Liam Tuohey's research interests are in the areas of Scientific Computing and Software Engineering.

Within Scientific Computing, Dr. Tuohey is interested in both inverse and forward problems arising in physics and engineering. Inverse theory is concerned with obtaining useful information about the physical world on the basis of inferences drawn from observations e.g. how to determine elastic properties of sub-surface rocks from seismograms. Forward theory is concerned with calculating theoretical data using an assumed mathematical model. This often entails solution of a PDE. At present, Dr. Tuohey's main focus is on modelling optical radiative transfer with a view to developing a system for inferring pollution levels in water from measurements made by airborne instruments. In the future, he intends to work on the application of a particular semi-analytical method to 3D boundary value problems.

In Software Engineering, Dr. Tuohey's recent work has centered on the potential benefits of standards and practices used in so-called critical systems for the wider software development community. He is interested in practical ways of making basic development processes such as peer reviews and configuration management more efficient, effective and integrated. Arising from his experience in development of on-board, satellite control software for ESA scientific missions, Dr. Tuohey believes it would be worthwhile to investigate the Mathematica system as a flexible tool for initial specification, modelling and verification of software requirements. Also, he intends to look at how the C.A.D. technique may help automate 'domain' testing of software.