Projects per year
Personal profile
Approach to teaching
Every single student has seen water and sediment, but I think that it is extremely important that students get a real feel for the materials that they are working with. Hence I believe that laboratory sessions are an essential component of any Geography or Civil Engineering Module. Relating classroom learning with real Industry based Case Studies, backed up with site visits, then helps students really put theory into context, especially where traditional disciplines cross over and even merge.
I DO NOT believe in standing up in front of a class and talking whilst students passively listen for a few hours. For many years now I have made use of online technology and used pre-recorded mini-lectures, alongside detailed notes to enable students to grasp the basic understanding of a concept for example the physics behind a hydraulic jump or how to predict the moment when sediment transport may start to occur in a stream. This then allows the allocated face to face time with students to be spent undertaking activities which deepen and broaden the understanding of an area. In the classroom I actively encourage students to work in groups, use the internet, speak to each other and ask questions. This enables me to help students on a one to one basis or as part of a group, whichever is appropriate.
I provide students with a variety of materials, both in lectures and online, but do expect my students to conduct their own background research and reading (guided in the first few years). During your first two years of study at university you will get the chance to conduct guided experiments using our student friendly flumes and pipe rigs, which will enable you to really understand how water flows through pipes and channels and what effect there is when we use structures to control or measure it. We will expect you to conduct calculations and write technical reports based upon your lab sessions. This is all good practice for writing reports in your chosen professional career. (Yes – Civil Engineers have to write lots of reports throughout their career and physical geographers will have to crunch some numbers).
I use media, literature and problem sheets to support my teaching, which means that I expect students to engage outside of the lecture time in their studies. For example this could mean reading set material in preparation for a lab or lecture, watching a series of pre-recorded online mini-lectures or testing yourselves with formative tests which will be available online.
Students get the best results for my modules are those who fully engage and ask questions when they need to. By fully engaging the student access the online material and lectures I provide, they attend the lectures, tutorial sessions and hands on laboratory sessions which I run and they ask questions.
The dissertation and MRes projects which I offer are always in my area of research and are based on providing workable solutions to real-life problems or furthering the research knowledge base. Most of the projects I offer and coursework scenarios are linked to industry, research projects and local problems.
Research interests
My principal research interest is in Nature Based Solutions, (coastal, estuarine and riverine), which embrace natural processes in order to provide long-term sustainable solutions to flood management problems. This encompasses a wide range of areas, including sediment dynamics, hydrodynamics, water management, geochemistry and blue-carbon. My research is primarily field based where I design long and short-term monitoring programmes to enable in-depth understanding of hydraulic and sediment regimes.
On the coast and nearshore waters, my research is based around Nature Based solutions to flooding, habitat creation, pollution and carbon, which involves furthering the understanding of how the geomorphology and hydrodynamics of these sites evolve following breach. In terms of sustainability I work with very closely with ecologists investigating how previous land use, design and construction influence the development of these sites, which has a direct impact on the bio-diversity of these created systems, and which in the long-term influence the longevity and effectiveness of the designed coastal defence. If you click on the ‘globe image’ below my profile picture you can listen to a recording of a lecture which I gave at the ICE Coastal Management Conference in 2019, where I explain how Coastal Managers can improve fish habitat.
In-land I work with a number of local organisations on the re-wilding, restoration and management of rivers and catchments in order to reduce peak flood levels and improve water quality. This involves assessing the suitability of the removal of defunct structures, installing small scale, up-stream, water retarding structures and where possible reconnecting water with its flood plain.
Both on the coast and inland I am working towards quantifying the effects of different types of intervention, through this I strive to do is provide designers, engineers and managers with a greater understanding of the environment so that they can work with nature to provide longer-term, more sustainable solutions.
The 'globe' looking icons below my image at the top of the screen will take to a selection of presentations I have given at conferences.
Supervisory Interests
For both MRes and PhD, I am particularly interested in supervising projects in the area of intertidal, estuarine and riverine water / sediment interaction and climate. Examples of applications could include:
- Quantifying the impact that different types of Nature Based Solutions have on Riverine Flood Management.
- The impact that drainage systems have on the development of Managed Realignment sites and the colonisation by intertidal flora.
- How mycelium develops in newly inundated intertidal wetlands.
- Furthering the understanding into the processes of how terrestrial soil transforms into intertidal sediment when inundated by saline water.
- The impact of Coastal Managed and Managed Realignment design has on fish habitats and how engineering could be used to increase habitat suitability, impacting positively on fish stocks. (see: - MR Fish Geomorphology (ICECM 2019) (brighton.ac.uk))
- The impact of changing weather patterns on intertidal environments.
- Projects related to the CHASM project , particularly the sediment and hydro elements.
Along with any project which brings together the following elements: Natural Flood Management, habitat creation, eco-system services, impact of sea-level rise and impact on health and wellbeing.
Knowledge exchange
My research is about helping to find practical, longer term sustainable solutions to problems which are facing society. In order to do this it is extremely important that I work with industry, both public and private as well as other academics across a wide range of disciplines. I am part of the Maritime Expert Panel for the Institution of Civil Engineers (Maritime Expert Panel | Institution of Civil Engineers (ice.org.uk)) which enables me to understand the changing needs of industry whilst also providing an insight into academic research and community. I attend and present at a range of industry and academic professional meetings. For the purpose of knowledge transfer and impact of research, I feel that it is important that academics publish in industry focused publications as well as scientific journals, as the latter are often not easily accessible to those working in industry.
External positions
Organising Committee for the ICE coastal Management Conference 2019, Institution of Civil Engineers
1 Oct 2017 → 1 Oct 2019
Member of Maritime Expert Panel for Institute of Civil Engineers, Institution of Civil Engineers
1 Mar 2015 → 1 Mar 2022
Organising Committee for ICE Coastal Management Conference 2015, Institution of Civil Engineers
1 Sept 2013 → 1 Oct 2015
Keywords
- G Geography (General)
- Natural Flood Management
- Managed Realignment
- Cohesive Sediment
- Coastal management
- Estuarine Hydraulics
- Nature Based Solutions
- Rewilding
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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PHIP: Pagham harbour - Intertidal Sediment Dynamics of a long-term realignment site (PHIP)
Burgess, H. (PI), Kilkie, P. (CoI) & Dale, J. (CoI)
1/09/00 → 31/08/25
Project: Research
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Socorro: Seeking out corrosion - before it is too late (SOCORRO)
Smith, M. (PI), Burgess, H. (CoI), Cooper, I. (CoI), Willows, A. (CoI) & Moles, N. (CoI)
1/03/20 → 31/12/22
Project: EU / International
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The influence of clay mineralogy on the stability of estuarine sediments
Burgess, H. (PI), Teasdale, P. (CoI) & Kilkie, P. (CoI)
1/09/15 → 31/08/18
Project: Research
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MRUDNIP: Managed Realignment Understanding the Development of New Intertidal Processes
Burgess, H. (PI), Cundy, A. (CoI), Firth, C. (CoI), Kilkie, P. (CoI) & Dale, J. (CoI)
1/03/14 → 31/10/24
Project: Public Sector
Research output
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Deciphering microbial communities involved in marine steel corrosion using high-throughput amplicon sequencing
Shibulal, B., Smith, M., Cooper, I., Burgess, H., Moles, N. R. & Willows, A., 27 Aug 2024, In: Environmental Microbiology Reports. 16, 4, p. e70001 24 p., e70001.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Reaction mechanisms and diagnostic mineralogy of intertidal steel corrosion: An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study
Burgess, H., Smith, M., Cooper, I., Shibulal, B., Moles, N. R. & Willows, A., 15 Feb 2024, In: Corrosion Communications. 13, p. 68-82 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Morphological evolution of a non-engineered managed realignment site following tidal inundation
Dale, J., Burgess, H., Berg, M., Strong, C. & Burnside, N., 17 Jul 2021, In: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 260, p. 1-11 107510.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Saltmarsh Restoration Handbook: UK & Ireland
Burgess, H., Adnitt, C., Armstrong, S., Ausden, M., Austin, W., Balke, T. & Burden, A., 5 Nov 2021, Environment Agency. 105 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report › peer-review
Open Access -
The Impact that Geomorphological Development of Managed Realignment Sites has on Fish Habitat
Burgess, H., Nelson, K., Colclough, S. & Dale, J., 3 Jan 2020, Coastal Management 2019: Joining forces to shape our future coasts . Hardiman, N. (ed.). Thomas TelfordResearch output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding with ISSN or ISBN › Conference contribution with ISSN or ISBN › peer-review
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Young Coastal Scientists and Engineers Conference (Event)
Burgess, H. (Chair)
7 Jun 2022 → 9 Jun 2023Activity: External boards and professional/academic bodies › Membership of professional body
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How rewilding impacts on the Flood Hydrograph
Burgess, H. (Presenter)
29 Jun 2021Activity: External talk or presentation › Oral presentation
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Metagenomics and Physicochemistry of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion
Burgess, H. (Presenter)
7 Nov 2019Activity: External talk or presentation › Invited talk
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ICE Coastal Management 2019
Burgess, H. (Organiser)
24 Sept 2019 → 26 Sept 2019Activity: Events › Conference