Richard J.A.M. Stevens

I lead research on wind-farm–atmosphere interaction and turbulent transport using large-eddy simulation, direct numerical simulation and physical models.

I also co-developed AFiD-GPU for direct numerical simulation of turbulence and heat transport.

Principal investigator of ERC WINDFLOW · Wind-farm turbulence review

Selected contributions → Find papers → Collaborate → Join the group →

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A current result

Low clouds can accelerate wake recovery

In the simulated marine cases, cooling at the top of a low cloud layer strengthens mixing and brings faster-moving air toward the turbines, helping the far wake recover. The effect depends on atmospheric conditions; an operational energy gain has not been established.

Explore the result and figure →

Featured in APS Physics (2 September 2026) and University of Twente research news (2 October). Recent coverage →

Research programme

See the research overview, Selected contributions, or the publication list.

WINDFLOW

WINDFLOW is my ERC Consolidator Grant project, awarded in 2023 for the 2024–2029 period. It aims to couple large-eddy simulation to weather-scale models to study wind-farm performance under changing conditions and the farms’ feedback on atmospheric stability, moisture, and atmosphere–ocean energy exchange. Read about the programme →

Group and opportunities

My group currently includes a postdoctoral researcher 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.

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