Paolo Perona

Personal research interests

Paolo Perona’s research interests concern the dynamic of complex systems e.g., as geophysical ones or involving non Newtonian fluids, and related engineering applications. His background is in fluid mechanics, rheology and time series analysis. His recent studies address the dynamics of river and riparian vegetation, and the hydrology of alpine systems in order to investigate the impact of climate changes on the long term availability and sustainable management of water. In particular: i) River and riparian vegetation interactions ii) Dynamics of alpine basins at inter-and intra- annual scales iii) Surface water hydrology iv) Optimization of water resources management problems v) Mechanics of food and bio fluids in pipes and channels The aim is to extract the either stochastic or deterministic footprint that characterizes the dynamics by means of both direct (e.g. analytical and numerical modelling) and inverse (e.g. linear and nonlinear data analysis) approaches.

Short Curriculum Vitae

2022 - present, Professor of Water and Hydraulic Engineering and Head of the Platform of Hydraulic Constructions, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, CH
2020 – present, Honorary Visiting Professor, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, UK
2019 – 2020 Head of the Research Institute for Infrastructure and Environment, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, UK
2018 – 2019 Deputy Head of the Research Institute for Infrastructure and Environment, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, UK
2016 - 2020 Full Professor, Chair of Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, UK
2015 (Sept-Dec) Visiting scientist at the Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Bern, CH
2010 – 2015 (Dec) Head of the Research Group “Alpine Hydroeconomics and Environmental Dynamics”, Institute of Environmental Engineering, ENAC, EPFL, Lausanne
2010 – 2015 (Dec) Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Assistant Professor, Institute of Environmental Engineering, ENAC Faculty, EPFL Lausanne
2008 Visiting scientist in the ambit of the European project Hydralab III, University of Hull, Hull, UKs; 
2003 – 2010  Research associate (Oberassistant), Institute of Environmental Engineering, D-BAUG, ETH Zurich, CH;- Master on Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Italy, February 
2001-  2003 Research scientist in hydraulic engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy 
1998 - 2001 PhD in hydraulic engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
1997. - State examination for the qualification to the profession of Engineer (Chartered engineer), Politecnico di Torino, Italy, 

Research Projects

- ADAMANT: Alpine environmental Dynamics And the sustainable MAnagement of Non-Traditional water uses, Professorship program funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and sponsoring the new Research Group AHEAD ( Open positions); - ROOTEDNESS: ROOT Erosion Dynamics and the Nonlinear Effect of Strengthening of river alluvial Sediments, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation ( SNF ); - RECORD: REstored COrridor Dynamics, funded by the Competence Center for the Environment and Sustainability ( CCES ); - RIVERINE: RIver – VEgetation interactions and Reproduction of Island Nuclei formation and Evolution, funded by the european framework program ( Hydralab III ); - WARECALC: WAter REsources vulnerability to Climate and Anthopogenic Landscape Changes, funded by the EU program FP7-PEOPLE-IRSES-2008;