About

My main research areas are Fluvial Hydraulics, Eco-hydraulics, Eco-geomorphology and River and Wetland Restoration and Adaptation to Climate Change and anthropogenic pressures. I have worked on a number of different topics, most of which are highly interdisciplinary. My recent work in Eco-geomorphology and Adaptation of wetlands to sea-level rise includes the development of a new modelling framework for the simulation of interactions between landforms and vegetation, and represents a paradigm change in wetlands modelling. This research has been published in the prestigious open-access scientific journal Nature Communications, and highlighted in recent meetings of the European Geosciences Union and American Geophysical Union and in the Australian Research Council "Making a difference" publication. The quality of my research has resulted in invitations to deliver several seminars in Australian, U.S. and European Universities, and the establishment of key international research collaborations. I have tackled exiting and relevant research questions in environmental restoration and solved local problems with global impact. I have led research on river restoration and human and climate impacts, like vegetation clearing impacts from European settlement on rivers of the Upper Hunter, effects of transport infrastructure in the floodplain of the Parana River, Argentina and recovery from channelization on rivers in Illinois and Arkansas, US. I have developed new knowledge for the restoration of wetlands undergoing human and climate impacts, with examples including optimization of flows for environmental restitution in wetlands of the Northern Murray Darling Basin and targeted flow management to minimise climate change impacts on wetlands of the Hunter Estuary. This research has resulted not only in practical design and management recommendations useful for industry, but also in the discovery of new knowledge and high-quality publications.

Career Type:

Scientist/Researcher/Academic

Organization Type:

Universities and Academia

Expertise Fields/Interests:

Application of the fundamental techniques of engineering to the solution of environmental problems in aquatic environments, using a combination of analytical, experimental and numerical tools. a)Ecohydraulics and aquatic habitat restoration: Habitat hydraulics, physical-biological coupling in aquatic environments, ecohydraulic design and restoration, sea-level rise effects on coastal wetlands. b)Sediment transport, fluvial hydraulics and geomorphology: Sediment entrainment, bed and bank erosion, channel evolution, vegetation effects. c)Hydraulics: Unsteady open-channel flows, turbulent boundary layers over rough bed, flow over complex geometries, urban streams.

Major Achievements: