Richard Kelso

Richard Kelso

School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


Principal interests lie in the areas of aerodynamics, flow structure, aeroacoustics and flow control, with application areas being aerospace engineering, wind engineering and sports aerodynamics.

Richard Kelso has a BE(Mechanical) and PhD (Fluid Mechanics) from the University of Melbourne. Prior to joining the University of Adelaide in 1995, he worked at CSIRO, DSTO and Princeton University as well as two private engineering companies. Kelso is a leading researcher into the mechanics of shear flows, with his publications on transverse jets alone having more than 900 citations. His principal interests lie in the areas of flow structure and control, with application areas being aerospace engineering, wind engineering and sports aerodynamics. Kelso actively consults and collaborates with industry in projects from dust mitigation and combustion system design to cycling aerodynamics.

Please note that he is not accepting any new Masters or PhD students at this time.

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2021 - ongoing Adjunct Associate Professor University of Adelaide
    2000 - 2001 Lecturer (visiting) Princeton University
    1995 - 2021 Associate Professor University of Adelaide
    1994 - 1995 Research Scientist Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO)
    1992 - 1994 Research Scientist Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
    1992 - 1993 Research Fellow Princeton University
    1985 - 1988 Director Parking Control Systems P/L
    1983 - 1985 Director Innovonics Industrial Products P/L
  • Awards and Achievements

    Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
    2018 Award Malcolm Kinnaird Award 2018 & Australian Engineering Excellence Awards National Finalist Engineers Australia Australia -
    2018 Award Adidas Creator Award International Sports Engineering Association United Kingdom -
    2017 Recognition 2017 Australia’s Most Innovative Engineers list Engineers Australia - -
    2006 Award Paul Henderson Prize The Institution of Mechanical Engineers United Kingdom -
    2003 Award Supervisor of the Year (Runner-up) University of Adelaide Postgraduate Students Association - -
    2001 Award Special Recognition Award SA Government SA Great Awards Australia -
    2000 Award Engineering Excellence Award in the field of Innovation Institution of Engineers Australia, SA Division Australia -
    2000 Recognition ARC Special Recognition Award Australian Research Council Australia -
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    1992 University of Melbourne Australia PhD
    1981 University of Melbourne Australia B.E. (Mechanical)
  • Research Interests

Grant Title

Scheme and Year

Amount

A Study of Transverse Jets and Related Shear Flows

University of Adelaide Research Grants Scheme 1995-6

$20,000

A Study of Transverse Jets and Related Shear Flows

ARC Small Grants Scheme 1996

$13,000

Transverse jets: their flow structure, mixing and control

ARC Large Grants Scheme 1997

$116,000

Turbulence Characteristics and large scale structures in precessing jet flows generated by mechanical and fluid mechanical means

ARC Small Grants Scheme 1997

$10,000

Studies in mixing and combustion for the development of advanced practical combustion systems

DIST International Science & Technology Program Grant 1997

$29,000

Vortex structures and mixing in precessing jet flows

ARC Small Grants Scheme 1999

$8,000

Control of Jet Flows and Flames by Active and Fluidic Means

ARC RIEF (Infrastructure, Equipment & Facilities) Grant 2000

$625,000

Measurement and Modelling of Unsteady Flows for Application in Advanced Combustion Systems

Australian Research Council IREX Grant 2001-2

$40,898

Origin and Formation Mechanism of Self-Excited Jet-Oscillations

ARC Large Research Grants Scheme 2001

$131,087

Quantifying and Modelling the roles of large and small scale mixing in excited planar jets

Australian Research Council Large Grants Scheme 2001

$238,080

Joint Facility for the Control of Flow-Induced Noise

ARC Research Infrastructure Equipment and Facilities 2001

$450,000

The confined Vortex Mixer

University of Adelaide Small Research Grants Scheme 2003

$5,000

Investigation into the Development of Mach 5/50 Direct Fire Weapons System

DSTO Weapons Systems Division, Edinburgh, SA

$300,000

Development of a low emission, pulverised fuel rotary kiln burner utilising a low pressure-drop, oscillating jet nozzle

ARC Linkage Grant 2004-6

$335,802

Aeroacoustics of shallow cavities

DSTO Air Vehicles Division, Fishermens Bend, Vic., 2004-7

$44,250

Understanding the fluid mechanics of unsteady friction

ARC Discovery Grant 2005-7

$435,000

Centre for Aeronautical Research and Education (CARE) (Administered by Flinders University)

Sir Ross & Sir Keith Smith Fund 2005-7

$183,000

ICTAM 2008 Sponsorship

Sir Ross & Sir Keith Smith Fund 2008

$1,950

Aerodynamic enhancement of the capture of fine particle emissions and gaseous pollutants by sorbents

ARC Linkage Grant 2008-2010

$550,000

Large Scale Wind Tunnel

SA Premier’s Science & Research Fund 2008-10

$800,000

Large Scale Wind Tunnel

Sir Ross & Sir Keith Smith Fund 2008-10

$450,000

Quiet Fans

University of Adelaide Adelaide Research & Innovation, Commercial Accelerator Scheme 2013

$52,000

Australian Solar Thermal Research Initiative

Australian Renewable Energy Agency, 2013

$1.2M

Design of two bicycle helmets

R&D Funding, Scott Sports SA (Switzerland) 2014-16

Confidential 

Design of track cycling helmets

R&D Funding, Cycling Australia 2015-16

Confidential

Laser radar study of sound refraction through hot jets

ECMS Interdisciplinary Research Grant Scheme 2016

$20,000

Tekscan system

University of Adelaide DVCR Equipment Round 2016

$125,000

Cycling Australia R&D

AIS Competitive Innovation Fund Grant 2017

$398,000

Track Bicycle Development

R&D Funding, Cycling Australia 2018-19

Confidential

Applied Aerodynamics - Level 3 and Masters course covering incompressible and compressible flow in both internal and external regimes.

Advanced Topics in Fluid Mechanics - Level 4 and Masters elective covering a wide range of subject matter from turbulence, experimental methods, potential flow and vortex dynamics to applications such as automotive aerodynamics, marine hydrodynamics, sports balls, aquatic locomotion and biomimicry.

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2021 Co-Supervisor Modelling in Biomechanics: Equipment Optimisation for Athletes with a Disability. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Connor John Holdback
    2021 Principal Supervisor Measurement and simulation of the turbulent flow environment in road cycling. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Joshua Thomas Haselgrove
    2020 Co-Supervisor Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries and Soccer stud configuration Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Danyon Loud
    2019 Co-Supervisor Experimental Study of Wind Turbines Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Paul Bayron
    2018 Co-Supervisor Pico-Scale to Small-Scale Hydropower Implementation in Nepal Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Matthew Lawrence Brandon-Toole
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2017 - 2022 Principal Supervisor Understanding the Aerodynamic Environment in Track Cycling Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Shaun Fitzgerald
    2015 - 2017 Co-Supervisor Investigation of the Wind Load on Heliostats in Stow Position Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Matthew John Emes
    2013 - 2018 Co-Supervisor Unsteady Loads and Associated Flow Fields on Wings Exposed to High Rotation-Rate Dynamic Stall Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Ryan Ross Leknys
    2013 - 2018 Co-Supervisor The effect of unsteady flow on wind turbine wake development and noise generation Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Nima Sedaghatizadeh
    2013 - 2017 Co-Supervisor Self-noise of Airfoils Under Stalled Conditions Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Alex James Laratro
    2013 - 2016 Principal Supervisor The Effects of Tubercles on Swept Wing Performances at Pre-Stall Angles of Attack Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Michael Donald Peter Bolzon
    2012 - 2015 Co-Supervisor Unsteady Separation Control on Wind Turbine Blades Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Amanullah Choudhry
    2011 - 2020 Principal Supervisor Low Reynolds Number Two-and Three-Dimensional Cavity Flows and the Effect of a Cavity on Airfoil Tonal Noise Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Karn Lee Schumacher
    2011 - 2016 Co-Supervisor The Impact of Undulating Leading-Edge Modifications on the Flow Characteristics of NACA 0021 Foils Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Nikan Rostamzadeh Torghabeh
    2011 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Targeted Unmixing of Particles in Suspension Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Mei Chiin Cheong
    2009 - 2013 Co-Supervisor The working principle of a Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Yunpeng Xue
    2008 - 2008 Co-Supervisor Mass Loading and Stokes Number Effects in Steady and Unsteady Particle-laden Jets Master of Engineering Science Master Full Time Mr Richard Foreman
    2008 - 2012 Co-Supervisor Laminar Flow Control of a Flat Plate Boundary Layer Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Brad Gibson
    2007 - 2008 Principal Supervisor On the Relation between Fluid Flow over Bluff Bodies and Accompanying Acoustic Radiation Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Antoni Blazewicz
    2007 - 2009 Co-Supervisor Cardiac Flow Analysis Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Kelvin Wong
    2006 - 2012 Principal Supervisor Effect of Leading Edge Tubercles on Airfoil Performance Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Kristy Hansen
    2005 - 2016 Co-Supervisor Aerodynamics of Fibrous Particles Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Guo Qi
    2004 - 2009 Co-Supervisor The Effect of Density on the Near Field of a naturally Occurring Oscillating Jet Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Grant England
    2004 - 2011 Principal Supervisor A Study of the flow within shallow, narrow cavities at low Reynolds Numbers Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Sarah Crook
    2004 - 2009 Co-Supervisor Study of Large-Scale Coherent Structures in the Near Field and Transition Regions of a Mechanically Oscillated Planar Jet Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Michael Riese
    2003 - 2010 Principal Supervisor The Flow Around a Fish-inspired Heaving and Pitching Hydrofoil Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Timothy Lau
    2002 - 2009 Co-Supervisor Study Of A Naturally Oscillating Triangular-Jet Flow Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Soon Lee
    1999 - 2005 Co-Supervisor THE EVOLUTION OF THE NEAR FIELD OF A PRECESSING JET FLOW Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Kimberley Clayfield
    1999 - 2004 Co-Supervisor The flow within and in the near external field of a fluidic precessing jet nozzle Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Chong Wong
    1997 - 2002 Principal Supervisor On the Structure and Mixing of a Jet in Crossflow Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Philip Cutler
  • Consulting/Advisories

    Date Institution Department Organisation Type Country
    2014 - 2016 Cycling Australia High Performance Unit Sports and recreation Australia
    2012 - 2016 Scott Sports - Sports and recreation Switzerland
    2007 - 2008 Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) Ltd. - Business and professional Australia
    2005 - 2005 ResMed Pty. Ltd. - Health services and related Australia
    2005 - 2005 Walkerville Primary School - School or college Australia
    2004 - 2007 Indigo Technologies Pty. Ltd. - Business and professional Australia
    2003 - 2004 State Opera of South Australia - Cultural or historical Australia
    2003 - ongoing Magistrates Court of South Australia - Litigation and legal aid Australia
    2003 - 2004 FCT Combustion Pty. Ltd. - Business and professional Australia
    2003 - 2004 FCT Combustion Pty. Ltd. - Business and professional Australia
    2003 - 2004 State Opera of South Australia - Cultural or historical Australia
    2003 - 2004 FCT Combustion Pty. Ltd. - Business and professional -
    2002 - 2002 Australian Submarine Corporation - Business and professional Australia
    2001 - 2001 Pacific Power Ltd. - Business and professional Australia
    1998 - 2000 Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) - Sports and recreation Australia
    1998 - 2000 Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) - Sports and recreation Australia

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