Dr David Birt


Job: KTP Research Associate


Employer: Lancaster University


PhD Thesis: Drinking water reservoir resiliency in a changing climate


PhD Supervisors: Professor Jun Zang, Dr Lee Bryant, Dr Danielle Wain (7 Lakes Alliance/Colby College) and Dr Rupert Perkins


David works as a Research Associate for Lancaster University, in a collaboration between the university and Thames Water.  This role is a natural progression of David’s PhD research, as he is developing a model that assesses the impacts of floating solar arrays on water quality.

Background

David was a PhD student on the WISE Centre for Doctoral Training programme between 2017-22 and was based at the University of Bath, where he pursued his research project with Dr Jun Zang.  David successfully defended his PhD thesis on “Drinking water reservoir resiliency in a changing climate” on 3rd May 2023.

Prior to joining the WISE CDT David obtained an MSci in Physical Oceanography from Bangor University. During this time, he undertook a yearlong internship at the National Oceanographic Centre in Liverpool. This role primarily involved working as a research assistant; processing data for the Shelf Sea Biogeochemistry project whilst also undertaking research assignments. David was given the opportunity to present data at a variety of events, including the:

  • Liverpool Marine Symposium, 2016
  • Young Coastal Scientist and Engineers Conference, 2016

Research Interests

  • Fluid dynamic problems in different environments especially when applied to real world problems with practical applications.
  • Stratified environments
  • Climate change impacts and solutions.

David has also pursued outreach activities using his PhD research and interests, most recently delivering a talk to a local U3A group,  a collective of charities dedicated to engaging retired individuals in enjoyable learning experiences.  During his presentation David delved into his research, enlightening the audience about potential risks to future water quality.