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Henry Keith Moffatt is a distinguished British mathematician and physicist, acclaimed for his foundational work in fluid dynamics, particularly in magnetohydrodynamics and turbulence theory. Born in Edinburgh, he studied mathematics at the University of Edinburgh and Trinity College, Cambridge, completing his Ph.D. in 1962 under George Batchelor, with a thesis on magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. Moffatt’s research has made major contributions to the understanding of magnetic field generation in conducting fluids, vortex dynamics, and topological aspects of fluid motion. He is particularly known for discovering “Moffatt eddies,” a class of viscous flow structures near corners.

His academic career began at the University of Cambridge as a lecturer in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP). In 1977, he became Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Bristol and returned to Cambridge in 1980 as Professor of Mathematical Physics. He led DAMTP from 1983 to 1991 and was Director of the Isaac Newton Institute from 1996 to 2001. He is currently Professor Emeritus at Cambridge and a Life Fellow of Trinity College.

Moffatt has received numerous distinctions, including the Smith’s Prize (1960), the Hughes Medal of the Royal Society (2005), and election to the Royal Society (1986). He is also a member of several prestigious academies, such as the Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Academia Europæa, Accademia dei Lincei, and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He holds honorary doctorates from universities across Europe and the U.S.

Beyond academia, he served as President of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and held visiting posts at institutions such as the École Normale Supérieure. His 2025 autobiography, Flow: The Twists and Turns of a Life in Turbulence, reflects on his influential scientific career and personal journey.