Join us

We welcome applications from prospective PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, MSc/MEng project students, and academic visitors interested in turbulence, multiphase flows, and scalar transport across urban, atmospheric, and indoor environments. The lab combines Direct Numerical Simulation, Large-Eddy Simulation, reduced-order theory, and (increasingly) machine learning, with a strong open-source / open-data ethos.

What we look for

Across all routes (PhD, postdoc, visitor) the qualities I weight most heavily are the same:

• Excellence — a strong technical foundation in fluid mechanics, applied maths, or scientific computing, and a track record of doing things well.
• Good work ethic — research is a long game; reliable, self-directed work over months and years matters more than bursts of brilliance.
• Clear communication — the lab is interdisciplinary and our work touches engineering, atmospheric science, public health, and policy. You'll need to explain your work plainly across those audiences and listen well in return.
• Natural curiosity — a genuine interest in why things work, not just in finishing the next deliverable.

Before reaching out, please skim our research areas, publications, and open-science output so your enquiry can point at concrete topics or papers you'd like to build on.

PhD students

PhD students join the lab through Imperial's Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. The department maintains an up-to-date list of funded studentships — start at the Department and College Scholarships page for current schemes, eligibility, and deadlines. Recent schemes have included Skempton scholarships (UK home students), the Shawki Saad scholarship (Sub-Saharan Africa), the Department Scholarship for Women, Department EPSRC scholarships, and college-wide schemes such as the President's PhD Scholarships.

External funding is also welcome — China Scholarship Council and other national fellowships, industry sponsorship, or self-funded study. If you have your own funding (or are eligible for one of the schemes above), email me a short note (1–2 paragraphs) describing the problem you'd like to work on, your background, and a CV. Generic "I'd like to do a PhD with you" messages are unlikely to receive a detailed reply.

Postdocs

The most reliable way to join the lab as a postdoc is via a UK or European fellowship — these give you independent funding, a cleaner CV, and, in most cases, more freedom in scoping the science. I'm glad to support strong applications: please get in touch well before the deadline (ideally 3+ months) so we can discuss fit, draft a research proposal together, and arrange institutional support. Schemes I've supported in the past include:

• UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship
• Royal Society University Research Fellowship and Newton International Fellowship
• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Imperial College Research Fellowship

Grant-funded postdoc positions are advertised on the Imperial jobs portal and shared on the PI's LinkedIn when openings come up.

MSc / MEng projects and visitors

Imperial students looking for an MSc or MEng project: project lists are circulated each autumn through the department; feel free to email if you want to discuss a topic in advance.

External visiting researchers (PhD students or staff from other institutions) are welcome for stays of typically 3–12 months, subject to space and a clear scientific overlap. Please write at least 6 months ahead of the intended start date so that visa, registration, and access can be arranged.

How to apply / get in touch

Email m.vanreeuwijk@imperial.ac.uk with:

• a CV including transcripts (or list of grades),
• a short statement of research interests, ideally pointing at one or two of our papers or projects,
• your funding situation (which scheme, application deadline, eligibility), and
• preferred start date.

Replies may take a couple of weeks — apologies in advance. A clear, specific message gets a clear, specific reply.