Dr Bahareh Kamranzad

Strathclyde Chancellor's Fellow

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Personal statement

Dr Kamranzad is a Chancellor's Fellow (appointed under the Global Talent Programme) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, and a Fellow of UArctic x Lloyd’s Register Foundation.

She is the head of the "Coastal Engineering & Ocean Climate" research group and a leader within Strathclyde Centre for Doctoral Training in "AI-Based Ocean Forecasts for Marine Operation" mArIneCAST CDT.

With over 15 years of research experience in Physical Oceanography and Coastal Engineering, she specialises in investigating the impacts of climate change on oceanic conditions and coastal processes, ocean renewable energies (mainly wave energy and offshore wind), extreme events, and coastal hazards, protection and resilience. To advance these research interests, she employs a range of computational tools, including numerical models, soft computing methods, and hybrid approaches for the simulation of oceanic conditions, data assimilation, and regional downscaling of climate projections.

Dr Kamranzad has secured international research grants as Principal Investigator (PI), for diverse projects funded by UK, Japan and China, and has contributed to publishing over 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings, predominantly in top-tier journals such as Nature Climate Change, Scientific Reports, Energy, Renewable Energy, Ocean Engineering, and Ocean Dynamics, in collaboration with international research groups, and has delivered presentations at a variety of public and reputable academic platforms, globally (see public and academic talks). For her efforts in the fields of Energy, Oceanography, and Enabling & Strategic Technologies, she has been recognised as top 2% of Scientists Globally for 2023 by Elsevier and Stanford University, as well as achieving several international awards and recognition. She is also a 2023 Emerging Sustainability Leader awarded by the MDPI Sustainability Foundation & University of Basel.

Dr. Kamranzad currently serves as the Deputy Editor for Ocean Engineering (Elsevier) and Advisory Editorial Board for Coastal Engineering (Elsevier). She is also the chair and co-founder of the International Integrated Wave Energy Research Group (IIWER).

Before joining the University of Strathclyde, she worked as an Assistant Professor at the Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University (acceptance rate < 4%) from 2018 to 2022. Prior to this, she worked at the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University under the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellowship (acceptance rate < 10%) from 2016 to 2018. Furthermore, in 2022, she was a visiting researcher at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College, London.

Dr. Kamranzad is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), and teaches in the International Joint Education Programme (IJEP) at Yunna University (China), for the course CL338: Water and Environmental Systems.

ON THE MEDIA & PUBLIC OUTREACH:

University leads groundbreaking research on Arctic Sea temperature rise
Interview with 2023 Emerging Sustainability Leader Award Finalists
Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) Webinar, "Coastal Resilience in a Changing Climate Challenges and Opportunities"
MDPI Sustainability Talks, University of Basel
One Ocean Hub, From the coast to the ocean depths: co-developing innovative solutions for sustainable development
DWIH Tokyo, AI for SDGs – How Can AI Help Solve Environmental Challenges? (Japanese-German-French Conference)
Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, Reaching Net-Zero Emissions with Ocean Renewable Energies
Japan-China High-level Expert Symposium on Energy Transition,
DAAD-Kyoto University partnership programme towards SDGs
Kyoto University IPCC weeks 2019 Report
Roundtable discussion with the president of Kyoto University (in Japanese)

Expertise

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Prize And Awards

Finalist of the 2023 Emerging Sustainability Leader Award have: Recipient; 7/2023
Exploration France 2020: Recipient; 2020
Talented young scientist: Recipient; 2018
Sêr Cymru II MSCA (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions) COFUND postdoctoral fellowship: Recipient; 2018
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellowship: Recipient; 2016
Awardee in student competition of 18th Congress of the Asia and Pacific Division of the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR): Recipient; 2012

More prizes and awards

Publications

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Publications

Science-policy-practice insights for compound and multi-hazard risks: Brett Lou, Bloomfield Hannah C, Bradley Anna, Champion Adrian, De Angeli Silvia, de Ruiter Marleen C, B. Guerreiro Selma, Hillier John, Jaroszweski David, Kamranzad Bahareh, Keinänen-Toivola Minna M, Kornhuber Kai, Küpfer Katharina, Manning Colin, Mattu Kanzis, Murtagh Ellie, Murray Virginia, Ní Bhreasail Áine, O'Loughlin Fiachra, Parker Chris, Pregnolato Maria, M. Ramos Alexander, Schlumberger Julius, Theochari Dimitria, Ward Philip, Wessels Anke, White Christopher J; Meteorological Applications Vol 32 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1002/met.70043
Evaluation of Australian offshore wind and wave energy resources for joint exploitation: Hosseinzadeh Shabnam, Stewart Rodney A, Kamranzad Bahareh, Etemad-Shahidi Amir; Ocean Engineering Vol 328 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2025.121066
Offshore Wind Farms (OWF) - planning for the future: will metocean conditions change?: Lewis Matt, Gournay Elie, Collins Connor, Hay Kenny, Pintilie Florin, Nisbet Iain, Goward-Brown Alice, Kamranzad Bahareh, Lemos Gil; Next Generation Challenges in Energy-Climate Modelling Workshop 2024
(2024)
Wind-wave climate changes and their impacts: Casas-Prat Mercè, Hemer Mark A, Dodet Guillaume, Morim Joao, Wang Xiaolan L, Mori Nobuhito, Young Ian, Erikson Li, Kamranzad Bahareh, Kumar Prashant, Menéndez Melisa, Feng Yang; Nature Reviews Earth & Environment Vol 5, pp. 23-42 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-023-00502-0
On the assessment of the wave modeling uncertainty in wave climate projections: Lobeto Hector, Semedo Alvaro, Menendez Melisa, Lemos Gil, Kumar Rajesh, Akpinar Adem, Dobrynin Mikhail, Kamranzad Bahareh; Environmental Research Letters Vol 18 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad0137
Global extreme wave estimates and their sensitivity to the analysed data period and data sources: Amarouche Khalid, Akpinar Adem, Kamranzad Bahareh, Khames Ghollame-Ellah-Yacine; Marine Structures Vol 92 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marstruc.2023.103494

More publications

Research

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Research Interests

Broad Area of Interest

Physical Oceanography, Coastal Engineering and Ocean Climate
Coastal Hazards, Protection and Resilience

Specific Research Topics:

Climate Change Impact: on oceanic conditions and coastal processes, regional downscaling of climate projections
Ocean Renewable Energies (OREs): wave energy, offshore wind, and hybrid energy, sustainability of OREs in a changing climate
Long-Term Variations: long-term changes in coastal ocean climate, coastal zone classification
Extreme Events: Marine Heatwave, Extreme Ocean Climate, Extreme Value Analysis (EVA)

Methodologies:

Advanced numerical modelling
Soft computing methods and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Hybrid models
Data assimilation methods

The focus of my research is to contribute towards achieving net-zero emission targets through the development of sustainable OREs while considering the effects of a changing climate. The significance of this research extends to the human condition, including the well-being and livelihoods of coastal populations, by providing robust estimates of clean energy production, enhancing the resilience and protection of coastal environments, and supporting a sustainable Sato-Umi (the Japanese term for the coastal areas affected by human interaction with the sea), in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For potential collaborations or any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Professional Activities

Coastal Resilience in a Changing Climate: Challenges and Opportunities, Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland: Speaker; 22/1/2025
Sustainable Coasts in a Changing Climate, ISPF-Transnational perspectives NBS, water and food security in Scotland and Egypt, seminar & workshop, in collaboration with the University of Ain Shams, Egypt: Speaker; 6/12/2024
Heriot Watt University: Visiting researcher; 25/11/2024
Navigating Future of Coastal Areas in a Changing Climate, Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University: Speaker; 1/11/2024
Downscaling of Climate Projections, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC): Speaker; 31/10/2024
Coastal Engineering and Ocean Climate, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo: Speaker; 30/10/2024

More professional activities

Projects

Impact of Marine Heatwaves on Sea Ice for Arctic Navigational Safety: Kamranzad, Bahareh (Principal Investigator); 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2026
DTP 2224 University of Strathclyde | Mckenzie-Barnes, Holly: Phoenix, Vernon (Principal Investigator) Kamranzad, Bahareh (Co-investigator) Mckenzie-Barnes, Holly (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2024 - 01-Jan-2028
DTP 2224 University of Strathclyde | McWhirter, John-Luke: Kamranzad, Bahareh (Principal Investigator) Suryasentana, Stephen (Co-investigator) McWhirter, John-Luke (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2024 - 01-Jan-2028
Hybrid Ocean Renewables in A Changing Climate: Kamranzad, Bahareh (Principal Investigator) Suryasentana, Stephen (Co-investigator) Jia, Laibing (Co-investigator) Arredondo Galeana, Abel (Co-investigator); EPSRC Research Excellence Award Studentship; 01-Jan-2024 - 01-Jan-2028
Climate change impact on sustainability of wave energy resources in NE Asia and Japan: Kamranzad, Bahareh (Principal Investigator); Among the renewable energies and ocean resources, wave energy has been less investigated due to high Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) associated with uncertainties in energy production estimations. However, development in the extraction technology is fast and the efficiency and suitability of wave energy exploitation depend on the areas where the technology is deployed, and it affects the estimated LCOE. Recent achievements in wave energy studies show that considering factors such as short-term variations and long-term changes are important in locating suitable sites with higher efficiency. The main purposes of this research are:
1. To identify the suitable sites in the study area for the most efficient energy production from waves
2. To assess the impact of climate change on locating suitable sites for energy extraction and energy production; 01-Jan-2020 - 30-Jan-2022
Wave energy resource characterization for Sri Lanka in a changing ocean climate: Karunarathna, Harshinie (Principal Investigator) Kamranzad, Bahareh (Academic) de Silva, Kasun (Co-investigator) Rathnasooriya, Harsha (Co-investigator) Maduwantha, Pravin (Researcher); 01-Jan-2019 - 30-Jan-2019