PhD Researchers Cohort 2

Project Title: ‘Combining AI and climate projections to improve management, maintenance and operation of European storm surge barriers’

Studying at: University of Southampton

Biography...

Project Title: ‘Geomorphic mitigation of contaminated mining sediment mobilization during floods’

Studying at: Loughborough University

I completed my Integrated Master’s degree in Geology at the University of Leeds in 2021, specialising in the use of geochemical tracers to explore for new metal mines. However, fieldwork to active mining sites brought home the environmental harm caused by the industry. In Britain, mining has a fascinating and storied history but has also led to the pollution and degradation of precious landscapes and ecosystems.

I am thrilled to now be turning my skillset to FLOOD-CDT to study the flood-driven transport of metal-contaminated soil from abandoned mining sites in the North Pennines. This work will help improve the health of some of England’s most polluted catchments, and has the potential to inform better remediation practices for current and future metal mines around the world. Since graduating I have worked as a geotechnical engineer in the rail industry, and more recently in the flood sector, as a catchment lead at the Environment Agency for flood defences along the River Aire in Yorkshire. I am a keen runner (when I’m not injured), bad surfer (when it’s not too cold), and lover of outdoorsy stuff in general.

Project Title: ‘River beds from surface flow to better model flooding’

Studying at: Loughborough University

Following my honours degree in Environmental Science, I joined the Environment Agency enthusiastic to gain practical experience and fell upon my passion of hydrometry. I have developed a broad knowledge of field measurement techniques and am dedicated to improving hydrometric network performance and hydrological understanding. I have a keen interest in data quality, having utilised hydrometric measurements through wider roles as a hydrologist in water resources, flood forecasting and flood warning incident duty roles.

Through experience both in the private and public sector I have a thorough understanding of the many challenges facing hydrometric monitoring both here in the UK and globally. Capturing measurements to manage the impacts of increasing extremes from droughts and floods remain as critical as ever, and yet infrastructure in hydrometric networks, investment in innovation and technology have been pitifully limited. The advancement of surface image velocimetry shows significant potential not only at flood extremes, but also as a non-contact alternative to hydrometric weirs. I am excited to explore this field further while working part-time as a hydrometric strategic advisor working towards Monitoring Transformation within the Chief Scientist’s Group at the Environment Agency.

Project Title: ‘Understanding in-stream runoff attenuation features’

Studying at: Newcastle University

I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and continued with a Master’s in Structural Engineering in Tehran, where I spent several years working in the structural industry, focusing on structural analysis and project management. In 2022, I moved to Italy to pursue my second Master’s in Civil Engineering for Risk Mitigation at Politecnico di Milano. During this time, my interest in flood risk management began to grow. My Master’s thesis focused on flood modelling and the comparative evaluation of hydrodynamic approaches for flood risk assessment, which inspired me to continue my research in this field.

I’m truly excited to have the opportunity to follow my passion through FLOOD-CDT and contribute to developing sustainable and resilient solutions for flood risk management. Outside of research, I enjoy travelling, hiking, cycling, and long walks in nature.

Project Title: ‘Resilient dunes: determining the impacts of winter flooding variability on coastal dune wetland plant communities using remote sensing’

Studying at: Loughborough University

Having completed both my BSc in Geography and MSc in Environmental Monitoring, Research and Management at Loughborough, I have developed a strong foundation in environmental monitoring and spatial analysis. Through my MSc dissertation I worked with the Land Trust and Wildlife Trust to understand the legacy of industrial contamination in the River Rother and its ecological impact. My PhD project will focus on using remote sensing techniques to determine how winter flooding variability influences coastal dune wetland plant communities.

I previously worked as a Geospatial Intern at the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, where I specialised in producing bespoke situational awareness products for the defence sector. During my master’s studies, I also worked as a Research Assistant using remote sensing to detect and monitor dust storms in Iceland, comparing satellite imagery to ground based observations.

My current research combines field observations with satellite data to better understand the resilience of coastal ecosystems to changing flood dynamics, with the goal of informing sustainable coastal management and conservation practices.

In my free time I enjoy plays sorts including netball, rugby and athletics, competing for Loughborough University in netball since starting my undergraduate degree in 2020.

Project Title: ‘Disentangling groundwater from fluvial flood risk across Northern Ireland’s permeable flood plains’

Studying at: Newcastle University

Hello! Having grown up next to an orange river filled with minewater I was inevitably driven to the field of hydrology, completing a BSc and MSc in geography. During my Masters I took on full time work with an R&D company focusing on green steel and mine-wastes. However, upon completing it, I realised that I wanted to follow my original plan, pivoting into consultancy. From this I gained experience in hydrology and hydrogeology, ranging from quarries to wildlife reserves, Flood Risk Assessments to Hydrological Impact assessments, and everything in between. Spotting knowledge gaps I started searching for a research role that would make a big difference!

Meanwhile, I’ve taken on challenges including the Camino de Santiago and the Yorkshire 3 peaks, enjoying long distance walking, and visiting smaller places that aren’t always on the radar. I’m always up for an adventure, especially if I can talk geology or hydrology along the way! Eventually I found this research project on flood risk and groundwater in Northern Ireland which perfectly matched what I’m interested in and my experience. I look forward to being part of the FLOOD CDT and joining along with like-minded people on the PhD Journey.

Project Title: ‘Integrating explainable AI and physical hydrology to understand and forecast flood drivers’

Studying at: Newcastle University

Hi everyone – I’m Kaili Zhu from China. I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees there and began research in my third undergraduate year. Although my major was civil engineering, I fell in love with coding and started using it to tackle scientific and real-world problems. During my master’s I focused on hydrometeorology: first accelerating data analysis with Python, then moving into AI (machine and deep learning) for flood-risk evaluation and for quantifying climate-change impacts. Experience spanning funded research and applied projects with public-sector and industry partners provided complementary training that underpins my PhD work.

I also have three peer-reviewed publications in related areas. My current research uses AI-based approaches to understand flood generation mechanisms. I’m excited to join FLOOD-CDT and look forward to contributing to the community.

Project Title: ‘Envisioning Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) governance in a well-adapted nation’

Studying at: University of Southampton

I am a Flood-CDT PhD student with the University of Southampton and the Environment Agency. Born and raised in New York City, I completed my BA in Architecture and Environmental Studies at the University of Toronto (Canada). In 2021, I began to work for a community organization (the Oakwood Vaughan Community Organization), coordinating their work on affordable housing advocacy and tenant rights. I undertook my MSc in Urban Planning and Policy Design at the Politecnico di Milano (Italy). During my studies, I was able to incorporate my experience in community-based housing work into a thesis on Public Housing and Flooding in Italy.

While I had been passionate about community-level flood response since living through Hurricane Sandy in New York, this research cemented my passion for flood work. I aim to bring this passion, research, and my community-based work experience into my research with the Flood CDT to assess how best to collaborate with communities in developing flood solutions. When not working, I enjoy watching birds by the water, identifying plants, and exploring new areas of the city.

Project Title: ‘Better understanding and handling of uncertainty in flood management’

Studying at: University of Bristol

I’m passionate about hydrology and how water interacts with the environment and society.

I hold a BSc and MSc in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Genoa. My MSc research, conducted in collaboration with TU Wien’s Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, investigated how climate and land-use changes influence soil erosion dynamics. Before starting my PhD, I worked with Weather Water Sand Srl, a University of Genoa spin-off, on marine geomorphology and seafloor erosion driven by turbidity currents.

During my studies, I explored topics related to water and the environment through modelling approaches applied to processes from hillslope erosion to floods. I often faced the challenge of dealing with uncertainty in models and data, which became one of my main research interests.

I am now pursuing a PhD at the University of Bristol, supervised by Prof. Francesca Pianosi, Prof. Ross Woods, and Prof. Rob Lamb (JBA Trust). My project, “Better Understanding and Handling of Uncertainty in Flood Management,” investigates how sources of uncertainty in hydrological and hydraulic models influence flood-risk assessments and decision-making to support more robust, climate-resilient flood-management strategies.

Beyond research, I enjoy reading, cinema, theatre, chess, and sport.

Project Title: ‘Augmenting storm surge forecasting with machine learning’

Studying at: University of Southampton

I completed a BSc in Marine Biology at Queen’s University Belfast, during which, I discovered a particular interest in physical processes after a series of oceanography lectures, which led me to pursue an MSc in Climate Change Science and Policy at the University of Bristol. There, I focused on environmental systems and their response to climate change, and particularly enjoyed the technical aspects, developing skills in climate modelling and GIS-based spatial analysis.

After graduating, I joined Edenvale Young Associates as a hydraulic modeller, where I have gained experience in 1D and 2D hydraulic modelling across a range of flood risk projects. This has strengthened my interest in applying research to real-world flood management.

I am now looking forward to starting my PhD with the Flood-CDT, where I hope to expand on this experience, develop further technical skills in data-driven methods, and explore innovative approaches to flood resilience. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my dog, going to the gym, and getting in touch with my creative and crafty side through crocheting and baking .

Project Title: ‘Innovative geomorphic approaches to support better management of flood risk and ecosystem health’

Studying at: Loughborough University

After graduating from Durham University with a degree in Geography BSc (2010–13) and Newcastle University with a Masters degree in Ecological Consultancy MSc (2014–15), Rachel worked for a short time as an ecological consultant, before joining the Environment Agency (EA) in 2017. For the next eight years she worked in roles across hydrometry, freshwater ecology, and biodiversity & geomorphology. Rachel was also heavily involved in incident response during floods across the north of England and the East Midlands. During her time at the EA, Rachel was able to observe first-hand the impact anthropogenic modifications can have on river geomorphology, and how this can contribute to flooding. These interactions are not always well understood, and as development and climate pressures grow, she was motivated to get involved in FLOOD-CDT’s research programme to better inform future flood resilience measures.

Originally from the North East of England, Rachel now lives in Loughborough and can often be seen running around the Leicestershire countryside and competing for her local club.

Project Title: ‘How sustainable is relying on beach management to promote coastal resilience in sediment starved beaches?’

Studying at: University of Southampton

With a BSc Geography & Education Studies (Hons) from Liverpool Hope University and a MSc Marine & Coastal Resource Management from the University of Chester, I have been fortunate to work within the Environment Agency, Flood & Coastal Risk Management (FCRM) team. With a background in flood and coastal risk management within Flood Risk Activity Permits (FRAP) and Planning Applications, I am excited to embark on the research exploring ‘How sustainable is relying on beach management to promote coastal resilience in sediment starved beaches?’

I aim to investigate our understanding and management of coastal environments, with particular focus on flood and coastal erosion risk management developing further understanding in research methods and solutions to share and use for future baseline costal studies. Previous practice with RStudio and QGIS has encouraged me to consider and explore drivers at play – using existing data to provide visual and technical evidence within our coastal environments, alongside field work study taken back to the classroom/ lab studies.

A strong passion in our marine & coastal habitats has led to my continuous study and love of these turbulent environments. Given any opportunity I will be found outdoors to swimming, diving, walking, and cycling.

Project Title: ‘Understanding record breaking flood events’

Studying at: Newcastle University

I grew up in the Central Belt of Scotland, close to Edinburgh, in a village prone to flooding. I undertook my undergraduate studies at the University of Edinburgh, where I was drawn to work on extreme events and research-to-knowledge pipelines. Following this, I completed a Master’s in Environmental Hazards at Cardiff University, where I developed a passion for scientific outreach and statistical analysis, particularly in exploring statistically rare extreme events and hydrological regimes,. These are skills I am excited to develop further through my project at Newcastle University, investigating record-breaking flood events and using a Storylines approach to flood risk communication.

Outside of my studies, I enjoy trying out new sports, including recently taking up underwater hockey, as well as spending time on fibre arts projects or experimenting in the kitchen with unusual and wonderful flavours of jam.

Project Title: ‘Climate drivers of future extreme UK flood risk’

Studying at: University of Bristol

Hello, my name is Sam.

I grew up in South London before moving to Bristol for university. Here, I did an undergraduate degree in physics, followed by a master’s in ‘Climate Change Science and Policy’.

It was during my master’s that I became interested in the links between climate change and flooding. For my final research project, I modelled the changing probability of the co-occurrence of dangerous rainfall and tide surge levels around Bristol to assess the impact of extreme climate change on compound flood risk. I’m very excited to research how changing weather patterns will impact future extreme flood risk, and I hope to produce work that is useful for UK flood defence.

Outside of my studies, you can find me exploring the countryside and pubs around Bristol, or, as a lifelong Reading fan, painfully watching them attempt to play football.

Project Title: ‘Drought to flood transitions in a changing climate’

Studying at: University of Bristol

Hi, I’m Verity, an incoming PhD researcher with Flood-CDT. My interest in water resources led me to complete an MSci in Geoscience at Royal Holloway, University of London. My previous research focused on groundwater and fluvial systems, working with Affinity Water and Greenpeace to monitor flooding and groundwater contaminant movement in towns and historic landfill sites.

I am very excited for my upcoming project at the University of Bristol with Wessex Water! My aim is to improve understanding of drought-to-flood processes and how these may be influenced by a changing climate. I will be studying drought and flood events jointly and assessing how well hydrological models represent drought-to-flood transitions. Through this project I hope to contribute towards more resilient and sustainable strategies to mitigate the impacts of drought-flood events.

Being from the south of England, I have a personal interest in the water scarcity issues faced in the region. Through Flood-CDT I hope to contribute to water resource conservation in the UK, and eventually, on a global scale. In my free time I enjoy painting, travelling, spending time outdoors, and going to the gym.

Project Title: ‘The development of a coupled model combining 1D in-channel flow, 2D overland flow for evaluating NbS schemes at the catchment scale’

Studying at: Newcastle University

Xiaoxin joined FLOOD-CDT as a PhD student of Newcastle University. His project aims to develop a model based on shallow water equations, solved using Godunov-type schemes, to quantify the impact of nature-based solutions (NbS) interventions. The model will also be combined with a transport model to discuss the diffusion of dissolved pollutants linked with the flash flooding.

Four years ago, he graduated from the undergraduate program of Geology at China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing and recently graduated with an MSc in Hydrogeology from the University of Birmingham. The secret of the earth remains his curiosity and motivation in the research of environmental science. The master's subjects further stimulated my interest in the subject of environmental engineering and computational modelling. He comes from China and has lived in Birmingham for one year. Now he is excited to begin his PhD project.