Division of Flooding and Poverty
Climate change and increased flood hazards will drive increased poverty in the 21st Century. Through the study of displaced populations, disrupted economies, water-borne illnesses and the loss of ecosystem services and infrastructure caused by flooding, UC Blum Center Scholars are utilizing big-data to identify solutions to mitigate flood risk, foster peace and stability in flood-affected communities and empower citizens to action through widely-accessible information and leadership.
Projects & Team
Latest News & Research
In the News: Brett Sanders on Local Coastal Erosion for LA Times
Last week, Blum Center coastal flood and erosion researcher Brett Sanders offered insight in a Los Angeles Times article on recent destruction in Orange County. In the context of recent and potential coastal erosion in San Clemente, Sanders spoke on the various...
UCI Magazine Provides Deep Dive on Blum Center Flood Research
Flood research conducted by Blum Center researchers was featured on the cover of UCI Magazine's Winter edition. The feature, "Flood Watchers", discusses the shift from drought to severe flooding, the role of climate change in recent and future storms, and the renewed...
In the News: Blum Center Flood Research Overflows in the Media
April showers certainly brought many beautiful May flowers...but they also brought attention to flood risks in California, particularly coastal Southern California. With talk of atmospheric rivers, a phrase becoming a part of every Californian's vernacular, worries of...
Research Lead

Brett Sanders (B.S., University of California, Berkeley; M.S., University of Michigan; Ph.D., University of Michigan) is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. Sanders’ research group specializes in the development of innovative algorithms for flow and transport in river and coastal systems and the integration of information technologies to create more accurate and efficient simulation tools.
Project Information
News
- California’s aging dams face new perils, 50 years after Sylmar quake crisis (LA Times)
- ‘Expect More’: Climate Change Raises Risk of Dam Failures (New York Times)
- Researchers find collaborative flood modeling process effective (National Science Foundation)
- UCI, other researchers find collaborative flood modeling process effective (UCI News)
- Beach dynamics (UCI News)
- Scientists from UC Campuses Study Floods, Flood Socioeconomics (Spectrum News)
- What Is a Nuisance Flood, Exactly? (Eos)
- In a warming climate, ocean- and land-based floods are a disastrous duo, UCI researchers find (UCI News)
- Over time, nuisance flooding can cost more than extreme, infrequent events (UCI News)
Graduate Degrees
Employment Opportunities
No positions are currently available.