Research and expertise
My research interest is in environmental fluid mechanics, and I perform both computational and experimental work in this area.
In my current position as a Research Assistant, I am testing the validity of turbulent-transport models for sediment laden flows; principally with experimental work.
My PhD project studied how plant morphology plays a role in flow-vegetation interaction. Crucially, I have proposed the dimensionless number of “isoanemeity” to describe how different species of aquatic plants create hydrodynamic drag and interact with large-scale mixing processes.
Current research activity
- Multiphase Fluid Dynamics
Recent Publications
Conferences
- R. Dickinson, A. Palmeri, T. Marjoribanks, September 2023, “Nonlinear Dynamics of Complex 3D Rod Assemblies”, International Conference on Highly Flexible Slender Structures, Rijeka, Croatia
- R. Dickinson, T. Marjoribanks, C. Keylock, May 2026, “Classifying Foliated Ecohydraulics via Three-Dimensional Modelling”, European Geosciences Union, Vienna, Austria
Articles
- R. Dickinson, T. Marjoribanks, C. Keylock, A. Palmeri, August 2025, “Modelling vegetation as complex structures in fluid–filament interaction using the elastically-articulated body method”, Journal of Fluids and Structures, Volume 136
- R. Dickinson, T. Marjoribanks, C. Keylock, May 2026, “Isoanemeity Predicts the Effect of Leaf Versus Stem Flexure on Plant Drag”, Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 53
Profile
I have a BSc from the University of Nottingham, in Computer Science with AI, and an MSc from Loughborough University, in Industrial Mathematical Modelling. Here at Loughborough, I also undertook my PhD studies, in the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering.
During my PhD, I visited Kyoto Unviersity’s Disaster Prevention Research Institute for a 10 week summer research fellowship.
I have had some experience working in industrial software development, building remote-sensing applications and cloud infrastructure.