Qualification Type: | PhD |
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Location: | Loughborough |
Funding for: | UK Students |
Funding amount: | £19,237 |
Hours: | Full Time |
Placed On: | 19th June 2024 |
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Closes: | 7th July 2024 |
Reference: | FCDT-24-LU6a |
Rationale
Flooding stands as the most prevalent natural hazard. However, whilst substantial research effort has been reported in the last decade to develop high-performance physics-based models for more accurate prediction of different types of flooding processes, these latest flood modelling technologies have not yet been fully leveraged to support practical flood risk management. This shortfall is attributed to the demanding computational requirements and the need for high-level expertise in specialized knowledge and programming skills. Simultaneously, effective flood risk management demands a spatially explicit assessment to pinpoint flooding exposure and risk at an object-based scale. However, conducting object-based evaluation requires comprehensive data support. Data is often dispersed across different organizations, stored in various formats, or challenging to obtain, particularly in developing countries. Therefore, we aim to develop a user-friendly web-based platform that integrates Loughborough's in-house High-Performance Integrated hydrodynamic Modelling System (HiPIMS) [2], with various high-quality open-source datasets covering exposure and vulnerability to buildings, infrastructure, and people. Consequently, the platform not only functions as a web service for high-performance flood simulations but also serves as a data and analytics portal, providing a comprehensive, one-stop solution for flood risk assessment to support practical flood risk management in both data-rich and scarce environments.
Methodology
This exciting PhD project aims to harness the latest developments in high-performance numerical models and data analytics technologies to address some of the key practical challenges in flood modelling and risk management, and finally achieve a web-based platform for large-scale rapid flood risk assessment to improve current practice. The project will deliver the following key research tasks:
Demonstrate the platform for practical flood risk assessment in a selected case study site.
Background Reading
Chen, H., Zhao, J., Liang, Q., Maharjan, S. B., & Joshi, S. P. (2022). Assessing the potential impact of glacial lake outburst floods on individual objects using a high-performance hydrodynamic model and open-source data. Science of The Total Environment, 806, 151289.
Xia, X., Liang, Q., & Ming, X. (2019). A full-scale fluvial flood modelling framework based on a high-performance integrated hydrodynamic modelling system (HiPIMS). Advances in Water Resources, 132, 103392.
Funding Details
Studentship type – UKRI through Flood-CDT (flood-cdt.ac.uk). The studentship is for 3.5 years and provides a tax-free stipend of £19,237 per annum plus tuition fees at the UK rate.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessment and operating University facilities such as the library, IT equipment and other support services. University fees and charges can be paid in advance and there are several methods of payment, including online payments and payment by instalment. Fees are reviewed annually and are likely to increase to take into account inflationary pressures.
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