Coastal HAzaRds Modeling lab
Dr. Maitane Olabarrieta
Dr. Maitane Olabarrieta
Associate Professor
Dr. Maitane Olabarrieta, who earned her Ph.D. in marine science and technology from the University of Cantabria, Spain, in 2006, is deeply involved in oceanographic research. Her work encompasses a wide range of topics including the interaction between the atmosphere and ocean during hurricanes and extreme storms, the formation of meteotsunamis, and short-term estuarine dynamics. Additionally, she focuses on the impact of storms and long-term changes on tidal networks and inlets, contributing significantly to our understanding of coastal morphodynamics.
Research Associates and postdoctoral researchers
Dr. Jose Maria Gonzalez Ondina
Dr. Jose Ondina got his PhD in Fluid Mechanics from Cornell University in 2014. He is a numerical modeler specialized in coastal and ocean dynamics and sediment transport processes. In the last few years, he has been working on the development of new data assimilation techniques. Currently he works on models to study water quality and flooding.
Dr. Jose's research interests cover many aspects of numerical modelling of fluids. He has worked on turbulence modelling, numerical stabilization techniques, two phase flows, particle tracking, wave propagation, ocean circulation, underwater sound propagation, etc. Nowadays, he is also interested in GPU optimization and the application of AI techniques on CFD.
Dr. Jorge Armando Laurel Castillo
Armando got his BSs (Civil Engineering) and MSc (Hydraulics) from the National Polytechnic Institute (Mexico), and his PhD from the University of Florida (Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering). His research interests include environmental fluid dynamics and transport processes (lakes, rivers and estuaries), estuarine hydrodynamics, coastal processes, and computational fluid dynamics.
Dr. Jiahua Zhou
Jiahua got his PhD in Soil and Water Science from University of Florida in May, 2022. His research interest is to analyze the impact of a changing environment to the water quality of coastal regions using both hydrological and hydrodynamic models. The changing environment could be caused by climate change, urban developments, restoration projects, and so on. He would also like to explore the potential application of modern artificial intelligence technics in model development and data analysis in this field. During his previous projects, he developed both machine learning and hydrodynamic models for the Apalachicola Bay in Florida, US, to understand its water quality reacting to the change of river flows and winds.
Graduate Students
Scott Lee Young "Scotty"
My name is Scott Lee Young and I am a Ph.D. student at the University of Florida. I am expected to graduate in December 2026. Until then, my primary research efforts will involve investigating the influence of estuarine hydrodynamics on harmful algal bloom initiation and proliferation. More generally, my academic interests include understanding the physical nature of water waves and ocean dynamics. Outside of school, I like to improve my chess skills and watch sports. Finally, I live by the motto Fortis Cadere Cedere non Potest.
Rahul Reddy Vade
Rahul Reddy Vade pursuing a master's degree in Computer and Information Sciences at UF. He is collaborating with the CharMLab in improving the Python Scripts we have developed for our oceanic and wave forecasting systems.
Former students and postdocs of CHarmLab
Dr. Chu-En Hsu
Dr. Zhendong Cao
Dr. Legna Torres-Garcia
Dr. Huidi Liang
Dr. Luming Shi
Dr. Amanda Tritinger
