Welcome to the highly professional wobsite1 of Malcolm Hillebrand, alleged scientist and human
I do not know what journey led you to finding this site, but hello! I am Malcolm, a lecturer in the Department of Maths and Applied Maths at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Scientifically, I am interested primarily in the nonlinear dynamics of natural and living systems, especially chaos and where it is found (or surprisingly not found!) in biology (see Research Interests). This involves using all kinds of methods from dynamics and physics, as well as a lot of scientific computing stuff (GPU parallelisation, data analysis etc.). I also greatly enjoy teaching, be it in university classes, music, or just informally. I am a human, a follower of Jesus, a musician and occasional music writer, low-grade outdoor and triathlon enthusiast, and passionate about creating growth and opportunities for all in this beautiful country of South Africa.
Have a look around! Research interests, publications, music stuff and other things can hopefully be found on relevant pages.
Email me: malcolm.hillebrand@uct.ac.za
Research highlight
Our paper on the discontinuous transition to turbulence in active nematic fluids was published at the end of 2025. Long story short, if you know what to expect from inertial turbulence, this transition is quite a surprise. And there are all sorts of cool dynamics and bifurcations that lead to this. So if you are interested in biology, chaos, fluid dynamics, non-equilibrium physics or just cool science and movies, check it out!
Open access link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-67499-6
