CDT-SIS-136: Flood risk assessment under a changing climate

Understanding the risk of flooding is key to plan and prioritize current and future investments in flood protection. Accurate analysis of future flood risk is highly reliant on the results of mathematical models used to simulate complex climate, hydrological, hydraulics and socio-economic dynamics. These components typically operate at different space and time scales and involve complex dynamic feedbacks and thus significant uncertainty. The project will integrate state-of-the-art high-resolution models for stochastic rainfall and flood inundation to provide improved accuracy in the predictions of flooding, as well as to gain further understanding of uncertainty. In particular, the results of the last generation climate model outputs (CMIP5), used at the 5th assessment report of IPCC, will be used to drive stochastic scenarios for future weather under a changing climate, and force detailed physically based models for flood inundation. The performance of the enhanced high-resolution techniques developed in this project will be tested in a range of challenging applications involving the prediction of current and future risk, real-time flood forecast/nowcast and the design of flood defence schemes. The key question of the quantification of uncertainty for flood risk projections under climate change and its impact on flood protection planning and design will be also addressed. We are looking for highly motivated applicants with a MSc or MEng degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering or related fields (Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics). Previous experience in flood risk assessment and modeling, as well as programming and scripting (C/C++, Matlab, Fortran, Python), are highly desirable.

Applications for this PhD research project are accepted on a rolling basis and we therefore advise you to apply early if you are interested. To make your application please go to: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/engineering/postgraduate/research_degrees/apply.page

If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Dr. Athanasios Paschalis, Water and Environment research group, Email: [Email Address Removed] or Dr. Gustavo de Almeida, Water and Environment research group, Email: [Email Address Removed]

Visit our Postgraduate Research Opportunities Afternoon to find out more about Postgraduate Research study within the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/engineering/news/events/2016/02/03-discover-your-future.page