Lab Leader/Principal Investigator
Dr Salauddin is the Principal Investigator of the Environmental Hydraulics and Coastal Resilience (EHCR) Lab and an Assistant Professor in the School of Civil Engineering at University College Dublin. His research focuses on water and environmental engineering, with an emphasis on climate-resilient coastal/offshore infrastructures, as well as nature-based solutions. Dr. Salauddin leads one of Ireland’s leading hydrodynamics research groups, tackling challenges related to nature-based solutions, storm surge impacts, wave–structure interactions, marine energy, offshore wind infrastructures, and coastal water quality in the context of a changing climate.
Postdoctoral Researchers (Current)
Dr. Arman Habib
Arman is the first PhD researcher completing his doctoral studies based from the EHCR lab. Since then, from March 2025, he has transitioned as a post-doctoral researcher in the TROCI project, funded by Research Ireland (CHISTERA-22-SPiDDS-07). His research involves the development of machine learning-based anomaly detection algorithms for enhanced cybersecurity of water distribution networks
Dr. Fulya Islek
Dr Islek is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow working on the Offshore-ADAPT Project (Design Flexibility in Offshore Renewable Energy Development, Global Best Practice and Recommendations for Irish Market), funded by the Marine Institute (2023-2025). This project aims to develop an evidence-based framework of global best practices in design flexibility for Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) projects by; providing an extensive review of international best practices in offshore wind turbines (such as Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, the UK etc), identifying key design requirements (e.g., turbine height, blade length and design, foundation and support structure, turbine spacing and layout, grid connection and infrastructure), and assessing regulatory and policy impacts of advancing offshore wind technology
Postgraduate Students (Current)
Hani Ghasemi
Hani is a PhD student at the UCD School of Civil Engineering. He holds a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran. His PhD research as part of the RESET project, funded by EPA Ireland, focuses on coastal engineering, with an emphasis on nature-based solutions for coastal protection. Specifically, he is investigating the effects of oyster reefs and seagrass on wave attenuation along the Irish coastline, using both physical experiments and numerical modelling techniques.
Xihang Xu
Blending ecology and engineering, Xihang’s project explores how seagrass can mitigate wave energy and how to enhance the engineering benefits of eco-retrofitted coastal structures. Through lab experiments and numerical modeling in OpenFOAM, it supports nature-based approaches to coastal resilience. This project is funded by the University College Dublin and China Scholarship Council.
Swarna Halder
Swarna’s PhD project investigates the fate and effects of microplastics in the marine environment using an integrated approach that combines field studies with numerical modelling. Field observations are focused on quantifying the distribution and contamination profiles of microplastics in surface waters and sediments in Dublin Bay. Numerical models will be developed to simulate microplastic transport and to identify hotspots and accumulation zones under varying hydrodynamic conditions and environmental parameters. This research is funded by the UCD School of Civil Engineering through the School Funded PhD Scholarship scheme.
Tahmida Naher Chowdhury
Tahmida, a second-year PhD student, is conducting research on the application of advanced machine learning algorithms and analytical methods to assess the impacts of climate change on groundwater quality and associated ecosystems. As part of the project, hazard maps will be developed to identify areas in Ireland where groundwater resources are particularly vulnerable. This research is funded by the Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) under the CIIMA project.
Mohammad Usman Saeed Khan
Usman Saeed is a Research Master’s student working on the AI4Coasts project, funded by the Marine Institute, Ireland. His research focuses on predicting bathing water quality at a designated site in Dublin Bay using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. The study integrates sensor-based data and satellite imagery to enhance the accuracy and reliability of water quality forecasts.
Mirajul Hossain
Mirajul is conducting research under the Reefs4Protect project, which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of artificial reefs in mitigating coastal erosion along the Irish and Caribbean coastlines. This project is funded by the Marine Institute Ireland through the Our Shared Ocean programme.
Mohamed Abdalla Saad Oraby
Mohamed’s PhD research focuses on the role of oyster beds as a nature-based solution for sediment stabilization and wave energy attenuation. His work combines laboratory experiments with numerical modelling to investigate their effectiveness in coastal protection. This research is part of the Marine Institute-funded BRICONS project.
Wenhui Wei
Wenhui’s PhD project (funded by UCD School of Civil Engineering) focuses on optimizing the design of floating platforms for offshore renewable energy.
EHCR Lab UCD 