Expertise and Interests
I am interested in advancing knowledge and models of environmental dynamics in the context of (contentious) interactions between the built environment, the natural environment, and human activities.
My core training is in fluid mechanics, open channel hydraulics, and computational methods, and my core interests center around “long” water wave dynamics, notably floods and tidal dynamics along coasts. I also dabble in water quality modeling (including sediment transport), remote sensing, parallel computing, planning and policy. To make science and technology more useful, I collaborate (especially with social scientists and communities) and appreciate these partnerships. Teaching the next generation to tackle big problems is also a passion.
Education
Ph.D. Civil Engineering
University of Michigan
M.S. Civil Engineering
University of Michigan
B.S. Civil Engineering
University of California, Berkeley
Appointments
Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of California, Irvine
2009-Present
Professor (wos)
Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy
University of California, Irvine
2015-Present
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Student Affairs (Interim)
Samueli School of Engineering
University of California, Irvine
2020-2021
Department Chair
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of California, Irvine
2010-2017
Associate Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of California, Irvine
2003-2009
Assistant Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of California, Irvine
1997-2003
Honors and Awards
Fellow
Environmental and Water Resources Institute, American Society of Civil Engineers
2023
Fellow
Engineering Mechanics Institute, American Society of Civil Engineers
2021
Outstanding Post-Secondary STEM Educator
OC STEM Initiative
2022
Innovator of the Year Nominee
Orange County Business Council
2022
Best Professor of the Year Award
Engineering Student Council, Samueli School of Engineering
2021
Distinguished Engineering Educator Award
Orange County Branch, American Society of Civil Engineers
2012
Outstanding Reviewer Award
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers
2011
Teaching Excellence Award
Division of Undergraduate Education, University of California, Irvine
2004
Fariborz Maseeh Best Teacher Award
Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine
2004
Outstanding Student Chapter Award (Faculty Advisor)
American Society of Civil Engineers
2002
CAREER Award
National Science Foundation
2000
Outstanding Paper Award
International Conference on Hydroscience and Engineering
1998
Victor L. Streeter Fellow
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan
1993-1998
Personal
This is my favorite pastime, not to mention a longtime source of frustration. For downtime, I enjoy watching sports including golf, basketball, soccer, and football.
And my inspiration. Bob Dylan is amazing at what he does and never stops innovating.
Article about Brett by Jim Washburn
“I was the kid who always had his arm out the car window, feeling the wind resistance on my hand. When I started water skiing, I’d wonder, ‘How is it I can stand when we’re moving, but sink when we’re not?’ One thing led to another, and now I develop computer codes and numerical methods to simulate flooding based on the mechanics of fluid flow,” says Brett Sanders, perhaps leaving out a few details of his path to becoming a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Urban Planning and Public Policy at UCI.
His fascination with water-borne wisdom ranges from hurricane patterns to teaching a course on beaches that includes Beach Boys music, but his chief pursuit is being able to anticipate and mitigate flooding events, which, he warns, “are increasingly disruptive and damaging, costing lives, tens of billions of dollars and displacing hundreds of thousands of people, usually people without the resources to recover from it.”
Lest one think that’s not a California problem, Sanders reminds that we are due for a major flood. During the last “big one”, in 1862, Los Angeles County (including what’s now Orange County) had a population of just over 11,000 people; today the same area’s population is over 13 million.
“There’s a massive flood risk, and our infrastructure doesn’t seem up to the task of containing these events.With my simulation tools, we’re increasingly able to predict what can occur on both a regional level, and also on almost a household scale. That makes it easier to plan for such events, and in a way where outcomes are more equitable to everyone.”
The simulation tools also help him to imagine flood control plans that could have other benefits. One example Sanders cites is to redesign the Santa Ana River to better deal with flooding, while also helping the river to carry much needed sediment to wetlands and sand-starved beaches, as it did in the past.
He says, “I think a lot about things like that. What can we do to best handle a flood, but also design it to be of use when it isn’t flooding, to help us have a more sustainable water supply, or a healthier ecosystem or a more livable city?”