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“I believe we must build upon simplicity; the human mind has no other option. The barrier I identify is that old simplicities no longer serve. The challenge is to devise new simplicities.” (Phil Roe, 1998, Compounded of many simples)
On April 26th, 2026 Phil Roe passed away, a few days short of his 88th birthday.
Phil was a giant in Aerodynamics and computational fluid dynamics and his research has touched and inspired a very broad range of disciplines. He had remarkable insight, and always stressed the importance of asking good questions.
His unofficial google scholar page captures main publications. This website is a home for some less-well known, yet very insightful artifacts related to him.
Aerodynamic Problems of Hypersonic Vehicles (1972)
AGARD Lecture series: A treasure trove of notes (PDF), full of insight: Aerodynamics at Moderate Hypersonic Mach Numbers, Optimum shapes, Theory of Waveriders, Thin shock layer theory, Momentum theory, Flows with heat addition.
The Wine snob's guide to flux functions (circa 1990s)
The Wine snob's guide (PDF)
Phil reading guide on his 80th birthday (video)
A one sided view (1983)
Limericks written at The AMS/SIAM summer Seminar on Large-Scale CFD in San Diego (PDF)
A Theorem on vorticity (1990s)
Handwritten note (scanned by Hiroaki Nishikawa) on a theorem leading to early idea for vorticity conserving finite volume methods (PDF)
Compounded of many simples (1998)
A short paper in 'Barriers and Challenges in CFD' (PDF)
Preface from Phil's book Principles of CFD (2006)
First few pages from his 390 page book that is unfinished (PDF)
Chairs ! (2010s)
Phil shared this with Prof. Chris Fidkowski when he told him he was starting to build chairs. (PDF)
3D Geometrical shock dynamics (2017)
Handwritten notes (scanned by Prasanna Amur Varadarajan) on the simplification of the theory and a numerical method (PDF)
My Way - A Computational Autobiography (2020)
Phil recounts a 40+ year 'struggle' to find a sound basis for understanding CFD of compressible flow (PDF)
Musings of a Computational Philosopher (December 2023)
His last talk at U-M: an MICDE seminar (video)
His last published paper with the same title (PDF)
Obituary by Ken Powell (April 2026)
Ken was one of the founders of the W.M. Keck Foundation CFD Lab in the 1990s (with Phil and Bram van Leer) (webpage)
Picture of Phil (sitting, to the left) playing the annual Cambridge vs Oxford chess match in 1962 (then the 78th such match).
"Characteristically, Dad let his opponent have the satisfaction of delivering the mate, something he always did for a clever combination. The match was written up for the national Guardian newspaper (https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/196203vars-viewer.html) where, remarkably, the correspondent who covered the match continues today as their columnist. Chess was incredibly important to Dad - a source of unending intellectual challenge, beauty, mystery, and friendships. The advent of online chess led to many irresponsible late nights." - Gerard Roe (Phil's son)
Phil on stage (late 1960s)
"Amateur dramatics were a big part of his twenties (at the time he was living in an astronomical observatory, a folly built in the grounds of a small estate; he recalled his landlord falling for Fool’s Mate, the shortest possible game of chess)). The play is Bell, Book, and Candle, a romantic comedy about modern witchcraft. I believe the photograph shows Dad performing an exorcism that allows the leading lady to fall in love (with him, of course). He is obviously quite the ham, but I love this picture because it shows the spark in his eyes, the humor, and his vitality during what would be his first few years as a professional scientist (which would have been in hypersonics at the time)" - Gerard Roe (Phil's son)
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