Rate My Professor Paul Bushby

Professor Paul Bushby is Professor of Applied Mathematics in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics at Newcastle University. He obtained a BA in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge in 1999, followed by an MA and a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the same university in 2003. After completing his doctorate, Bushby held a Postdoctoral Research Associate position in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge from 2003 to 2007, before taking up his current professorial role at Newcastle University.

Bushby's research centers on astrophysical fluid dynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, and dynamo theory. His specific interests include magnetohydrodynamic convection, dynamo action in rotating compressible convection, convectively-driven dynamo action in the quiet Sun, modelling of magnetoconvection in the solar photosphere, magnetic buoyancy instabilities in the solar interior, large-scale solar and stellar dynamo modelling, the dynamics of cosmic rays and magnetic fields in the interstellar medium, oscillatory convection and limitations of the Boussinesq approximation, and magnetohydrodynamics of Hot Jupiter atmospheres. He has published extensively in leading journals such as Astronomy and Astrophysics, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, and Physical Review Fluids. Key publications include "Saturation mechanism of the fluctuation dynamo at PrM >=1" (Physical Review Fluids, 2020), "Global diffusion of cosmic rays in random magnetic fields" (Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2016), "On predicting the solar cycle using mean-field models" (The Astrophysical Journal, 2007), "Zonal flows and grand minima in a solar dynamo model" (Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2006), and "Cosmic rays in intermittent magnetic fields" (Astrophysical Journal Letters, 2017). Bushby has secured substantial research funding as Principal Investigator or co-lead, including STFC Astrophysics Grants for "Magnetism in Hot Jupiters" (2026-2029) and "A solar-like dynamo driven by magnetic buoyancy" (2025-2028), as well as Leverhulme Trust Grants such as "Dynamo action driven by magnetic buoyancy: A new model for solar magnetism" (2021-2024). He has supervised postdoctoral researchers including Dr Craig Duguid, Dr Alex Hindle, and Dr Irina Makarenko, contributing to progress in astrophysical magnetohydrodynamics.