‘We need to act now’ says Uni of Soton professor set to lead new £6.5m flood research centre

The University of Southampton is set to launch a £6.5 million hub aimed at better understanding and managing floods across the UK.

Working in partnership with several universities and institutions, it will look to develop a talent pool of environmental experts working to protect against rising river, rainfall and sea levels.

This FLOOD Centre will be overseen by Ivan Haigh, a professor of sea level and coastal impact at the University of Southampton.

Ivan said: “Flooding is the most destructive natural hazard that humanity faces with nearly two billion people exposed to its risk.

“We need to act now and come together to improve the way we manage the large and growing threat of flooding in the UK and elsewhere in the world.

“We’ll train experts to best understand how to tackle the challenges of floods in future years – not only for the UK, but countries globally who are facing extreme problems from climate change.”

One in six households in the UK are currently located in flood-prone areas, with increased river flow, surface runoff, storm surges and waves among the risk factors.

Scientists at the centre will work to understand these processes using advanced monitoring and new forms of computer modelling, as well as AI and machine learning, to map and forecast future flooding risks.

Dr Sean Longfield, a lead scientist from the Environment Agency, added: “We look forward to working closely with a diverse range of people, skills and academic perspectives over the next seven years to develop world-leading research to improve our understanding of and resilience to future flooding and coastal change.”

The centre is set to welcome experts from the universities of Bristol, Loughborough and Newcastle, the National Oceanography Centre, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and British Geological Survey.

It’s also supported by local authorities, national government, water, energy and infrastructure companies, environmental, engineering and management consultancies, regulators, finance and insurance companies, and charities.

Funding for the project has come from the Natural Environment Research Council alongside other partners.

• southampton.ac.uk

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