RESEARCH VISIT TO DELTARES: OLIVER FOSS

Bath Cohort 5 student Oliver Foss made the most of his month in the Netherlands during the autumn of 2022. Ollie was hosted by Deltares, an independent institute for applied research in the field of water and subsurface. He was based with the Coastal Hazards Team in Delft, where he worked closely with Robert McCall, an expert on coastal hazards and nearshore hydro-morphodynamics.

Ollie’s PhD research is entitled ‘Dynamic Revetments and Composite Beaches – Coastal Protection Inspired by Nature’. While his project is not a formal collaboration with Deltares, deepening links with Robert had been fostered during the project’s development – and particularly during its required modification as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

While at Deltares, Ollie worked with Robert on his PhD thesis chapter concerned with the application of the XBeach model to dynamic revetments:

“The research visit to Deltares allowed me to work with an expert in the XBeach modelling software, through this I was able to further the understanding of the model’s capabilities and assess its potential application to composite beaches.”

Ollie considers that both the University of Bath and Deltares benefited from the collaboration and envisages that research links between the institutions will continue. A joint paper is also planned. Personal benefits included expanding his knowledge of current coastal engineering projects and making new contacts within the wider coastal research community. Ollie found his time at Delft a fulfilling experience, especially given the constraints he had experienced during the pandemic.