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)

141 - 160 of 162 works

2010

Conference Publication

Gold Coast Seaway: ocean surface, wave setup and TC Roger

Stewart, Jared, Callaghan, David and Shabani, Behnam (2010). Gold Coast Seaway: ocean surface, wave setup and TC Roger. The Australian Wind-Waves Research Science Symposium 2010, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, 19-20 May, 2010. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, CSIRO.

Gold Coast Seaway: ocean surface, wave setup and TC Roger

2009

Conference Publication

Probabilistic modelling of coastal recession due to sea level rise

Ranasinghe, R., Callaghan, D. and Stive, M. J. F. (2009). Probabilistic modelling of coastal recession due to sea level rise. 19th Australasian Coastal and Ocean Engineering Conference 2009, COASTS 2009 and the 12th Australasian Port and Harbour Conference 2009, PORTS 2009, Wellington, 16-18 September 2009. Red Hook, NY United States: Curran Associates, Inc..

Probabilistic modelling of coastal recession due to sea level rise

2009

Conference Publication

A process based approach to derive probabilistic estimates of coastal recession due to sea level rise

Ranasinghe, Roshanka, David Callaghan and Stive, Marcel J. F. (2009). A process based approach to derive probabilistic estimates of coastal recession due to sea level rise. 6th International Conference on Coastal Dynamics, Tokyo, Japan, 7-11 September 2009. Singapore: World Scientific. doi: 10.1142/9789814282475_0133

A process based approach to derive probabilistic estimates of coastal recession due to sea level rise

2009

Conference Publication

Process-determined coastal erosion hazards

Callaghan D., Ranasinghe R., Nielsen P., Larson M. and Short A. (2009). Process-determined coastal erosion hazards. 31st International Conference on Coastal Engineering, ICCE 2008, Hamburg, 31 August-5 September 2008. Reston, VA United States: American Society of Civil Engineers. doi: 10.1142/9789814277426_0351

Process-determined coastal erosion hazards

2009

Journal Article

Quantifying the storm erosion hazard for coastal planning

Callaghan, David P., Ranasinghe, Roshanka and Short, Andrew (2009). Quantifying the storm erosion hazard for coastal planning. Coastal Engineering, 56 (1), 90-93. doi: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2008.10.003

Quantifying the storm erosion hazard for coastal planning

2008

Journal Article

Transient dynamics of storm surges and other forced long waves

Nielsen, P., Sebastien de Brye, Callaghan, D. and Guard, P. (2008). Transient dynamics of storm surges and other forced long waves. Coastal Engineering, 55 (6), 499-505. doi: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2008.02.006

Transient dynamics of storm surges and other forced long waves

2008

Journal Article

Observations of wave pump efficiency

Nielsen, Peter, Guard, Paul A., Callaghan, David P. and Baldock, Tom E. (2008). Observations of wave pump efficiency. Coastal Engineering, 55 (1), 69-72. doi: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2007.07.003

Observations of wave pump efficiency

2007

Journal Article

Estimating extreme beach erosion frequency from a Monte Carlo simulation of wave climate

Callaghan, D. P., Nielsen, P. and Ranasinghe, R. (2007). Estimating extreme beach erosion frequency from a Monte Carlo simulation of wave climate. Journal of Coastal Research, 2007 (Special Issue 50), 88-92.

Estimating extreme beach erosion frequency from a Monte Carlo simulation of wave climate

2007

Journal Article

Estimating extreme beach erosion frequency from a Monte Carlo simulation of wave climate

Callaghan, D. P., Nielsen, P. and Ranasinghe, R. (2007). Estimating extreme beach erosion frequency from a Monte Carlo simulation of wave climate. Journal of Coastal Research, 50 (sp1), 88-92. doi: 10.2112/jcr-si50-018.1

Estimating extreme beach erosion frequency from a Monte Carlo simulation of wave climate

2007

Conference Publication

Modelling Queensland tides from the gold coast to cooktown

Callaghan D.P., Boswood P.K. and Voisey C. (2007). Modelling Queensland tides from the gold coast to cooktown. 18th Australasian Coastal and Ocean Engineering Conference 2007, COASTS 2007 and the 11th Australasian Port and Harbour Conference 2007, PORTS 2007, Melbourne, VIC, July 18, 2007-July 20, 2007.

Modelling Queensland tides from the gold coast to cooktown

2007

Conference Publication

A process-based profile evolution model to simulate dune erosion

Callaghan D.P., Larson M. and Ranasinghe R. (2007). A process-based profile evolution model to simulate dune erosion. 18th Australasian Coastal and Ocean Engineering Conference 2007, COASTS 2007 and the 11th Australasian Port and Harbour Conference 2007, PORTS 2007, Melbourne, VIC, July 18, 2007-July 20, 2007.

A process-based profile evolution model to simulate dune erosion

2006

Journal Article

Atoll lagoon flushing forced by waves

Callaghan, D.P., Nielsen, P., Cartwright, N., Gourlay, M.R. and Baldock, T.E. (2006). Atoll lagoon flushing forced by waves. Coastal Engineering, 53 (8), 691-704. doi: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2006.02.006

Atoll lagoon flushing forced by waves

2006

Journal Article

Numerical solutions of the sediment conservation law: A review and improved formulation for coastal morphological modelling

Callaghan, David P., Saint-Cast, Frédéric, Nielsen, Peter and Baldock, Tom E. (2006). Numerical solutions of the sediment conservation law: A review and improved formulation for coastal morphological modelling. Coastal Engineering, 53 (7), 557-571. doi: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2006.03.001

Numerical solutions of the sediment conservation law: A review and improved formulation for coastal morphological modelling

2006

Conference Publication

Generation of extreme wave conditions from an accelerating tropical cyclone

Callaghan, D. P., Callaghan, J., Nielsen, P. and Baldock, T. E. (2006). Generation of extreme wave conditions from an accelerating tropical cyclone. 30th International Conference on Coastal Engineering, San Diego, U.S., 3–8 September, 2006. Hackensack, N.J. ; London: World Scientific. doi: 10.1142/9789812709554_0064

Generation of extreme wave conditions from an accelerating tropical cyclone

2005

Other Outputs

Data and analysis report: Manihiki and Rakahanga, Northern Cook Islands - for February and October/November 2004 research trips

Callaghan, David P., Nielsen, Peter and Cartwright, Nick (2005). Data and analysis report: Manihiki and Rakahanga, Northern Cook Islands - for February and October/November 2004 research trips. Civil Engineering Research Reports St Lucia, Qld, Australia: The University of Queensland, Department of Civil Engineering. doi: 10.14264/7737

Data and analysis report: Manihiki and Rakahanga, Northern Cook Islands - for February and October/November 2004 research trips

2005

Conference Publication

Practical aspects of coastal morphodynamic model calibration

Callaghan D., Nielsen P. and Baldock T. (2005). Practical aspects of coastal morphodynamic model calibration. 17th Australasian Coastal and Ocean Engineering Conference 2005, COASTS 2005 and the 10th Australasian Port and Harbour Conference 2005, PORTS 2005, Adelaide, SA, September 20, 2005-September 23, 2005.

Practical aspects of coastal morphodynamic model calibration

2005

Other Outputs

Issues at the frontiers of coastal morphodynamics modelling

Callaghan, David P. (2005). Issues at the frontiers of coastal morphodynamics modelling. PhD Thesis, School of Engineering, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/322377

Issues at the frontiers of coastal morphodynamics modelling

2004

Conference Publication

Pulsing and circulation in rip current system

Callaghan, D., Baldock, T. E., Nielsen, P., Hanes, D., Haas, K. and MacMahan, J. (2004). Pulsing and circulation in rip current system. 26th International Conference on Coastal Engineering, Lisbon, Portugal, 19 - 24 September, 2004. City of Singapore, Singapore: World Scientific. doi: 10.1142/9789812701916-0119

Pulsing and circulation in rip current system

2003

Conference Publication

Watertable Waves in Unconfined Aquifers: Sloping Boundary Effects

Cartwright, N. B., Nielsen, P., Li, L. and Callaghan, D. P. (2003). Watertable Waves in Unconfined Aquifers: Sloping Boundary Effects. Coasts and Ports Australasian Conference 2003, Auckland, New Zealand, 9-12 September 2003. New Zealand: NZ Coastal Society.

Watertable Waves in Unconfined Aquifers: Sloping Boundary Effects

2003

Conference Publication

Morphological modeling of the tweed river tidal entrance

Callaghan, D. P. and Nielsen, P. (2003). Morphological modeling of the tweed river tidal entrance. Coasts and Ports Australasian Conference 2003, Auckland, New Zealand, 9-12 September 2003. New Zealand: NZ Coastal Society.

Morphological modeling of the tweed river tidal entrance

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

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Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Amity Point Flow Slides: Intermediate scale investigations

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Peter Nielsen

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Coastal erosion when managing beaches under changing climate

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Alexander Scheuermann

  • 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

  • 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

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?

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communications@uq.edu.au