Professor of Fluid Mechanics
Richard J.A.M. Stevens
I study how atmospheric turbulence shapes wind-farm flows — and how large farms, in turn, modify the atmosphere. My group connects this wind-farm–atmosphere interaction to multiscale prediction and physical modelling, and to turbulence simulation and high-performance computing.
Research programme
Wind-farm–atmosphere interaction
How atmospheric conditions govern wind-farm flow, and how large farms feed back on the boundary layer.
Multiscale prediction and physical modelling
Mechanistic and reduced-order predictions connecting turbine wakes, boundary layers, and changing weather.
Turbulence simulation and high-performance computing
Canonical turbulent flows, numerical methods, and scalable simulation tools that underpin the programme.
See the research overview, publication-led highlights, or the complete publication list.
WINDFLOW
WINDFLOW is my ERC Consolidator Grant project, awarded in 2023 for the 2024–2029 period. It develops large-eddy simulation strategies coupled to large-scale weather models to study wind-farm performance under real, time-evolving weather and how wind farms affect atmospheric stability, moisture, and energy exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean.
One current example is the PRX Energy study of low-level clouds. Longwave cooling at the top of a stratocumulus layer strengthens turbulent entrainment and deepens the atmospheric boundary layer. The resulting downward transport brings more momentum and energy from the stronger winds above toward the turbines, accelerating far-wake recovery behind the wind farm. D. Selvatici, R.J.A.M. Stevens, PRX Energy 5, 033014 (2026); featured in Physics Magazine.
Group and opportunities
My group currently includes postdocs and PhD students working across these research areas, alongside several completed PhDs and postdocs now at other institutions. I am a member of the Max Planck–University of Twente Center for Complex Fluid Dynamics. The group is based in Physics of Fluids at the University of Twente and collaborates with universities, research institutes, and industrial partners in fluid mechanics, atmospheric science, wind-energy engineering, and scientific computing. Meet the group, or see student projects and vacancy status for PhD and postdoc positions.
Contact
Richard J.A.M. Stevens — Professor of Fluid Mechanics
Physics of Fluids group
Faculty of Science and Technology
University of Twente
Building Meander
P.O. Box 217
7500 AE Enschede
The Netherlands
T: +31 (0)53 489 5359
E: r.j.a.m.stevens@utwente.nl
ORCID: 0000-0001-6976-5704 ·
Scholar: Google Scholar profile