Skip to menu Skip to content Skip to footer
Professor Hubert Chanson
Professor

Hubert Chanson

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 53516

Overview

Background

Hubert Chanson is Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Queensland, where he has been since 1990, having previously enjoyed an industrial career for six years. His main field of expertise is environmental fluid mechanics and hydraulic engineering, both in terms of theoretical fundamentals, physical and numerical modelling. He leads a group of 5-10 researchers, largely targeting flows around hydraulic structures, two-phase (gas-liquid and solid-liquid) free-surface flows, turbulence in steady and unsteady open channel flows, using computation, lab-scale experiments, field work and analysis. He has published over 1,250 peer reviewed publications including two dozen of books. He serves on the editorial boards of International Journal of Multiphase Flow, Flow Measurement and Instrumentation, and Environmental Fluid Mechanics, the latter of which he is currently a senior Editor. He chaired the Organisation of the 34th IAHR World Congress in June 2011 and of the 22nd Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference in December 2020, both held in Brisbane, Australia.

Availability

Professor Hubert Chanson is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Canterbury
  • Doctoral Diploma of Engineering, The University of Queensland
  • Postgraduate Diploma of Nuclear Engineering, Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucleaires

Research interests

  • Industrial Two-Phase Flows

    In high-velocity turbulent flows, air bubbles are entrained at the free surface. This process (self-aeration) is caused by the turbulent velocity fluctuations acting next to the free surfaces. The presence of air within the flow increases the bulk of the flow, modifies the momentum shear layers and enhances the air-water gas transfer. The project is based upon new experimental investigations using large-scale experiments. The results enable a better understanding of the fluid mechanics of free-surface air-water flows.

  • Estuarine processes

    Investigation of the hydrodynamics and turbulent mixing in estuarine zones, under micro- and macro-tidal conditions. Field works. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Physical modelling.

  • Mixing and dispersion in rivers and estuaries

    Turbulent mixing in small estuaries with application to water quality modeling

  • Engineering heritage

    History of technology. Historical development of hydraulic engineering and structures, includings dams, spillways, weirs, culverts ...

  • Non-Newtonian fluid dynamics

    Experimental and theoretical study of non-Newtonian fluid flows, including thixotropic fluid flows, dam break, debris flows.

  • Open Channel Flow and Hydraulic Engineering

    Open channel flows are encountered in a wide range of applications from large rivers to roof gutters including irrigation channels. New research investigations include the hydraulic jump flows, undular flows, weir overflow, stepped cascades and supercritical flows. Applications to hydraulic structures cover high-head spillways, stepped chutes, rubber dams, stilling basins and water quality prediction.

  • Hydraulic structures

    Design and operation of spillway systems, incl. high head structures, large dams and overflow sections.

  • Air entrainment in hydraulic structures and industrial applications

    Study of air entrainment and air-water flows in hydraulics structures, hydraulic systems, re-aeration plants and water treatment systems.

  • Tidal bores

    A tidal bore is a surge of water propagating upstream in an estuarine zone when the tidal flow turns to rising and rushes into a funnel shaped river mouth with shallow waters. The bore forms typically during the early flood tide when the tidal range exceeds 4-6 m and the estuary bathymetry amplifies the tidal range with a low freshwater level. Worldwide it is believed that over 450 estuaries are affected by a tidal bore, on all continents except Antarctica. The interactions between tidal bores and mankind are complex. Tidal bores can be dangerous, impacting adversely on man-made structures and endangering lives. They can be also a major touristic and sport attraction. The aim of this research is to characterise the turbulent properties of bore fronts including the coupling between free-surface and velocity fluctuations, and impacts on sedimentary processes and ecology.

Research impacts

Hubert Chanson's publication record includes over 1250 international refereed papers and his work was cited over 6,500 times (WoS) to 22,500 times (Google Scholar) since 1990. His h-index is 43 (WoS), 47 (Scopus) and 75 (Google Scholar). Hubert Chanson has been active also as consultant for both governmental agencies and private organisations, and he delivered numerous invited keynotes worldwide. He chaired the Organisation of the 34th IAHR World Congress in Brisbane, Australia in June 2011 which attracted over 850 participants from more than 45 countries, and the Organisation of the 22nd Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference in Brisbane, Australia in December 2020 which attracted over 250 participants, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

His Internet home page is {http://www.uq.edu.au/~e2hchans}. He also developed a gallery of photographs website {http://www.uq.edu.au/~e2hchans/photo.html} that received more than 2,000 hits per months since inception. His open access publication webpage is the most downloaded publication record at the University of Queensland: {http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/list.php?browse=author&author_id=193}.

Works

Search Professor Hubert Chanson’s works on UQ eSpace

968 works between 1988 and 2025

761 - 780 of 968 works

2002

Conference Publication

Similitude of air entrainment at vertical circular plunging jets

Chanson, Hubert, Aoki, Shin-ichi and Hoque, Ashabul (2002). Similitude of air entrainment at vertical circular plunging jets. 2002 ASME Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting (ASME FEDSM'02), Montreal, Canada, 14-18 July 2002. United States: American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Fluids Engineering Division. doi: 10.1115/FEDSM2002-31024

Similitude of air entrainment at vertical circular plunging jets

2002

Journal Article

Historical development of arch dams: from cut-stone arches to modern concrete designs

Chanson, Hubert and James, D. Patrick (2002). Historical development of arch dams: from cut-stone arches to modern concrete designs. Australian Civil Engineering Transactions, CE43, 39-56.

Historical development of arch dams: from cut-stone arches to modern concrete designs

2002

Conference Publication

Environmental Impact of a Tidal Bore on Tropical Rivers

Donnelly, Chantal and Chanson, Hubert (2002). Environmental Impact of a Tidal Bore on Tropical Rivers. 5th International River Management Symposium, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 3-6 September, 2002.

Environmental Impact of a Tidal Bore on Tropical Rivers

2002

Journal Article

Unsteady Air Bubble Entrainment and Detrainment at a Plunging Breaker: Dominant Time Scales and Similarity of Water Level Variations

Chanson, Hubert, Aoki, Shin-ichi and Maruyama, Mamuro (2002). Unsteady Air Bubble Entrainment and Detrainment at a Plunging Breaker: Dominant Time Scales and Similarity of Water Level Variations. Coastal Engineering, 46 (2), 139-157. doi: 10.1016/S0378-3839(02)00069-8

Unsteady Air Bubble Entrainment and Detrainment at a Plunging Breaker: Dominant Time Scales and Similarity of Water Level Variations

2002

Journal Article

Air-Water Flows Down Stepped Chutes : Turbulence and Flow Structure Observations

Chanson, Hubert and Toombes, Luke (2002). Air-Water Flows Down Stepped Chutes : Turbulence and Flow Structure Observations. International Journal of Multiphase Flow, 28 (11), 1737-1761.

Air-Water Flows Down Stepped Chutes : Turbulence and Flow Structure Observations

2002

Journal Article

Hydraulic condition for undular-jump formations by Iwao Ohtsu, Youichi Yasuda, and Hiroshi Gotoh, Journal of Hydraulic Research, volume 39, 2001, No. 2, pp.203-209 - Discussion

Chanson, H (2002). Hydraulic condition for undular-jump formations by Iwao Ohtsu, Youichi Yasuda, and Hiroshi Gotoh, Journal of Hydraulic Research, volume 39, 2001, No. 2, pp.203-209 - Discussion. Journal of Hydraulic Research, 40 (3), 379-382. doi: 10.1080/00221680209499953

Hydraulic condition for undular-jump formations by Iwao Ohtsu, Youichi Yasuda, and Hiroshi Gotoh, Journal of Hydraulic Research, volume 39, 2001, No. 2, pp.203-209 - Discussion

2002

Journal Article

Hydraulic Condition for Undular Jump Formations. (Discussion)

Chanson, Hubert, Ohtsu, Iwao, Yasuda, Youichi and Gotoh, Hiroshi (2002). Hydraulic Condition for Undular Jump Formations. (Discussion). Journal of Hydraulic Research, 40 (3), 379-382.

Hydraulic Condition for Undular Jump Formations. (Discussion)

2002

Other Outputs

Whirlpools: Experiencing Naruto Whirlpools

Chanson, Hubert (2002, 01 01). Whirlpools: Experiencing Naruto Whirlpools IAHR Newsletter 28-19.

Whirlpools: Experiencing Naruto Whirlpools

2002

Journal Article

Flow Resistance in Skimming Flows and its Modelling

Chanson, Hubert, Yasuda, Youichi and Ohtsu, Iwao (2002). Flow Resistance in Skimming Flows and its Modelling. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 29 (6), 809-819. doi: 10.1139/L02-083

Flow Resistance in Skimming Flows and its Modelling

2002

Conference Publication

Scaling Bubble Entrainment And Dispersion In Vertical Circular Plunging Jet Flows: Freshwater Versus Seawater

Chanson, Hubert, Aoki, Shin-ichi and Hoque, Ashabul (2002). Scaling Bubble Entrainment And Dispersion In Vertical Circular Plunging Jet Flows: Freshwater Versus Seawater. 5th International Conference On Hydrodynamics, Tainan, Taiwan, October 31 - November 2, 2002. Taiwan:

Scaling Bubble Entrainment And Dispersion In Vertical Circular Plunging Jet Flows: Freshwater Versus Seawater

2002

Journal Article

An Experimental Study of Roman Dropshaft Hydraulics

Chanson, Hubert (2002). An Experimental Study of Roman Dropshaft Hydraulics. Journal of Hydraulic Research, 40 (1), 3-12. doi: 10.1080/00221680209499868

An Experimental Study of Roman Dropshaft Hydraulics

2002

Other Outputs

Paper vs Electronic !?!

Chanson, Hubert (2002, 01 01). Paper vs Electronic !?! IAHR Newsletter 46-46.

Paper vs Electronic !?!

2002

Book

Hidraulica Del Flujo en Canales Abiertos = The Hydraulics of Open Channel Flow

Chanson, Hubert (2002). Hidraulica Del Flujo en Canales Abiertos = The Hydraulics of Open Channel Flow. Bogota, Colombia: McGraw Hill Interamericana.

Hidraulica Del Flujo en Canales Abiertos = The Hydraulics of Open Channel Flow

2002

Book

Fluid Mechanics for Ecologists

Nakagawa, Takeo and Chanson, Hubert (2002). Fluid Mechanics for Ecologists. Basic Edition ed. Japan: IPC Press.

Fluid Mechanics for Ecologists

2002

Journal Article

An Experimental Study of Tsunami Runup on Dry and Wet Horizontal Coastlines

Chanson, Hubert, Aoki, Shin-ichi and Maruyama, Mamoru (2002). An Experimental Study of Tsunami Runup on Dry and Wet Horizontal Coastlines. Science of Tsunami Hazards, 20 (5), 278-293.

An Experimental Study of Tsunami Runup on Dry and Wet Horizontal Coastlines

2002

Journal Article

Hydraulics of a Large Culvert beneath the Roman Aqueduct of Nimes

Chanson, H. (2002). Hydraulics of a Large Culvert beneath the Roman Aqueduct of Nimes. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, 128 (5), 326-330. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9437(2002)128

Hydraulics of a Large Culvert beneath the Roman Aqueduct of Nimes

2002

Conference Publication

Influences of scale and salinity on air entrainment at vertical circular plunging jets

Aoki, S., Chanson, H. and Hoque, A. (2002). Influences of scale and salinity on air entrainment at vertical circular plunging jets. Nagoya, Japan, 29-31 July 2002.

Influences of scale and salinity on air entrainment at vertical circular plunging jets

2002

Book

The Hydraulics of Stepped Chutes and Spillways

Chanson, Hubert (2002). The Hydraulics of Stepped Chutes and Spillways. Lisse, The Netherlands: Balkema.

The Hydraulics of Stepped Chutes and Spillways

2002

Journal Article

Unsteady Two-Dimensional Orifice Flow: A Large-Size Experimental Investigation

Chanson, Hubert, Aoki, Shin-ichi and Maruyama, Mamoru (2002). Unsteady Two-Dimensional Orifice Flow: A Large-Size Experimental Investigation. Journal of Hydraulic Research, 40 (1), 63-71. doi: 10.1080/00221680209499874

Unsteady Two-Dimensional Orifice Flow: A Large-Size Experimental Investigation

2002

Other Outputs

Advice on the response to: San Diego Creek Channel, Jeffrey Road to Sand Canyon Avenue preliminary report

Chanson, Hubert (2002). Advice on the response to: San Diego Creek Channel, Jeffrey Road to Sand Canyon Avenue preliminary report. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.

Advice on the response to: San Diego Creek Channel, Jeffrey Road to Sand Canyon Avenue preliminary report

Funding

Current funding

  • 2023 - 2026
    Diving into the Desert. Indigenous and Future Floodplain Management
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2019 - 2022
    Understanding pollutant transport in estuaries and coastal rivers (ARC Discovery Project administered by the Queensland University of Technology)
    Queensland University of Technology
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2020
    Fish Passage Culvert Research - Upstream fish passage in standard box culvert hydraulic engineering
    Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2018
    Hydrodynamics of stepped spillways: energy dissipation and reaeration performances
    Universities Australia - Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2019
    Designing effective fish-friendly waterway culverts: integration of hydrodynamics and swimming performance
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2016
    Optimum design of hydraulic structures in rural and urban Australia: dealing with floods and droughts
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2014
    A study of turbulence and influence of anthropogenic inputs in small subtropical estuaries
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2008 - 2010
    Turbulence and energy dissipation in stepped spillways and urban drainage systems
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2003 - 2006
    A Basic Study of Mixing and Dispersion in Riverine and Estuarine Systems in South-East Queensland
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2003 - 2004
    A Basic Study of Mixing and Dispersion in Estuarine Zones
    Australian Academy of Science
    Open grant
  • 2000
    Acoustic signature measurement: application to industrial multiphase flows.
    ARC Australian Research Council (Small grants)
    Open grant
  • 1997
    Collaborative visit to Laboratoire de Mecanique des Fluides et Acoustique Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France
    UQ Travel Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 1995
    Hydraulic design of stepped channels and spillways
    UQ External Support Enabling Grant
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Professor Hubert Chanson is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    A Study of Turbulent Secondary Flows in Partially Filled Smooth Circular Pipes

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Turbulence in hydraulic jump roller: hydrodynamics versus aerodynamics

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Matthew Mason

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Hydrodynamic Modelling and Turbulence Manipulation of Low Velocity Zones in Box Culverts to Assist Upstream Passage of Small Body Mass Fish

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Wind Loads on Buildings in Experimentally Simulated Thunderstorm Downburst Outflows

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Matthew Mason

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Simulating local wind conditions within complex cityscapes

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Matthew Mason

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Professor Hubert Chanson directly for media enquiries about:

  • Air-water flow, re-oxygenation
  • Air-water gas transfer
  • Dams and engineering
  • Engineering - dams
  • Engineering - sewers
  • Engineering - spillways
  • Engineering - weirs
  • Engineering heritage dams, hydraulics, spillways
  • Floods - engineering
  • Floods and engineering
  • Fluid mechanics
  • Heritage dams - engineering
  • Hydraulic structures
  • Hydraulics
  • Hydrodynamics
  • Metrology
  • Sewers - engineering
  • Spillway design
  • Weirs

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au