Dr Muriel Bruckner

About me:

I studied Environmental Engineering at the Technical University of Braunschweig, specializing in Hydraulic and Coastal Engineering to better understand hydro-morphodynamic systems across scales. Here, I started modelling rivers and the impact of engineering measures on valuable ecosystems, testing mitigation measures and alternative flood protection. A part of my MSc I spent at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway, studying marine ecosystems and aquaculture.

After my time in Norway, I went to pursue a PhD in biogeomorphology at Utrecht University. I modelled the interactions between marine organisms, including vegetation and benthos, and estuarine morphological evolution at a large scale. I developed my own eco-morphodynamic model that is able to combine several organisms and investigate their effects in estuaries and along coasts. During this time, I went to spend several months at the University of Auckland to study estuarine ecosystems in New Zealand.

Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Geography, where I develop basin-scale morphodynamic models. I investigate the effects of anthropogenic disturbances and climate change in the Amazon basin to understand the complex interplay between morphodynamics and floodplain ecology.

Broad Research Specialisms

I am a biogeomorphologist looking at the interplay between ecology and hydro-morphodynamics in fluvial and estuarine systems.

Interests:

I study the long term evolution of fluvial and estuarine systems and how our landscapes are affected by human disturbances and climate change. Especially the role of ecology, so-called eco-engineers, in landscape modification and their response to external disturbances is important to better understand geomorphic evolution. I am particularly interested in biogeomorphic responses across spatial and temporal scales and how to best describe them in numerical models. The development and validation of those models are one of my main passions in my research.

Qualifications:

PhD in Physical Geography, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

BSc and MSc in Environmental Engineering, TU Braunschweig, Germany