Professor Gerd Masselink

The Global Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Gerd's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

About Gerd

Prof Gerd Masselink is a Professor in Coastal Geomorphology at the 쫄챰뻣펄 (UoP) and is a world-leading coastal scientist with >160 refereed journal publications (GoogleScholar h-index >70) and >25 years' experience in collecting and analysing coastal and nearshore morphodynamic data. He is also the co-director and founder of the Coastal and Marine Applied Research (CMAR) consultancy group within the 쫄챰뻣펄 and has been the academic lead on the majority of the 150 consultancy projects CMAR has been involved with since 2015.혻혻

Gerd did his MSc degree in Physical Geography at Utrecht University (the Netherlands) from 1984 to 1990, and completed his PhD in Marine Science at Sydney University (Australia) in 1994. After a 4-year postdoc at the University of Western Australia, he started as a Lecturer at Loughborough University (UK) in 1998. Since 2005, he has been working at 쫄챰뻣펄 University, first in the School of Geography, then in the School of Marine Science and Engineering, and currently in the School of Biological and Marine Sciences.

Gerd has been (or is) a PI/CI on 20 UK research council funded projects, all involving shoreline dynamics and nearshore sediment transport processes, and has been (or is) involved with supervision of 36 coastal PhD students. Currently, Masselink is: (1) Deputy-PI on the NERC-funded #gravelbeach project; (2) 쫄챰뻣펄 lead on the EA-funded Making Space for Sand project; and (3) PI on the EPSRC-funded ARISE project, investigating the impact of sea-level rise on atoll islands. The total value of these grants (쫄챰뻣펄 component) is just over 짙4M.

Apart from his role as academic and his position as a world-leading coastal scientist, Gerd is co-director of the Coastal Marine Applied Research (CMAR; /research/cmar) consultancy group and leads the 50-member strong, internationally leading Coastal Processes Research Group (CPRG; /research/coastal-processes). He is extremely experienced in project management and leading teams of academics, students and consultants. CMAR consultancy projects are always informed by the latest science and models, and the consultancy aims to support the appropriate management of coastal, marine and estuarine resources and activities. Key themes of the consultancy projects are coastal resilience and coastal adaption to climate change, and clients include the Environment Agency, National Trust, Natural England, Coastal Councils and environmental consultancy groups (Jacobs, JBA, Haskoning).

Supervised Research Degrees

2025쫄챰뻣펄밹urrent Ahmed Mahid 쫄챰뻣펄� Wave transformation on coral reefs and implications for coastal defence on atoll islands

2024쫄챰뻣펄밹urrent Tom Hamilton 쫄챰뻣펄� Morpho-sedimentary-dynamics of gravel beaches (DoS)

2024쫄챰뻣펄밹urrent Sam Rose 쫄챰뻣펄� Application of LiDAR to wave runup in coral reef environments (based at Bath, UK)

2024쫄챰뻣펄밹urrent Lamese Saamu 쫄챰뻣펄� Impact of extreme storms on atoll islands in the Pacific

2024쫄챰뻣펄밹urrent Wassim Seksaf 쫄챰뻣펄� Role of regional sediment connectivity in coastal resilience

2024쫄챰뻣펄밹urrent Nidia Tobon 쫄챰뻣펄� Hydrodynamic response of atoll island aquifers to coastal factors and sea level rise

2023쫄챰뻣펄밹urrent Rima Harahap 쫄챰뻣펄� Coastal dynamics analysis for predicting marine disaster in outermost small islands of Indonesia (DoS)

2023쫄챰뻣펄밹urrent Ahmed Aslam Waheed 쫄챰뻣펄� Natural adaptation of coral reef islands to sea-level rise offering opportunities for ongoing human occupation (DoS)

2023쫄챰뻣펄밹urrent Ashley Holsclaw 쫄챰뻣펄� Hydrodynamics and sediment transport associated with coral reef platforms and atoll islands

2023쫄챰뻣펄밹urrent Aitana Gea Neuhaus 쫄챰뻣펄� Sediment provenance, budget and pathways associated with atoll islands

2023쫄챰뻣펄밹urrent Floortje Roelvink 쫄챰뻣펄� Natural adaptation of coral reef islands to sea-level rise offering opportunities for ongoing human occupation (DoS)

2022쫄챰뻣펄밹urrent Liane Brodie 쫄챰뻣펄� Coastal Dune Dynamics Across Cornwall, UK (DoS)

2022쫄챰뻣펄뱖ithdrawn Madeline Gee 쫄챰뻣펄� 쫄챰뻣펄쁓hifting Seas 쫄챰뻣펄� Ecological adaptation to changing rates of Sea Level Rise (no completion)

2020쫄챰뻣펄�2025 Aikaterina Konstantinou 쫄챰뻣펄� Satellite-based shoreline detection along high-energy macrotidal coasts and influence of beach state

2019쫄챰뻣펄�2024혻혻Josie Alice-Kirby 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Application of Coastal Change Management Areas (CCMAs) for coastal adaptation to climate change impacts in SW England桂(뛰늡낍)

2021쫄챰뻣펄�2022혻혻Oak McMahon -혻Natural adaptive capability of coral reef islands to sea-level rise and implications for future human occupation桂(뛰늡낍) (no completion)

2017쫄챰뻣펄�2022혻혻Anna Persson 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Physical drivers of nursery function in juvenile flatfishes혻(no completion)

2016쫄챰뻣펄�2021혻혻Erin King 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Modelling sediment exchange between the beach and the inner continental shelf

2016쫄챰뻣펄�2020혻혻Paul Bayle 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Coastal resilience under sea-level rise혻(based at Bath, UK)

2016쫄챰뻣펄�2020혻혻Mark Wiggins 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Coastal cell response to a changing wave climate using autonomous aerial surveying

2016쫄챰뻣펄�2019혻혻Megan Tuck 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Dynamics of coral reef islands혻(based at Auckland, New Zealand)

2015쫄챰뻣펄�2019혻혻Nieves Garcia Valiente 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Sediment exchange between beach and inner shelf桂(뛰늡낍)

2014쫄챰뻣펄�2018혻혻Olivier Burvingt 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Beach response to extreme storms along the SW coast of England桂(뛰늡낍)

2015쫄챰뻣펄�2017혻혻Rafael Jes첬s Bergillos 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Multi-scale dynamics of mixed sand and gravel deltaic coasts혻(based at Granada, Spain)

2013쫄챰뻣펄�2017혻혻Sebastian Pitman 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Automatic Rip Current Detection혻(based at Southampton, UK)

2013쫄챰뻣펄�2017혻혻Kris Inch 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Extreme storm dynamics on sandy beaches

2011쫄챰뻣펄�2015혻혻Claire Early 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Field observations of wave induced coastal cliff erosion, Cornwall, UK桂(뛰늡낍)

2011쫄챰뻣펄�2015혻혻Pedro Almeida 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Swash Zone Dynamics of coarse-Grained Beaches during Energetic Wave Conditions桂(뛰늡낍)

2011쫄챰뻣펄�2015혻혻Robert McCall 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Modelling gravel beach storm response using XBeach혻(DoS)

2011쫄챰뻣펄�2014혻혻Anissia White 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Managing the Retreat: Understanding the Transition to Salt Marsh in Coastal Realignment Project

2010쫄챰뻣펄�2016혻혻Antony Thorpe 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Sediment Dynamics in Rip Currents

2010쫄챰뻣펄�2014혻혻Saul Reynolds 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Tidal Dune Dynamics혻(no completion)

2009쫄챰뻣펄�2013혻혻Suha Zoozi 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Estuarine Pollution Dynamics in Agricultural River Basins

2008쫄챰뻣펄�2012혻혻Tim Poate 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Impact of Wave Hub on Shoreline Processes and Beach Morphology

2007쫄챰뻣펄�2011혻혻Alison Nock 쫄챰뻣펄벬�An ARC Marine Decision Support System for Coastal Flooding혻(no completion)

2007쫄챰뻣펄�2010혻혻Amaia Ruiz de Alegria Arzaburu 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Measuring and Modelling Annual, Seasonal and Storm-Induced Morphological Response on a Gravel Beach혻(DoS)

2006쫄챰뻣펄�2010혻혻Tim Scott 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Classification of UK Beaches and Associated Nearshore Hazards혻(DoS)

2004쫄챰뻣펄�2008혻혻Daniel Buscombe 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Morpho-Sediment Dynamics of Gravel Beaches혻(DoS)

2002쫄챰뻣펄�2005혻혻Martin Austin 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Swash, Groundwater and Sediment Transport Processes on Gravel Beaches혻(DoS)

2000쫄챰뻣펄�2004혻혻Darren Evans 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Swash on Steep and Shallow Beaches혻(DoS)

2000쫄챰뻣펄�2004혻혻Selma van Houwelingen 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Spatial and Temporal Variability in Ridge and Runnel Morphology along the North Lincolnshire Coast, England혻(DoS)

2000쫄챰뻣펄�2004혻혻Aafke Tonk 쫄챰뻣펄벬�Longshore Sediment Transport on Low-Energy Beaches혻(DoS)