Expert Profile
Brett Sanders
Chancellor’s Professor
Brett Sanders seeks to advance knowledge and models of environmental dynamics interactions.
Areas of Expertise
- Environmental Modeling
- Remote Sensing
- Flood Risk
- Sea Level Rise
- Climate
- Beaches
- Equitable Adaptation
- Community Engagement
- Multi-Benefit Infrastructure Design
- High Performance Computing
- Flood Inundation Forecasting
Biography
Dr. Sanders’ work is in the area of environmental hydrodynamics, and his specialty is numerical modeling of free surface flow and transport in rivers and the coastal zone (estuaries, harbors, and bays). Models of these systems are important for many reasons, such as resolving mechanistic issues, helping to interpret field observations,and making predictions about how the system will respond to changes in either the external forcing or the system configuration.
Sanders’ research group specializes in the development of innovative algorithms for flow and transport in river and coastal systems and the integration of information technologies to create more accurate and efficient simulation tools. Flooding and erosion hazards are the primary focus of current research, particularly coastal flooding and urban flooding. Other interests include surface water quality, low impact development impacts on hydrology, dam-break flooding, aerial and terrestrial lidar scanning, geographical information systems, high performance computing, simulation tools for decision-making.
Media
Media Appearances
UC Irvine sand study shows new data to help manage shrinking beaches
Orange County Register, 2/16/2024
Mapping LA’s Flood Risk at Unprecedented Detail Reveals Hidden Risks
Esri, 8/21/2023
Eyewitness Newsmakers: How to harness stormwater and the concerning 100-year flood assessment
ABC 7 News, 4/16/2023
NASA grant to go toward UCI-led project studying beach, dune loss
Los Angeles Times, 7/9/2022
Event Appearances
Digital Tools for Projecting Coastal Flooding and Erosion
Spotlight on Science Program, 5/15/2024
Adapting Southern California Flood Infrastructure for Sustainability and Resilience
OCTANE - Innovation for Sustainability Breakfast, 5/3/2024
Measuring the Multi-Benefit Potential of Stormwater Capture: A Modeling Approach for Southern California and Beyond
Energy and Environment Committee Meeting, 4/4/2024
Articles
Satellite-based vertical land motion for infrastructure monitoring: a prototype roadmap in Greater Houston, Texas
Scientific Reports
Flooding is not like filling a bath
Earth's Future
How urban form impacts flooding
Nature Communications
Estimating post‐fire flood infrastructure clogging and overtopping hazards
Water Resources Research
National‐scale flood hazard data unfit for urban risk management
Earth's Future
Education
University of Michigan
PhD, Civil Engineering, 1997
University of Michigan
MS, Civil Engineering, 1994
University of California, Berkeley
BS, Civil Engineering, 1993
Accomplishments
- Innovator of the Year Award
- 125 Most Influential People of Orange County
- Outstanding Post-Secondary STEM Educator
- Innovator of the Year Nominee
- Best Professor of the Year Award
Affiliations
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
- Chi Epsilon Honor Society (XE)
- International Association of Hydraulic Research (IAHR)
- Coastal Education and Research Foundation (CERF)
Research Grants
Fostering Systems Thinking in High School Environmental Engineering through Engagement of Coastal Communities
NSF, 9/9/2023–8/31/2027
Capistrano Bight Shoreline Dynamics Investigation
City of Dana Point, 8/12023–4/30/2024
Multi-Objective Assessment of Flood Adaptation Options in Los Angeles County
NOAA, 9/1/2023–8/30/2025