Overview
Dr Sangaralingam Ahilan is a research fellow at the Centre for Water Systems in the College of Engineering Mathematics and Physical Sciences. He received a bachelor degree in civil engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka; a Master of Applied Science degree in Engineering hydrology from the National University of Ireland, Galway and a PhD from University College Dublin, Ireland. Dr Ahilan has worked on a number of water and environmental research projects in Ireland and the UK.
Dr Ahilan took part in the Irish National Flood Studies Update programme as part of his PhD research. In this research, he investigated the influences of floodplain attenuation effects on Irish flood estimation procedures. In Ireland, he also took part in the EU Water Framework Directive (HYDROFOR, SILTFLUX) and the EU Bathing Water Directive projects (Smart Coasts) involved in field sampling of the Irish rivers and sea, water quality analysis and statistical modelling.
In the UK, Ahilan’s research work is mostly centred on urban flood risk management in UK cities. He worked in the UK EPSRC funded Blue-Green Cities, SESAME and Urban Flood Resilience research projects. As part of the Blue-Green Cities project, he investigated the long-term performance of sustainable drainage systems using detailed hydrological and hydro-morphodynamic modelling. In the SESAME project, he has contributed to the agent-based modelling to understand the interactions of the small-medium enterprises with suppliers and customers during and the aftermath of the flooding. In the Urban Flood Resilience project, he explores the potential of catchment scale rainwater management system to provide non-potable water supply and flood resilience for UK cities and, the flexible design of the urban water system to achieve urban flood resilience in an uncertain future. He is currently involved in the Global Challenge Research Funded project, focusing on emergency flood evacuation using unmanned aerial vehicles. Ahilan also serves as an editor for the Journal of Water and Climate Change, IWA Publishing.
Research interests:
- Floodplain hydraulics
- Flood frequency analysis
- Flood and sediment modelling
- Urban sanitation
- Rainwater managment
- Urban water management
