I have developed a research program in aerodynamics of avian flight and migration based on theoretical modelling and wind tunnel experiments. Bird flight is fascinating to the human observer and an ideal model system for studying complex and integrative function as a result of complex evolutionary adaptations. Not only do birds fly, but they use this skill for epic migrations ranging across the entire globe. Asking mechanistic, functional and evolutionary questions our group take different approaches ranging from fluid dynamics, biomechanics, mathematical optimisation and comparative methods in our quest for an integrative functional understanding of flight and migratory behaviour. Prospective students and postdocs interested in theoretical and experimental approaches to questions in evolutionary biology are welcome to join our group.

Phone: +46 (0) 46 222 4955

How good are birds at manoeuvring in flight, and what aerodynamic mechanisms do they utilize achieve the manoeuvres? These are questions I try to answer by studying birds flying both in air and under water. The ability to manoeuvre in flight is essential to birds moving in a three-dimensional medium, not only to avoid obstacles when flying in a complex environment, but also because it determines the outcome of predator prey interactions.
The project concerns several different aspects of manoeuvring in flying birds. We work to quantify the manoeuvrability of several different species, and will also study what makes certain species better at manoeuvring than others. The latter will be accomplished by studying the aerodynamics of the birds, using a relatively new technique called Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV).

I have previously been working with propulsive mechanisms in swimming birds and frogs. Please download my CV.

Phone: +46 (0) 46 222 1785 or +46 (0) 738 977193

Phone: +46 (0) 46 222 1785 or +46 (0) 707 985540

I started my PhD studies at the beginning of 2004 and the topic of my thesis is “Aerodynamics and ecology of different flight modes in vertebrates”.

I have been working with both birds and bats, studying kinematics as well as looking at the flow-dynamics, using the DPIV technique developed at our lab. My honours thesis was about body lift production and kinematics of flap-bounding flight in budgerigars and so I continued to work with both budgerigars and other bird species using bounding flight. I hope to take a closer look at the wake structure of flap-bounding flight as well as the wake of gliding flight in jackdaws. I’m also involved in our latest project concerning the flight and wake dynamics of bats.

I hope that my research will contribute to further understanding of the flight mechanics and development of more general flight theory.

Supervisor: Anders Hedenström and Christoffer Johansson

Phone: +46 (0) 46 222 3769

I started my PhD studies in Dec. 2005 on the topic “Aerodynamics and flight performance of birds in a wind tunnel and in free flight”. The focus of my studies lies on the common swift (Apus apus) which is an extreme bird both with respect to its biology and to its aerodynamic design. The swift spend almost its entire lifetime in the open air, day and night, landing almost only to breed. It has a torpedo shaped, streamlined body and long slender aft swept wings with short arm section and long hand section. What is the benefit and costs of such a design? What is similar and what is different in these birds compared to others? What can we learn about animal flight from these birds? These are a few of the questions I am trying to answer during my research. The experimental approach involves kinematic studies, flow visualisation by DPIV, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Tracking radar studies and more.

 Supervisor: Anders Hedenström and Thomas Alerstam

Phone: +46(0) 46 222 3768 or +46 (0) 738 435235

I am an aerospace engineer specialized in aerodynamics of flapping wings, so this is the place for me! For my PhD studies, I am studying the aerodynamics of animal flight, and in particular bat flight, although I also work with birds. To do this, I use our wind tunnel, the high-speed camera system and our DPIV system.
Looking at our bats flying in the wind tunnel, it is incredible to see how maneuverable and what elegant flyers they are, especially with respect to those big metal things which we call airplanes. We still have a lot to learn from nature when it comes to flight and that is exactly what I am trying to do…

Supervisor: Anders Hedenström and Christoffer Johansson

Phone: +46 (0) 46 222 1785

I am a PhD student from Bielefeld University in Germany, collaborating with the flight lab at Lund University.

For my thesis I work with the two nectarivorus bat species Glossophaga soricina and Leptonycteris curasoae . Both species are leafnosed bats and very similar in their morphology, but different in size.  I want to get an overview of all the involved mechanism of flight: energetics, kinematics and aerodynamics. I’m examining energy intake, how that energy is converted into muscle work and how those wing movements generate vortex wakes and produce the required forces for flight. The used techniques involve high speed filming, SDIPV (stereo digital particle image velocimetry) and fast response respirometry.

Supervisor: York Winter and Anders Hedenström

Close collaborators

Geoff Spedding – has a background in animal flight aerodynamics, but is now doing research on various aerodynamic problems. Pioneered the study of wake vortices in birds, and showed that fast flying birds have the constant circlation wake. He is associated with the Lund aerodynamic research as an expert in fluid dynamics. Geoff is usually to be found at University of Southern California, USA.

From January 2004 I have a Post doc position at the department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. The project is entitled "Flight at small scale and low speed: Low Reynolds number airfoil performance", and is funded by the Swedish Research Council.

Colin J. Pennycuick – is the founder of the current theory widely used for calculating bird flight performance. He has written many classical research papers on animal aerodynamics and flight performance. His “Bird flight performance: A Practical Calculation Manual” (Oxford University Press) is a must for anyone interested in bird flight, and it revolutionized the use of the theory of animal flight by ecologists and ornithologists by providing easy-to-use software. Colin took the initiative and made the basic design of the Lund wind tunnel. He is associated in many ways with the research on bird aerodynamics in this facility.

Visit Colin's website at Bristol University and get your own free copy of "Flight" - The updated version of Colin's easy-to-use software for calculating bird flight performance.