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
New book chapter on preparing for natural disasters in conflict zones
Blum Center Faculty Director Richard Matthew and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Brett Sanders recently published a new book chapter on environmental modeling in conflict zones. Natural hazards can pose disproportionate levels of risk to...
Identifying California’s flooding risk zones and developing workable solutions
Blum-affiliated Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Brett Sanders was recently interviewed for an article on the California regions that are at risk of flooding and how his research is identifying workable solutions to address these hazards. The article...
In the News: Professor Brett Sanders talks about what we know about climate change, waves, and coastal erosion
Professor Brett Sanders, who leads the Blum Center's research on flooding and community vulnerabilities, was recently quoted in the OC Register. The article highlights recent research articles from other labs that predict changes to the size and power of waves along...
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.