Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dr. Andrew D. Bragg’s research focuses on fundamental and applied problems in fluid dynamics, especially turbulence.
Particular problems include understanding the microphysical processes governing rain formation in clouds and their implications for global climate, the mixing of organisms in the ocean, water treatment, and the dispersion of pollution in the atmosphere, along with astrophysical and industrial problems. His approach to solving these problems combines methods from applied mathematics and statistical physics, along with high-performance computation. Recent interests also include ecohydrology, porous media flows and geophysical fluid dynamics.
Before joining the Duke University faculty, Dr. Bragg was a postdoctoral associate in the Applied Mathematics and Plasma Physics Group at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Prior to that, he was a postdoctoral associate in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University. Dr. Bragg obtained his PhD in Theoretical Fluid Dynamics from Newcastle University in England.
Appointments and Affiliations
- Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Contact Information
- Office Location: 2459 Ciemas, Durham, NC 27708
- Office Phone: +1 919 660 5511
- Email Address: andrew.bragg@duke.edu
- Websites:
Education
- Ph.D. Newcastle University (United Kingdom), 2012
Research Interests
Fundamental and applied problems in fluid dynamics, especially turbulence, and its role in environmental systems.
Awards, Honors, and Distinctions
- National Science Foundation CAREER award. CBET Fluid Dynamics. 2021
- EUROMECH Young Scientist Award, given at the 16th European Turbulence Conference at KTH in Stockholm. European Mechanics Society. 2017
Courses Taught
- ME 634: Turbulence 1
- CEE 701: Graduate Colloquium
- CEE 690: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
- CEE 688: Turbulence 1
- CEE 301L: Fluid Mechanics
In the News
- Climate Scientists Listen to the Clouds (Jan 10, 2023 | Duke Magazine)
- How Squeezing 'Eddies' Help Transfer Energy Through Turbulence (Dec 17, 2019 | …
- Hurricanes: How to Prepare and Why They’re Getting More Dangerous (Sep 4, 2019)
- What Researchers Are Watching Out For This Hurricane Season (May 28, 2019 | Pra…
- Andrew Bragg: Making Sense of Chaos in Environmental Systems (Oct 1, 2016)
Representative Publications
- Grace, A. P., D. H. Richter, and A. D. Bragg. “A Reinterpretation of Phenomenological Modeling Approaches for Lagrangian Particles Settling in a Turbulent Boundary Layer.” Boundary-Layer Meteorology 190, no. 4 (April 1, 2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-024-00858-w.
- Johnson, D. R., A. L. Hammond, A. D. Bragg, and H. Meng. “Detailed characterization of extreme clustering at near-contact scales in isotropic turbulence.” Journal of Fluid Mechanics 982 (March 7, 2024). https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2023.1059.
- Li, S., A. D. Bragg, and G. Katul. “Reduced Sediment Settling in Turbulent Flows Due To Basset History and Virtual Mass Effects.” Geophysical Research Letters 50, no. 22 (November 28, 2023). https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105810.
- Ma, T., H. Hessenkemper, D. Lucas, and A. D. Bragg. “Fate of bubble clusters rising in a quiescent liquid.” Journal of Fluid Mechanics 973 (October 16, 2023). https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2023.807.
- Ma, T., Y. Liao, H. Hessenkemper, D. Lucas, and A. D. Bragg. “A Note on Modeling the Effects of Surfactants on Bubble-Induced Turbulence.” Chemical Engineering and Technology 46, no. 9 (September 1, 2023): 1817–22. https://doi.org/10.1002/ceat.202300152.