Dr Sophie Calabretto

Honorary Senior Lecturer

School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Macquarie University

Honorary Associate Professor,

Aerospace & Computational Engineering (ACE) Research Group

School of Engineering

University of Leicester

Industry Fellow

School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences

University of Technology Sydney

contact info:

sophie.calabretto{at}protonmail.ch

Welcome.

I am an applied mathematician, fluid mechanist, and science writer.
My research interests include the unsteady flow of rotating fluids, specifically focusing on the dynamics resulting from impulsive changes in rotation rate, including the formation of boundary layers, their subsequent evolution, and the formation of instabilities. I am also interested in transitional turbulence, and rotational coherence in three-dimensional turbulent flows.

I am also the host of The Science Briefing, a podcast about the science of everything, produced by LiSTNR and The Royal Institution of Australia.

Link to the AustMS Early-Career Workshop 2020.

Recent media and news.

• • Why drive when you could fly?, Cosmos Magazine (Issue 96 September-November 2022), October 2022
• • Can ocean whirlpools swallow whole ships? | Weird: Oceans (video), ABC Science, September 2022
• • Meet the experts – Eureka Stories (MC), Australian Museum, September 2022
• • Fluid futures, STEM careers (pp 42-43), IMPACT #213 Winter 2022: A tech powered, human driven future, Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE), August 2022
• • Seven next big things in science which will change our world (MC), Cosmos Magazine, August 2022
• • Sticky Business, Cosmos Magazine (Issue 94 March-May 2022), March 2022
• • Episode 132. Physically looking inside (of you), That's What I Call Science, October 2021
• • Calhoun’s prophet rodents and the creation of the "behavioural sink", Cosmos Weekly 27, Cosmos Magazine, October 2021
• • Episode 128. The Problems with Maths, That's What I Call Science, September 2021
• • A mathematician watches The Number 23, Cosmos Weekly 22, Cosmos Magazine, September 2021
• • How stingrays became such sleek swimmers, Cosmos Magazine, September 2021
• • Top 10 NYSF Connect Webinars of 2020 - National Science Week 2021, National Youth Science Forum, August 2021
• • A new angle on ancient trigonometry, Cosmos Weekly 16, Cosmos Magazine, August 2021
• • Episode 119. Biostatistics: it’s good for the heart, That's What I Call Science, July 2021
• • Generation STEM Masterclass series – The fascinating world of supercomputers, CSIRO, June 2021
• • Episode 111. Ecological decision science, That's What I Call Science, June 2021
• • Highlighting the M in STEM, Pint of Science 2021, May 2021
• • Episode 103. Ice, ice, maybe?, That's What I Call Science, April 2021
• • Episode 95. Fluids behaving badly: the maths of fluid flow, That's What I Call Science, February 2021
• • Episode 44: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, The Random Sample - an ACEMS Podcast Series, December 2020
• • Episode 43: Maths & the Power of Perseverance, The Random Sample - an ACEMS Podcast Series, December 2020
• • Turbulent Times, Cosmos Magazine (Issue 89 December-February 2020), December 2020
• • Cassie McCullagh speaks to 2020 Eureka Prizes finalists (Facebook Live video)/(ABC RN Focus episode), Focus, ABC RN, November 2020
• • Introducing the Australasian Chapter of Women in HPC, National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), October 2020
• • Divide and conquer: why doing maths adds up to life success, The Lighthouse, Macquarie University, September 2020
• • Sophie Calabretto, 1 Million Women In STEM (1MWIS), September 2020
• • Science is my Superpower, Project Gen Z, August 2020
• • NYSF Week of Webinars - National Science Week 2020, National Youth Science Forum, August 2020
• • Galaxies under glass, Cosmos Magazine (Issue 87 June-August 2020), June 2020
• • Dr Sophie Calabretto - Humans of NCI, National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), May 2020
• • Australian Women of Mathematics exhibit: first look, May 2020
• • Nominees for Woman of the Year award announced, The Sunday Mail, December 2019
• • What’s the opposite of infinity? | Elevator Pitch (video), ABC Science, November 2019
• • Ultimate Careers magazine 2019 (pp 38-39), Australia's Science Channel, November 2019
• • SA's most powerful women in science, medicine, innovation and space, The Messenger, October 2019
• • 3 reasons you don’t have to be a ‘genius’ to be good at maths, Careers with STEM, August 2019
• • For the perfect martini, thank fluid mechanics, ABC RN Science Show, July 2019
• • Spotlight on Women in Maths in Australia, ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical & Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS), May 2019
• • University of Sydney opens new mathematics research institute, ABC RN Science Show, November 2018
• • How To Be Lucky: The Maths Of Chance, Catalyst (ABC TV), September 2018
• • Ockham’s Razor, ABC RN (live podcast recording for Sydney Science Festival 2018), August 2018
• • Ep 56. Life vs Science, In Situ Science (live podcast recording for Sydney Science Festival 2018), August 2018 (video highlights)
• • Finding the right fit, Careers with Maths 2018 (pg 13), Refraction Media, May 2018
• • Science in the Australian Federal Budget 2018 (video), Australian Academy of Science, May 2018
• • Future jobs will need higher maths, says young STEM star, The Lighthouse, Macquarie University, April 2018
• • Alumna Sophie Calabretto talks about a career that adds up, National Youth Science Forum, March 2018
• • Making maths exciting with Sophie Calabretto, Il Globo, February 2018 (Italian translation in print edition on 5 February 2018)
• • Facebook Live Q&A (with Lily Serna) for Catalyst (ABC TV), January 2018
• • The Secret To Making Better Decisions, Catalyst (ABC TV), January 2018
• • Designing better planes with supercomputing, National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), December 2017
• • Australia’s supercomputer (video), Australian Academy of Science (for the National Computational Infrastructure), November 2017
• • Six Australian STEM leaders, news.com.au, November 2017
• • Friday profile: Spinning towards a solution, Cosmos Magazine, September 2017
• • Mathematics improves weather forecasting, ABC RN Science Show, August 2017
• • Can you solve these equations? It could earn you a million dollars (video), ABC RN, August 2017
• • Weather systems are chaotic and can be completely unpredictable. But what's behind them?, ABC Science, August 2017
• • The appeal of maths, ABC RN Science Show, July 2017
• • Discover your future as a female student in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (video), Macquarie University, July 2017
• • Research Filter: fluid mechanics, ant towers and gonorrhea, ABC RN Drive with Patricia Karvelas, July 2017
• • ABC Townsville Mornings (with Dr Karl), July 2017
• • Numbers in action – Macquarie's next gen science communicator, Macquarie University, June 2017
• • Meet five young Australian scientists who want to change the world, ABC Science, June 2017
• • Kick-start your career in science at Macquarie (video), Macquarie University, March 2017