Sarah Jane Wakes is an English-born New Zealand applied mathematician and engineer, and is a full professor at the University of Otago.
[1] Wakes completed a PhD titled The development of a sand wave at the University of Nottingham in 1991.
[1][3][4] Wakes joined the University of Otago in 2002, initially in the design department, then in applied sciences.
[3][5] Wakes is considered an expert on computational fluid dynamics,[3][4] and has researched coastal management, engineering design and wind flow over geomorphology such as dunes.
[5][3] Wakes is part of a Plant & Food Research-led MBIE-funded project researching design of aquaculture structures for the open ocean.