Global Challenges Academy

Staff Profile

Professor Claire Walsh

Professor in Water Security

Background

I am Professor of Water Security, and Deputy Head of, the Water Group in the School of Engineering. My research interests focus on long-term change in both natural environments and urban systems, with a strong focus on water security and sustainable infrastructure. 

Roles and Responsibilities

  • Co-Director, Newcastle's Centre of Research Excellence in Water
  • Co-Director, National Green Infrastructure Facility
  • Deputy Head of the Water Group
  • Editorial Panel Member for Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering Sustainability
  • Champion of Newcastle University's Global Challenges Academy’s Sustainable Water Network 

Current PhD Students

  • Farzana Ahmed Mohuya: Urban flood risk in Dhaka 
  • Alethea Goddard: Green Infrastructure: understanding its role in mitigating current and future flood risk in urban areas.
  • Ashwini More: Water sensitive urban planning and design, based on ecosystem services 
  • Matt Kirby: Multifunctional green belts - mainstreaming nature in a contentious policy space to address the climate and ecological emergencies (OnePlanet Scheme, joint with Northumbria University)
  • Samalia Kanoma: Climate change impacts of water resources in Nigeria.
  • Tsendenya Tafesse: Earth observation and land surface model applications for water resource potential assessment and water scarcity indices over Ethiopian basins towards sustainable water resource utilization
  • Dominic Kay: Multiple environmental risks in the Johor State (based at NUMed).
  • Abdulrahman Badaoud: Impact of the extensive use of groundwater for irrigation in an arid region, and benefits of the virtual water trade, case study for Saudi Arabia
  • Andre Madson Araujo Frota: Catchments as the first stage of treatment

Past PhD Students

  • Rixia Zan (2023): Biochar amended sand as pollution attenuating materials for sustainable stormwater management 
  • Johannes Senn (2023): Geometric calibration for geomorphological photogrammetric surveys
  • Laura McGinty (2020): Business model innovation for green urban infrastructure
  • Golnaz Jahanshah (2018): Uncertainties in long-term management of water resources 

Qualifications

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy 
  • PhD Civil Engineering at Newcastle University
  • BSc (First Class Honours) Geography at Newcastle University

Memberships

  • Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
  • British Hydrological Society

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Research

Research Interests

Global water security

Flood risk assessment and management in urban areas

Green infrastructure

Climate impacts on water resources

Infrastructure business models

Hydromorphology 

Funding

UK – Ukraine R&I twinning grant. Programme to Enhance Academic Collaboration for Enabling Regenerative Reconstruction in Ukraine (PEACE-R2UK) (£164k, 2023) Co-I.

ESRC. Using participatory approaches to instigate improvements in water quality: UK and Taiwan (£60k, 2021-2023). PI.

NERC. PYRAMID: Platform for dYnamic, hyper-resolution, near-real time flood Risk AssessMent Integrating repurposed and novel Data source. (£787k, 2020-2022). Co-I. 

EPSRC. Centre for Doctoral Training in Water Infrastructure and Resilience. (£6.6M, 2019-2027). Co-I.

GCRF. Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub. (£20M, 2019-2024). Co-I.

NERC. Building resilience to pluvial flood risk (Kampala, Uganda). (£250k, 2018-2020). PI

EPSRC. UKCRIC - UK Collaboratorium for Research in Infrastructure & Cities: Newcastle Laboratories. ( £9.7M, 2016 - 2021). Co-I.

EPSRC. Grand Challenge in Water: Tailored Water to ENsure sustainabiliTY beyond 2065 (£3.9M, 2016-2021). Co-I.

NERC Drought resilience in ecosystem services and rural communities in China. (£160k, 2016-2017). Co-I.

EPSRC Preparing for GCRF: Advancing planning of drainage in Low and Middle Income Countries. (£20k, 2016-2017). PI.

EPSRC Prosperity Outcomes: Resilient Nation: Planning and building new tools for climate resilient. (£35k, 2016-2017). PI.

EPSRC. Impact Acceleration Award: Web-service simulation model and tool for flood risk management in urban areas (£80k, 2016-2017). PI.

NERC. Delivering green infrastructure in cities through a new business model. (£30k, 2016-2016). Co-I.

Institute for Sustainability, Newcastle University. BUG: Bio-informing Urban Gardening (£34k, 2015-2016). PI.

Science Central, Newcastle University. MINT Community Action and Knowledge Exchange. (£8k, 2015-2016). Co-I.

Science Central, Newcastle University. SPATIAL: Sparse data acquisition via societal collaboration. (£7k, 2014-2015). PI. 

Workers Education Association. Greening Wingrove Barometer. (£18k, 2013-2017). PI.

EPSRC. Knowledge Transfer Secondment at Newcastle City Council (£70k, 2011-2012).

Other Research Projects

iBUILD (Infrastructure BUsiness models, valuation and Innovation for Local Delivery). Research programme/Centre Manager and core research fellow; jointly-funded by EPSRC and ESRC. 2013-2017.

Reconciling Adaptation, Mitigation and Sustainable Development for Cities. Named researcher; EU FP7 funded. 2012-2017.

SHOCK Project. Named researcher; EPSRC funded. 2011-2013.

Adaptation and Resilience in Cities: Analysis and Decision making using Integrated Assessment. Research co-ordinator; EPSRC funded. 2009-2012.

Platform Grant on Earth Systems Engineering. Named researcher; EPSRC funded. 2008-2014.

Severe Weather Events Risk and Vulnerability Estimator. Researcher Co-Investigator; EPSRC funded. 2008-2011.

Sustaining Knowledge for a Changing Climate. Core researcher; EPSRC funded. 2006-2008.

Incorporating Climate Change into River Typologies. Core researcher; Environment Agency funded. 2006-2007.

Engineering Cities Project. Named researcher; Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research; NERC funded. 2006-2009.

Equivalent Flows for Freshwater Fisheries. Core researcher; Environment Agency funded. 2004-2006.

Sustainable Water Uncertainty, Risk and Vulnerability in Europe. Research assistant; EU FP5 funded. 2003-2004.

Esteem Indicators

  • Awarded Newcastle University's 'Best Environment Research Project' in 2016 (BUG) and 2014 (Cafe Waste).
  • Invited guest speaker and mentor at The National Center for Atmospheric Research’s Institute for Mathematics’ Applied to Geosciences Theme of the Year Workshop on Uncertainty in Climate Change Research: An Integrated Approach, held in Boulder Colorado, August 2012.
  • Guest Editor for a double Special Issue of Hydrology Research, published January 2012.
  • Elected Honorary Secretary of the British Hydrological Society for two terms (2008-2012).
  • Chair of the Organising Committee for the British Hydrological Society six-yearly International Symposium held at Newcastle University, 2010. 
  • Organising committee member for the British Hydrological Society National Symposium, Dundee, 2012.
  • Won a prestigious scholarship to attend Brown University’s International Advanced Research Institute on Climate Change and Water Resources in 2011.
  • 2009 – 2011: Meetings’ Committee Member of the Royal Meteorological Society.
  • 2006 – 2008: Elected Committee Member of the British Hydrological Society.
  • 2004 – 2008: Chair of the Pennines’ Hydrological Group.


Teaching

CEG 3503: Hydrosystems Engineering (Stage 3, Civil Engineering) Module Leader

CEG 3099: Individual Project (Stage 3, Civil Engineering)

CEG 8099: Investigative Research Project (Stage 4, Civil Engineering) Module Leader

CEG 8512: Integrated River Basin Management (MSc, Hydrology and Water Management) Module Leader

CEG 8524: Water Management: Issues and Challenges (MSc, Hydrology and Water Management) Module Leader

CEG 8596: MSc Project and Dissertation in Water Resources (MSc, Hydrology and Water Management)

Publications