![Alexander Pretty FHEA](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/8877?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Alexander Pretty
(he/him)
FHEA
Teams and roles for Alexander Pretty
Lecturer in Mathematical Sciences
Overview
School roles:
- Course Coordinator (Year 1 MATHS)
- Widening Participation and Admissions Coordinator
Research Areas:
- Fluid Dynamics
- Electromagnetics
- Indoor disease transmission
Teaching:
- MA1901 Mathematical Creativity, Communication and Exploration
- MA1902 Mathematical Creativity and Geometry
- MA3305 Fluid Dynamics
Mathematics for the Modern World:
I am part of the team developing an exciting new degree programme designed to prepare students for success in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. It combines a rigorous foundation in mathematical principles with contemporary themes including:
- Sustainability and global citizenship
- Communication, creativity and entrepreneurship
- AI-assisted mathematics and modern computational tools
- Big data and digital technologies
This degree programme, and my position, are funded by the Campaign for Mathematical Sciences.
Publication
2026
- Pretty, A. et al. 2026. The effect of local ventilation on a spatiotemporal model of airborne disease transmission in indoor spaces. European Journal of Applied Mathematics (10.1017/s0956792526100485)
2025
- Thomas, C. and Pretty, A. 2025. Impulse response of linear disturbances in a skewed Stokes layer. Physics of Fluids 37 (1) 014107. (10.1063/5.0249527)
2021
- Pretty, A. , Davies, C. and Thomas, C. 2021. Onset of absolutely unstable behaviour in the Stokes layer: a Floquet approach to the Briggs method. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 928 A23. (https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2021.824)
2020
- Ramage, A. et al. 2020. Numerical simulation of the spatiotemporal development of linear disturbances in Stokes layers: Absolute instability and the effects of high-frequency harmonics. Physical Review Fluids 5 (10) 103901. (10.1103/PhysRevFluids.5.103901)
2017
- Ramage, A. 2017. Linear disturbance evolution in the semi-infinite Stokes layer and related flows. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Articles
- Pretty, A. et al. 2026. The effect of local ventilation on a spatiotemporal model of airborne disease transmission in indoor spaces. European Journal of Applied Mathematics (10.1017/s0956792526100485)
- Thomas, C. and Pretty, A. 2025. Impulse response of linear disturbances in a skewed Stokes layer. Physics of Fluids 37 (1) 014107. (10.1063/5.0249527)
- Pretty, A. , Davies, C. and Thomas, C. 2021. Onset of absolutely unstable behaviour in the Stokes layer: a Floquet approach to the Briggs method. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 928 A23. (https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2021.824)
- Ramage, A. et al. 2020. Numerical simulation of the spatiotemporal development of linear disturbances in Stokes layers: Absolute instability and the effects of high-frequency harmonics. Physical Review Fluids 5 (10) 103901. (10.1103/PhysRevFluids.5.103901)
Thesis
- Ramage, A. 2017. Linear disturbance evolution in the semi-infinite Stokes layer and related flows. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Research
Fluid Dynamics
I studied a PhD in fluid dynamics at Cardiff University under the supervision of Dr Chris Davies, entitled "Linear disturbance evolution in the semi-infinite Stokes layer and related flows". In this project I demonstrated that the Stokes layer - being the flow generated by the sinusiodal motion of a bounding plate - is subject to a form of absolute instability. The approach taken was a combination of direct numerical simulation of the linearised Navier-Stokes equations and solution of an eigenvalue problem arising from a Floquet linear stability analysis.
Indoor disease transmission
During the pandemic I conducted research investigating indoor transmission of COVID-19, with particular interest in the impact of air purification devices. The risk of infection was determined using an advection-diffusion-reaction equation so that the spatiotemporal variation across the room could be accounted for, with the purifier modelled as a source/sink of airflow into/out of the room. The research was carried out alongside Dr Katerina Kaouri and Prof Ian Griffiths.
Electromagnetics
I held a postdoctoral research position at Swansea University, with Prof Oubay Hassan, Dr Ruben Sevilla and Prof Kenneth Morgan, using reduced order modeling of Maxwell's equations to facilitate the design and optimisation of nano-scale structures for coatings on thermal solar panels. This work was undertaken in collaboration with industry partners LIST.
Teaching
In 2026/2027 I'm teaching on the following undergraduate modules:
- MA1901 Mathematical Creativity, Communication, and Exploration
- MA1902 Mathemaitcal Creativity and Geometry
- MA3305 Fluid Dynamics
In 2025/2026 I taught on the following undergraduate modules:
- MA1006 Foundations of Mathematics II
- MA2900 Problem Solving
I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Biography
I have been based in and around Cardiff since 2010, when I began my undergraduate degree, BSc Mathematics and its Applications, followed immediately by my PhD. After a brief break from Cardiff University, commuting to Swansea as a post-doc there, I returned to the School of Mathematics in 2021. Initially a Research Fellow, then a Teaching Fellow, I became a lecturer in 2025.
In 2021, I was married, and as a result changed my surname from Ramage to Pretty. My PhD thesis and my first paper are in my previous name.
Professional memberships
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Academic positions
Oct 2025 - present: Lecturer in Mathematical Sciences, School of Computational and Mathematical Sciences, Cardiff University
Oct 2021 - Oct 2025: Teaching Fellow, School of Mathematics, Cardiff University
Feb 2021 - July 2021: Post Doctoral Research Associate, School of Mathematics, Cardiff University
2018 - 2020: Post Doctoral Research Associate, College of Engineering, Swansea University
Contact Details
Research themes
Specialisms
- Applied mathematics