Tim Pedley


Timothy John "Tim" Pedley is a British mathematician and a former G. I. Taylor Professor of Fluid Mechanics at the University of Cambridge. His principal research interest is the application of fluid mechanics to biology and medicine.
He then spent three years at Johns Hopkins University as a post-doctoral fellow. From 1968 to 1973 he was a lecturer at Imperial College London, after which he moved to the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge. He remained at Cambridge until 1990 when he moved to Leeds University to be Professor of Applied Mathematics. In 1996 he returned to Cambridge and from 2000 to 2005 he was head of DAMTP.
He is a fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge and a fellow of the Royal Society. In 2008 Pedley and Professor J. D. Murray, FRS were jointly awarded the Gold Medal of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications in recognition of their "outstanding contributions to mathematics and its applications over a period of years".

Research

Pedley has pioneered the application of fluid mechanics to understanding biological phenomena. His best-known work includes the study of blood flow in arteries, flow–structure interactions in elastic tubes, flow and pressure drop in the lung, and the collective behaviour of swimming microorganisms.
His research has touched on issues of medical importance, including arterial bypass grafts, urine flow from kidneys to bladder, and the ventilation of premature infants. His work on microorganisms has application to plankton ecology.

Personal life

Pedley is the son of Richard Rodman Pedley and Jeanie Mary Mudie Pedley. He was educated at Rugby School and Trinity College, Cambridge.
In 1965 he married Avril Jennifer Martin Uden, with whom he has had two sons. He enjoys birdwatching, running and reading.