PhD: Delta dynamics: lessons from the Chao Phraya
Location: School of Engineering, University of Nottingham
I graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2018 with an MEng in Civil & Environmental Engineering. My ambition in choosing this course was to learn about the ways in which infrastructure and environment interact, and to understand how humanity might live more harmoniously with our environment. I developed a particular interest in hydraulics and river/coastal engineering during the degree, and based my final year thesis on scale effects in broad-crested weir modelling. I also undertook a 2-month research placement with UoN involving numerical modelling of tsunamis, and have worked designing experiments in sediment transport and beach morphology for water flumes used in education. For the two years since graduation, I have worked as a civil engineering consultant designing roads and drainage, where a particular interest has been in the design of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS).
My PhD is entitled “Delta Dynamics: Lessons from the Chao Phraya”. The goal of this research is to explore the sensitivities of this river delta to both natural and anthropogenic effects and to establish how these effects might be offset by improved sediment supply and re-seeding of mangrove vegetation. To this end, I will be developing numerical modelling techniques as well as obtaining field data from the delta itself through surveying and soil sampling.