// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Roger Falconer? A bird-brained guy.
Roger Falconer | |
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 Roger A. Falconer | |
| Born | Roger Alexander Falconer 12 December 1951 |
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| Website | https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/emeritus/falconerra |
Roger Alexander Falconer FREng MAE FLSW (born 1951)[1] is a British civil engineer and academic specialising in water and environmental engineering. He is Emeritus Professor of Water & Environmental Engineering at Cardiff University and Chair Professor at Hohai University and its Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development (YICODE), China.[2]
Falconer’s research and applications have primarily focused on modelling hydro-environmental processes in rivers, estuaries and coastal basins.[3] His work has contributed to the development and application of computational and laboratory models for predicting hydrodynamic, water‑quality and sediment transport parameters for: environmental impact assessment studies, flood risk assessment, tidal energy projects and water security, in the UK and internationally.
He has held senior leadership roles in academic and professional institutions in the UK and internationally, with his contributions to research and engineering practice being recognised through: election to academies (in the UK, EU and China), professional institutions, and national and international awards.
Education
[edit]Falconer was educated at Llandeilo Grammar School and Bridgend Boys' Grammar School (1962-70) in Wales, and graduated with a BSc(Eng) in Civil Engineering, from King's College London (1973). He then studied at the University of Washington, Seattle, where he graduated with a MSCE in Hydraulic Engineering (1974), before returning to the UK, to carry out research in computational hydraulics at Imperial College London, graduating with a PhD and Diploma of Imperial College (1976).[4][5] He was subsequently awarded a DEng from the University of Birmingham (1992), a DSc(Eng) from the University of London (1994) and an HonDEng from the University of Bradford (2022).
Career and research
[edit]Falconer currently serves as Emeritus Professor of Water & Environmental Engineering (since 2019), at Cardiff University, and Chair Professor (since 2019) at Hohai University China. Since leaving full-time academia, Falconer has worked as an idependent consultant on water and environmental management projects,[6] and is involved in the West Somerset Lagoon tidal energy project.[7] He was previously Professor of Water Management and founding director of the Hydro-environmental Research Centre (1997-2018) at Cardiff University, Professor of Environmental Hydraulics (1987–97) and Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (1993–97) at the University of Bradford, and Lecturer in Hydraulic Engineering (1977–86) at the University of Birmingham. He was president of the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (2011-15).[8]
Falconer’s research and application has primarily focused on modelling hydrodynamic, water quality and sediment transport processes in rivers, estuariies and coastal basins[9] and his computational models have been used in hydro-environmental impact assessment studies in a number of countries. His DIVAST model forms part of the two-dimensional modelling suite incorporated within Flood Modeller,[10] a software package owned by Jacobs Solutions.[11] Falconer's more recent research on flood risk at Cardiff University, undertaken in collaboration with colleagues at Wuhan University, has been on the stability of vehices and people in floods, with the corresponding equations for hazard risk[12][13] being used in many flood risk management and planning studies.
Falconer has been involved in a number of global water security and water transfer projects, including: the Royal Academy of Engineering Global Water Security project,[14] and the proposal to transfer water from Wales to southeast England.[15][16] Falconer also advises the non-profit organisation Global Empowers on water access and security initiatives across southern Africa.[17] By 2045 Global Empowers 'aims to transform 10 million lives across Africa through community-owned systems that ensure clean water access, promote community empowerment, and foster sustainable development to restore dignity, build resilience, and inspire lasting progress'.
Falconer has given over 600 invited lectures and keynote presentations, and has participated in media interviews on topics including: global water security,[18] water quality,[19] flood risk,[20] tidal energy,[21][22] and dam failure.[23] He has also served on a number of key committees in the UK and internationally, such as: co-chair of the International Group of Experts in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea Case concerning a Land Reclamation dispute in and around the Straits of Johor (Malaysia v. Singapore, 2003),[24] member of the Trustee Board of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (2016-20),[25] independent member of the Yorkshire Region Flood and Coastal Committee (2019-date),[26] member of the Welsh Government Hinkley Point C Stakeholder Reference Group (2020–24),[27] and member of the Independent Expert Group for the London Flood Review (2021-22).[28]
Selected awards and honours
[edit]Falconer has received a number of professional awards and honours, including: Royal Academy of Engineering Princess Royal Silver Medal "in recognition of an outstanding and demonstrated personal contribution to British engineering leading to market exploitation" (1999),[29] International Association for Hydraulic Research Ippen Award "in recognition of his outstanding contributions in -- computational flow modelling of coastal and estuarine waters and associated environmental problems"(1991),[30] Friendship Award (China) - "Highest Award to Foreign Experts" (2022),[31] Honorary Doctor of Engineering from the University of Bradford (2022),[32] Honorary Fellow of the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (2017),[33] Environmental Scientists, Water Science|Best Researcher Award (2025),[34] Wales Prestige Awards 2026/27, "Water Management Consultancy of the Year" (2026),[35] and the Institution of Civil Engineers Telford Premium (1993)[36] and Robert Alfred Carr Prize (2003, 2007).[37][38]
Falconer is a Fellow or Member of the: Academia Europaea (2026); Chinese Academy of Engineering (2019); Royal Academy of Engineering (1997), Learned Society of Wales (2011), European Academy of Sciences (2018), and City and Guilds Institute (1997). He is a Chartered Engineer, Chartered Environmentalist and Chartered Water and Environmental Manager, and a Fellow of the: Institution of Civil Engineers, Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, and American Society of Civil Engineers.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Who's Who. Oxford: A & C Black".
- ↑ "YICODE".
- ↑ "Google Scholar".
- ↑ Falconer, R.A. 1976. Mathematical modelling of jet-forced circulation in reservoirs and harbours (PhD thesis). Retrieved from https://spiral.imperial.ac.uk/handle/10044/1/7982
- ↑ "ICE Alumni".
- ↑ "Roger Falconer Water Consultancy Ltd".
- ↑ "West Somerset Lagoon Ltd".
- ↑ "IAHR Presidents".
- ↑ Huang, G., Falconer, R.A. and Lin, B. 2017. Integrated hydro-bacterial modelling for predicting bathing water quality. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 188, 145-155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2017.01.018
- ↑ "Flood Modeller".
- ↑ "Flood Modelling: When the Rain Comes Down".
- ↑ Xia, J., Falconer, R.A., Wang, Y., Xiao, X. 2014. New criterion for the stability of a human body in floodwaters. "Journal of Hydraulic Research." 52(1), 93-104. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221686.2013.875073
- ↑ Musolino, G., Ahmadian, R., Xia, J., Falconer, R.A. 2020. Mapping the danger to life in flash flood events adopting a mechanics-based methodology and planning evacuation routes. "Journal of Flood Risk Management." 13(4), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12627
- ↑ "Global Water Security" (PDF).
- ↑ "Move Welsh and Scottish Water to England".
- ↑ "Water: Should Wales sell to England amid heatwave droughts?".
- ↑ "Global Empowers".
- ↑ "Global Water Security - Hydro-epidemiological Studies Talk".
- ↑ Falconer, Roger. 2010. Flow and water quality modelling in coastal and inland waters. "Journal of Hydraulic Research." 30(4), 437-452. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221689209498893
- ↑ "Floods and Droughts Interview". YouTube.
- ↑ "Harnessing Tides Interview". YouTube.
- ↑ "New Civil Engineer Interview on West Somerset Lagoon".
- ↑ Naddaf, Miryam. 2023. Ukraine dam collapse: what scientists are watching. "Nature." 618, 440-441. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-01928-8
- ↑ "ITLOS Land Reclamation Case Malaysia v. Singapore".
- ↑ "CIWEM Annual Report 2020" (PDF).
- ↑ "Yorkshire Region Flood and Coastal Committee".
- ↑ "Hinkley Point C Stakeholder Reference Group".
- ↑ "London Flood Review".
- ↑ "RAEng Silver Medal".
- ↑ "IAHR Ippen Award".
- ↑ "Professor Roger Falconer honored with the Chinese Government Friendship Award and Medal".
- ↑ "HonDEng University of Bradford".
- ↑ "IAHR Honorary Fellows".
- ↑ "Water Science|Best Researcher Award".
- ↑ "Wales Prestige Awards 2026/27".
- ↑ Falconer, R. A. (November 1993). "Institution of Civil Engineers Telford Premium (1994)". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering. 97 (4): 163–70. doi:10.1680/icien.1993.25304.
- ↑ Harris, E. (June 2002). "Institution of Civil Engineers Robert Alfred Carr Prize (2003)". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Water and Maritime Engineering. 154 (2): 129–135. doi:10.1680/wame.2002.154.2.129.
- ↑ Lin, B. (March 2006). "Institution of Civil Engineers Robert Alfred Carr Prize (2007)". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Water Management. 159 (1): 19–25. doi:10.1680/wama.2006.159.1.19.
