John Bush

John Bush applies mathematical methods to problems arising in the physical sciences. He is a fluid dynamicist, whose work is primarily focused on surface tension-driven phenomena, their applications in biology, and hydrodynamic quantum analogues.

His interests lie in physical systems that can be readily observed in either natural or laboratory settings. He thus directs the Applied Math Laboratory in MIT’s Department of Mathematics – where he has studied intriguing phenomena such as the dynamics of wine, fluid sheets and bells, and colliding fluid jets. His work in biology has been concerned with elucidating the many ingenious means in which insects use surface tension for various functions, including locomotion, drinking, and underwater breathing.

Most recently, he has been examining the dynamics of a drop levitating on the surface of a vibrating bath, a system that exhibits many features previously thought to be exclusive to the microscopic quantum realm. His work illustrates that this hydrodynamic quantum analogue system is reminiscent of an early model of quantum dynamics proposed by Louis de Broglie.