Roger Falconer

Falconer attended grammar schools in Llandeilo (1962–65) and Bridgend (1965-70) and then received a BSc(Eng) degree in Civil Engineering, from King's College, London, in 1973. He then moved to the University of Washington (Seattle), where he completed an MSCE degree in 1974. He returned to the UK, where he carried out research in computational hydraulics at Imperial College, London, where he was awarded a PhD degree in 1977.[6] He was subsequently awarded DEng and DSc(Eng) degrees from the University of Birmingham (1992) and University of London (1994) respectively.

Falconer is Emeritus Professor of Water and Environmental Engineering (since 2018), at Cardiff University, and Chair Professor (since 2019) at Hohai University and the Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, in Nanjing, China. He was previously: Professor of Water Management and Founding Director of the Hydro-environmental Research Centre, at Cardiff University (1997-2018); Professor of Water Engineering (1987–97) and Head of the Department of Civil Engineering (1993–97) at the University of Bradford; and Lecturer in Civil Engineering (1977–86) at the University of Birmingham. He was President of the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR) from 2011-15.[7] Falconer’s research has primarily focused on modelling hydrodynamic, water quality and sediment transport processes in river, estuarine and coastal waters[8] and his computational models have been used in over 100 hydro-environmental impact assessment studies world-wide. His DIVAST model for predicting peak water levels in floods provide the basic engine for the widely used commercial 2-D model Flood Modeller Pro,[9] now developed further by Jacobs Engineering Group. Falconer has given over 500 talks to societies and universities world-wide and regularly participates in media and TV interviews on topics such as: global water security,[10] water quality, flood risk[11] and tidal energy.

Falconer’s work has been recognised through various awards, most notably: the International Association for Hydraulic Research Ippen Award (1992),[12] the Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal (1999)[13] and Honorary Member of the International Association of Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (2017).[14]

Falconer is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (1997), Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (2019), Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (2011), and a Fellow of the City and Guilds of London Institute. He is a Chartered Engineer, Chartered Environmentalist and Chartered Water and Environmental Manager, and a Fellow of the: Institution of Civil Engineers,[15] Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management,[16] and American Society of Civil Engineers.