Rate My Professor Sarah Wakes

Professor Sarah Wakes is Professor and Head of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in the Division of Sciences at the University of Otago, a role she assumed in 2021 as the first woman to lead the department in its 150-year history. She joined the University in 2002, progressing through positions in applied sciences and design-related programmes before her appointment as full professor in 2024. Wakes earned her PhD from the University of Nottingham in 1991, with a thesis titled 'The development of a sand wave'. She is a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand, elected in 2022 for contributions to engineering education, and holds chartered engineer and chartered marine engineer status in the UK through the Institute of Marine Engineers Science and Technology. Her memberships include the New Zealand Mathematical Society, International Environmental Modelling and Software Society, New Zealand Coastal Society, University Senate, Academic Leadership Development Programme Advisory Group, and Standing Committee and Academic Board for the Sciences Division.

Her research focuses on computational fluid dynamics, modelling wind flows over complex topographies such as sand dunes, environmental wind modelling, sedimentation effects, air and wind interactions with complex geometries, and the interplay between technology and industrial design, including sustainability of materials. Key publications include 'Numerical modelling of wind flow over a complex topography' (Environmental Modelling & Software, 2010, with Maegli, Dickinson, and Hilton), 'Modeling of surface roughness for flow over a complex vegetated surface' (International Journal of Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences, 2008, with Pattanapol, Hilton, and Dickinson), 'Use of computational fluid dynamics in domestic oven design' (International Journal of Multiphysics, 2008, with Fahey and Shaw), 'The relationship between total embodied energy and cost of commercial buildings' (Energy & Buildings, 2012, with Jiao and Lloyd), and 'The illusion of weightlessness' (International Journal of Injury Control & Safety Promotion, 2010, with Caudwell). With over 1,440 citations, her work impacts environmental modelling, coastal management, and engineering design. She teaches courses including MATH 120 Mathematics for Scientists, MATS 204 Treasure or Trash: Sustainability of materials, and EMAN 301 Fluids and Heat Transfer. In 2024, she delivered her Inaugural Professorial Lecture, 'Where the wind blows'.