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: 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...
In the News: Blum Center Researcher on Preparing Historic Spaces for Sea Level Rise
A recent article by The Orange County Register called attention to the cultural and historic spaces poised to be impacted by climate change driven sea-level rise and coastal erosion. In partnership with UCI researchers, including the Blum Center's own Brett Sanders,...
Blum Center Scholars Share Work at International Conference
Blum Center researchers presented several projects at the recent annual International Studies Association convention. The conference's central theme this year was Real Struggles, High Stakes: Cooperation, Contention, and Creativity. A more fitting theme for the work...
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.