Meyer, J. (2010) A general model of lung tumour motion. London, UK: European Consortium for Mathematics in Industry (ECMI 2008), 30 Jun-4 Jul 2008. In Progress in Industrial Mathematics at ECMI 2008, Mathematics in Industry 15(3) 1061-1066. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12110-4_168.
  • Wilson, P.L., Takagi, S. and Huang, H. (2010) The lipid bilayer at the mesoscale: A physical continuum model. London, UK: European Consortium for Mathematics in Industry (ECMI 2008), 30 Jun-4 Jul 2008. In Progress in Industrial Mathematics at ECMI 2008: Mathematics in Industry 15(3) 1067-1072. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12110-4_169.
Conference Contribution - Abstract
  • Brennan, K.C., Chang, J.C., Chou, T., He, D., Huang, H., Miura, R.M., Wilson, P.L. and Wylie, J.J. (2012) Neurovascular Coupling During Cortical Spreading Depression: A Mathematical Model. Toronto, Canada: Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematics Annual Meeting CAIMS 2012, 24-28 Jun 2012.
  • Cavan, A.E., Wilson, P.L. and Meyer, J. (2010) A viscoelastic model of respiratory lung tumour motion. Christchurch, New Zealand: Health Research Society of Canterbury Seminar Series, 22 Apr 2010. In New Zealand Medical Journal 123(1313) 85.
  • Wilson, P. and Smith, F. (2009) Development of the Turbulent Flow in a Bent Pipe. Minneapolis, MN, USA: 62nd Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics, 22-24 Nov 2009. In Bulletin of the American Physical Society 54(19) 319.
Conference Contribution - Oral presentation
  • Cavan, A., Wilson, P., Berbeco, R. and Meyer, J. (2010) A viscoelastic model of the correlation between respiratory lung tumour motion and an external abdominal signal. Melbourne, Australia: Engineering and Physical Sciences in Medicine and the Australian Biomedical Engineering Conference (EPSM ABEC 2010), 5-9 Dec 2010.
  • Wilson, P. and Smith, F. (2009) Development of the Turbulent Flow in a Bent Pipe. Minneapolis, MN, USA: 62nd Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics, 22-24 Nov 2009.
  • Wilson, P.L., Huang, H. and Takagi, S. (2008) The lipid bilayer at the mesoscale: A physical continuum model. London, UK: The European Consortium for Mathematics in Industry (ECMI 2008), 30 Jun-4 Jul 2008.
  • Meyer, J., Lenz, K., Wilson, P.L., Wilbert, J., Guckenberger, M., Richter, A. and Baier, K. (2007) Modelling tumour trajectories as a function of respiratory motion. Perth, Australia: Engineering and Physical Sciences in Medicine and The Australian Biomedical Engineering Conference 2007 (2007 EPSM-ABEC), 14-18 Oct 2007.
  • Wilson, P.L., Huang, H. and Takagi, S. (2007) The lipid bilayer at the mesoscale: a physical continuum model. Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand: 1st Joint International Meeting between the American Mathematical Society and the New Zealand Mathematical Society (AMS-NZMS 2007), 12-15 Dec 2007.
  • Wilson, P.L. (2005) Mesoscale mathematical membrane modeling. The University of Tokyo, Japan: 19th Symposium on Fluid Engineering, 3/12/05.
Conference Contribution - Poster presentation
  • Brennan, K.C., Chang, J., Chou, T., He, D., Huang, H., Miura, R.M., Wilson, P. and Wylie, J.J. (2012) Neurovascular coupling during cortical spreading depression: a mathematical model. San Diego, California, USA: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (S.I.A.M.) Conference on the Life Sciences, 7-10 Aug 2012.
  • Wilson, P.L. and Meyer, J. (2008) A general model of lung tumour motion. London, UK: The European Consortium for Mathematics in Industry (ECMI 2008), 30 Jun-4 Jul 2008.
  • Meyer, J. and Wilson, P.L. (2008) A three-dimensional spring-dashpot system to model the correlation between abdominal and lung tumour motion. Christchurch, New Zealand: Engineering and Physical Sciences in Medicine and the Australian Biomedical Engineering Conference (EPSM ABEC 2008), 16-20 Nov 2008.
Thesis - Doctor of Philosophy
  • Wilson, P.L. (2003) On the core flow and turbulent boundary layer in a curved duct. PhD, University College London, London, UK.
Other
  • Wilson, P. (2013) Book review of "Hydrodynamic Instabilities" by Francois Charru. Mathematics Today 49(2): 95-96. Magazine of professional body.
  • Wilson, P. (2011) Marcus du Sautoy, The Num8er My5teries. London: Fourth Estate, 2010; 320pp. LMS Newsletter(400): 28-29. Book Review.
  • Wilson, P. (2010) An Introduction to Modeling and Simulation of Particulate Flows. Mathematics Today 46(2): 97. Book Review.
  • Wilson, P. (2010) Numerical Analysis and Optimization - an Introduction to Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Simulation. Mathematics Today 46(2): 94. Book Review.
  • Wilson, P. (2008) Physdamentalism. Physics World 21(1): 17. Letter to the Editor.
  • Wilson, P. (2007) Chaos: a very short introduction [book review]. Mathematics Today 43(6): 218-219. Magazine of professional body.
  • van den Berg, J.B., Kozyreff, G., Lin, H.-X., McDarby, J., Peletier, M.A., Planque, R. and Wilson, P.L. (2004) Japanese oysters in Dutch waters. Proceedings of the fourty-fifth European Study Group with Industry: 21-44. Leiden, The Netherlands. Print.
Additional Publications