Associate Professor David Callaghan
Associate Professor

David Callaghan

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 53517

Background

Before joining the University of Queensland, Dave P. Callaghan held positions within industry including Parsons Brinckerhoff and Lawson and Treloar and research sector including Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie and the University of Queensland. He is an observer of the Queensland Water Panel and active in the newly created Australian Hydraulic Modelling Association. He is the author of a book section and more than 50 other technical documents with applied and research applications. He is a consultant to private and government organisations. He has worked recently with private and government organisations to improve understanding of extreme coastal weather responses. He is recognised for leading edge research in coastal engineering including statistics of extremes, beach erosion from extreme events, physical and biological interactions of salt marshes and coral reefs, lagoon dynamics and wave propagation.

Availability

Associate Professor David Callaghan is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Biological Sciences Civil engineering Computational methods in fluid flow, heat and mass transfer (incl. computational fluid dynamics) Earth Sciences Ecology Education Education systems Engineering Environmental engineering Fluid mechanics and thermal engineering not elsewhere classified Geophysical and environmental fluid flows Geophysics Higher education Information and Computing Sciences Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) Maritime engineering Ocean engineering Oceanography Physical oceanography Risk engineering Turbulent flows Water resources engineering

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Engineering, Queensland University of Technology
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Coastal Engineering

    All aspects of Coastal engineering including wave growth, propagation and dissipation, sediment transport and coastal morphology, surge dynamics, extreme probabilities for coastal variables including beach erosion and oceanic inundation, surf and swash zone hydrodynamics, river entrance hydraulics and morphodynamics and coastal groundwater dynamics.

Research impacts

My research is under continued translation through Civil Engineering consulting work (coastal erosion when managing beaches under changing climate, extreme values for setting flood levels and assessing beach erosion, climate change assessments for flood hazards), Environmental Engineering consulting work (cyclone and non-cyclonic wave climates under a changing climate for the entire Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo Reef and Jervis Bay and coral habitat mapping of the Great Barrier Reef), and through ARC linkages (Redland City Council and DHI Group), Cooperative Research Centres (Blue economy, Bushfires and natural hazards and Tourism) and National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility projects, were research was operationalised by working hand in hand with industry. My discoveries around coastal erosion and extreme values assessments are becoming the normal standard for engineering projects, particularly in NSW, which has a high wave energy coastline.

Search Professor David Callaghan’s works on UQ eSpace

162 works between 2002 and 2025
All (162) Journal Article (88) Book Chapter (3) Conference Publication (58) Book (1) Other Outputs (12)

101 - 120 of 162 works

2013

Journal Article

Inlet morpho-dynamics during a storm event inferred from tidal records: a case study of the Brunswick River, NSW, Australia

Vu, Thuy, T. T., Nielsen, Peter and Callaghan, David P. (2013). Inlet morpho-dynamics during a storm event inferred from tidal records: a case study of the Brunswick River, NSW, Australia. International Journal of Engineering Research, 2 (2), 38-43.

Inlet morpho-dynamics during a storm event inferred from tidal records: a case study of the Brunswick River, NSW, Australia

2013

Journal Article

The impact of various methods of wave transfers from deep water to nearshore when determining extreme beach erosion

Callaghan, David P. and Wainwright, David (2013). The impact of various methods of wave transfers from deep water to nearshore when determining extreme beach erosion. Coastal Engineering, 74, 50-58. doi: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2012.12.001

The impact of various methods of wave transfers from deep water to nearshore when determining extreme beach erosion

2013

Journal Article

Inferring inlet morphodynamics and hydraulic parameters from tidal records: a case study of four closure events of Avoca Lake, Australia

Vu, Thuy. T. T., Nielsen, Peter and Callaghan, David P. (2013). Inferring inlet morphodynamics and hydraulic parameters from tidal records: a case study of four closure events of Avoca Lake, Australia. International Journal of Earth Science and Engineering, 6 (2), 225-231.

Inferring inlet morphodynamics and hydraulic parameters from tidal records: a case study of four closure events of Avoca Lake, Australia

2013

Journal Article

Surf zone states and energy dissipation regimes-a similarity model

Power, Hannah E., Baldock, Tom E., Callaghan, David P. and Nielsen, Peter (2013). Surf zone states and energy dissipation regimes-a similarity model. Coastal Engineering Journal, 55 (1) 1350003, 1350003-1. doi: 10.1142/S0578563413500034

Surf zone states and energy dissipation regimes-a similarity model

2013

Conference Publication

A sediment budget for Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef

Javier, L., Woodroffe, C., Phinn, S. R., Hamylton, S., Callagan, D. P., Baldock, T. E. and Saunders, M. I. (2013). A sediment budget for Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef. The 8th IAG International Conference on Geomorphology: Geomorphology and Sustainability, Paris, France, 27-31 August 2013.

A sediment budget for Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef

2013

Conference Publication

Probabilistic modeling of wave climate and predicting dune erosion

Li, F., Van Gelder, P.H.A.J.M., Callaghan, D.P., Jongejan, R.B., Den Heijer, C. and Ranasinghe, R. (2013). Probabilistic modeling of wave climate and predicting dune erosion. 12th International Coastal Symposium, Plymouth, England, 8-12 April 2013. West Palm Beach, FL United States: Coastal Education & Research Foundation, Inc.. doi: 10.2112/SI65-129

Probabilistic modeling of wave climate and predicting dune erosion

2013

Conference Publication

Atoll lagoon flushing at Manihiki in the Cook Islands

Sugandika, Thenuwara A. N., Callaghan, David P. and Nielsen, Peter (2013). Atoll lagoon flushing at Manihiki in the Cook Islands. Coasts and Ports 2013: 21st Australasian Coastal and Ocean Engineering Conference and the 14th Australasian Port and Harbour Conference, Manly, NSW, Australia, 11-13 September, 2013. Barton, ACT, Australia: Engineers Australia.

Atoll lagoon flushing at Manihiki in the Cook Islands

2013

Conference Publication

Penetration of tides and tidal anomalies in new south wales estuaries

McPherson, B., Young, S., Modra, B., Couriel, E., You, B., Hanslow, D., Callaghan, D., Baldock, T. and Nielsen, P. (2013). Penetration of tides and tidal anomalies in new south wales estuaries. Australasian Coastal and Ocean Engineering Conference and the Australasian Port and Harbour Conference, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 11-13 September 2013. Barton, ACT, Australia: Engineers Australia.

Penetration of tides and tidal anomalies in new south wales estuaries

2013

Conference Publication

Probabilistic coastal hazard lines for risk based coastal assessment

Wainwright, David J., Callaghan, David P., Cowell, Peter, Dougherty, Amy and Woodroffe, Colin D. (2013). Probabilistic coastal hazard lines for risk based coastal assessment. 21st Australasian Coastal and Ocean Engineering Conference and the 14th Australasian Port and Harbour Conference, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 11-13 September 2013. Barton, ACT, Australia: National Committee on Applied Mechanics.

Probabilistic coastal hazard lines for risk based coastal assessment

2013

Conference Publication

Tidal amplitude and wave setup in trained and untrained river entrances

Moura, Theo, Olfateh, Mohammad, Callaghan, David, Nielsen, Peter, You, Bob and Baldock, Tom (2013). Tidal amplitude and wave setup in trained and untrained river entrances. Coasts and Ports 2013: 21st Australasian Coastal and Ocean Engineering Conference and the 14th Australasian Port and Harbour Conference, Manly, NSW, Australia, 11-13 September, 2013. Barton, ACT, Australia: Engineers Australia.

Tidal amplitude and wave setup in trained and untrained river entrances

2013

Conference Publication

Variability in estimates of wind stress on the water surface of a small coastal lagoon

Gibbes, Badin, Olfateh, M., Laursen, R., Grinham, A. and Callaghan, D. (2013). Variability in estimates of wind stress on the water surface of a small coastal lagoon. PPNW2013: 16th International Workshop on Physical Processes in Natural Waters, Surfers Paradise, QLD, Australia, 7-11 July, 2013. Gold Coast, QLD, Australia: Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Management.

Variability in estimates of wind stress on the water surface of a small coastal lagoon

2013

Conference Publication

Embedding metacognitive exercises in the curriculum to boost students' conceptual understanding

Knight, David B., Meyer, Jan H. F., Baldock, Tom E., Callaghan, David P. and McCredden, Julie (2013). Embedding metacognitive exercises in the curriculum to boost students' conceptual understanding. AAEE 2013: 24th Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, 8-11 December, 2013. Nathan, QLD, Australia: Griffith School of Engineering, Griffith University.

Embedding metacognitive exercises in the curriculum to boost students' conceptual understanding

2013

Conference Publication

A comparison of extreme wave climate modelling methods: A case study for the Netherlands

Li, Fan, van Gelder, Pieter, Callaghan, Dave, Ranasinghe, Roshanka and Jongejan, Ruben (2013). A comparison of extreme wave climate modelling methods: A case study for the Netherlands. 35th World Congress of the International-Association-for-Hydro-Environment-Engineering-and-Research (IAHR), Chengdu, Peoples Republic of China, 08-13 September 2013. Beijing, China: Tsinghua University Press.

A comparison of extreme wave climate modelling methods: A case study for the Netherlands

2013

Conference Publication

Does a more sophisticated storm erosion model improve probabilistic erosion estimates?

Ranasinghe, Roshanka, Callaghan, David and Roelvink, Dano (2013). Does a more sophisticated storm erosion model improve probabilistic erosion estimates?. 7th International Conference on Coastal Dynamics, Arcachon, France, 24-28 June 2013.

Does a more sophisticated storm erosion model improve probabilistic erosion estimates?

2013

Journal Article

Organism traits determine the strength of scale-dependent bio-geomorphic feedbacks: a flume study on three intertidal plant species

Bouma, T. J., Temmerman, S., van Duren, L. A., Martini, E., Vandenbruwaene, W., Callaghan, D. P., Balke, T., Biermans, G., Klaassen, P. C., van Steeg, R., Dekker, F., van de Koppel, J., de Vries, M. B. and Herman, P. M. J. (2013). Organism traits determine the strength of scale-dependent bio-geomorphic feedbacks: a flume study on three intertidal plant species. Geomorphology, 180, 57-65. doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2012.09.005

Organism traits determine the strength of scale-dependent bio-geomorphic feedbacks: a flume study on three intertidal plant species

2013

Conference Publication

Flooding tailwater levels for NSW coastal entrances

E Watterson, E., You, B., Baldock, T., Callaghan, D. and Nielsen, P. (2013). Flooding tailwater levels for NSW coastal entrances. 22nd NSW Coastal Conference, Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia, 12-15 November, 2013. Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia: East Coast Conferences.

Flooding tailwater levels for NSW coastal entrances

2013

Conference Publication

Probabilistic coastal hazard lines for risk based coastal assessment

Wainwright, David J., Callaghan, David P., Cowell, Peter, Dougherty, Amy and Woodroffe, Colin D. (2013). Probabilistic coastal hazard lines for risk based coastal assessment. Coasts and Ports 2013: 21st Australasian Coastal and Ocean Engineering Conference and the 14th Australasian Port and Harbour Conference, Manly, NSW, Australia, 11-13 September, 2013. Barton, ACT, Australia: Engineers Australia.

Probabilistic coastal hazard lines for risk based coastal assessment

2013

Conference Publication

Direct and indirect impacts of predicted sea level rise on seagrass

Saunders, Megan I., Baldock, Tom, Brown, Christopher J., Callaghan, David P., Golshani, Aliastair, Hamylton, Sarah, Leon, Javier, Lovelock, Catherine E., Lyons, Mitchell B., O'Brien, Katherine R., Mumby, Peter J., Phinn, Stuart R. and Roelfsema, Christiaan M. (2013). Direct and indirect impacts of predicted sea level rise on seagrass. AMSA 2013: Australian Marine Science Golden Jubilee Conference, Gold Coast, Australia, 7-11 July 2013. Kilkivan, QLD, Australia: Australian Marine Science Association (AMSA).

Direct and indirect impacts of predicted sea level rise on seagrass

2012

Other Outputs

Impact of mud deposited by 2011 flood on marine and estuarine habitats in Moreton Bay

O'Brien, Katherine, Tuazon, Daniel, Grinham, Alistair and Callaghan, David (2012). Impact of mud deposited by 2011 flood on marine and estuarine habitats in Moreton Bay. Brisbane, Australia: Healthy Waterways.

Impact of mud deposited by 2011 flood on marine and estuarine habitats in Moreton Bay

2012

Journal Article

Estimating coastal recession due to sea level rise: Beyond the Bruun rule

Ranasinghe, Roshanka, Callaghan, David and Stive, Marcel J. F. (2012). Estimating coastal recession due to sea level rise: Beyond the Bruun rule. Climatic Change, 110 (3-4), 561-574. doi: 10.1007/s10584-011-0107-8

Estimating coastal recession due to sea level rise: Beyond the Bruun rule

Current funding

  • 2022 - 2025
    NSW regional-scale flood hazard projections under climate change
    New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2025
    RRAP-RS-02-V1 Approaches to stabilisation
    Australian Institute of Marine Science
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2025
    RRAP-RS-03-V1 Synthesis and Tools Rubble Stabilisation
    Australian Institute of Marine Science
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2021 - 2024
    Managing the existing and emerging threats from coastal flow slides
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2025
    RRAP-RS-01-V1 Rubble location, prediction and sub-program management (GBRF funding administered by AIMS)
    Australian Institute of Marine Science
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2023
    Next generation offshore blue water aquaculture
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2022
    Understanding reservoir sedimentation
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2018
    Coastal Engineering Research Field Station (CERFS) (ARC LIEF project administered by Griffith University)
    Griffith University
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2018
    Resilience to clustered disaster events on the coast - storm surge
    Commonwealth Government Geoscience Australia
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    Healthy Waterways model custodian
    Healthy Waterways Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2016
    North West Channel Trial Dredging Project
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2016
    Assessing and enhancing the resilience of Australian beaches to sea level rise.
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2015
    Development and validation of an innovative wind stress model to obtain robust storm surge forecasts
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Seagrass as an ecological indicator: resolving challenges of scale and complexity
    UQ Collaboration and Industry Engagement Fund
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2016
    Optimising SWRO Concentrate Discharge During 'Hot Standby' Operation
    Murdoch University
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    A model framework for assessing risk and adaptation to climate change on Australian coasts
    University of Wollongong
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2013
    Development of an adaptive statistical model for oceanic flooding hazards along the East Australian coast
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2010
    Near-bed wave kinetics
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant

Availability

Associate Professor David Callaghan is:
Available for supervision

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

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Coastal erosion when managing beaches under changing climate

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Alexander Scheuermann

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Amity Point Flow Slides: Intermediate scale investigations

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Peter Nielsen

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Impacts of climate change-induced large-scale disturbances on coral reef connectivity and recovery

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Peter Mumby

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Offshore seaweed and renewable energy farms: solutions for integration and co-location

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Chien Ming Wang

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Examination of the performance of XBeach numerical model for beaches on open coasts and behind coral reefs using laboratory, field and aerial imaging data

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Tom Baldock

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Assessing and modelling of breaching and coastal erosion risks on Bribie Island and the Sunshine Coast under current and future wave climates.

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Remo Cossu, Professor Tom Baldock

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Associate Professor David Callaghan directly for media enquiries about:

  • beach ersion
  • coastal engineering
  • fluid mechanics
  • storm surge
  • wave modelling

Need help?

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

communications@uq.edu.au