Henry Keith Moffatt, FRS FRSE (born 12 April 1935) is a British mathematician with research interests in the field of fluid dynamics, particularly magnetohydrodynamics and the theory of turbulence. He was Professor of Mathematical Physics at the University of Cambridge from 1980 to 2002.

Early life and education

Moffatt was born on 12 April 1935 to Emmeline Marchant and Frederick Henry Moffatt.^[1] He was schooled at George Watson's College, Edinburgh, going on to study Mathematical Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 1957. He then went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied mathematics and, 1959, he was a Wrangler. In 1960, he was awarded a Smith's Prize while preparing his PhD. He received his PhD in 1962, the title of his dissertation was Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence.

Career

After completing his PhD, Moffatt joined the staff of the Mathematics Faculty in Cambridge as an Assistant Lecturer^[1] and became a Fellow of Trinity College. He was appointed a lecturer in 1964, and held the office of Tutor, then Senior Tutor, at Trinity between 1970 and 1976.

In 1977 he was appointed to the Chair of Applied Mathematics at the University of Bristol.^[1] He held this position until 1980 when he returned to Cambridge to take up the Chair in Mathematical Physics, renewing his Fellowship of Trinity College. In 2002 he was made an Emeritus Professor of the University (he remains a Fellow of Trinity).

In the early 2000s he published papers on the theory of Euler's Disk.

Moffatt has published more than 200 papers.

Appointments

• DAMTP, University of Cambridge: Assistant Lecturer, 1961–1964; Lecturer, 1964–1976
• Trinity College, Cambridge: Fellow, 1961–76; Tutor, 1970–1974; Senior Tutor, 1975–1976
• Bristol University: Professor of Applied Mathematics, 1977–1980
• DAMTP, University of Cambridge: Professor of Mathematical Physics, 1980–2002; Head of Department, 1983–1991; Emeritus Professor, 2002--
• Trinity College, Cambridge: Fellow, 1980–-
• Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge: Director, 1996–2001; Senior Fellow, 2001--
• Editor, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 1966–1983
• École Polytechnique, Palaiseau: Visiting Professor (professeur d'exercise partiel), 1992–1999
• École Normale Supérieure, Paris: Chaire Internationale de Recherche Blaise Pascal, 2001–2003
• African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Muizenberg, South Africa: Trustee and Member of Council, 2003
• Leverhulme Emeritus Professor, 2003–2005
• International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM): Member of Bureau, 1992–2000; President, 2000–2004; Vice-President, 2004--

Honours and awards

• Fellow of the Royal Society, 1986
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1987
• Foreign Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1991^[2]
• Member of Academia Europæa, 1994
• Foreign Member of the Académie des Sciences, Paris, 1998
• Officier des Palmes académiques, 1998
• Foreign Member of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome, 2001
• Panetti-Ferrari International Prize and Gold Medal, Academy of Sciences, Turin, 2001
• Fellow of the American Physical Society, 2003
• Euromech Prize for Fluid Mechanics, 2003
• Caribbean Award for Fluid Dynamics, 2004
• Senior Whitehead Prize of the London Mathematical Society, 2005
• Hughes Medal of the Royal Society, 2005

Personal life

In 1960 he married Katharine (Linty), and together they had four children, two daughters and two sons, one of whom is deceased.^[1]