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Enhancing River Flood Resilience through Nature-based Solutions under Climate Change and AI-driven Optimization

Wuhan University-New Zealand Collaboration Seed Fund

Dr Yifan Yang - Principal Investigator

Duration: 2025-2026

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Highlights:

• Co-develop an integrated NbS-engineering AI-driven decision framework to enhance river-flood resilience and uncover coupled water–sediment–vegetation–morphodynamics under climate stress.
• Joint pilot surveys in China and NZ to harmonize standards, build a unified hydro–vegetation monitoring database, and prototype AI-based hydrodynamic data enhancement.
• Build capacity via workshops on digital-twin basins and NbS-informed resilience and online modular course.

<aside> <img src="/icons/conceal_gray.svg" alt="/icons/conceal_gray.svg" width="40px" /> AI-enhanced compound flood model for real-time extreme hazard forecasts

MBIE Endeavour Fund

Dr Yifan Yang - International Collaborator

Duration: 2024-2027

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Highlights:

• Develop a compound (pluvial, coastal and riverine) flood forecast system to predict extreme flood due to heavy rainfall and storms 48 hours in advance.
• AI techniques will be used to downscale the flood results to speed up the model while retaining high-resolution output.

<aside> <img src="/icons/conceal_gray.svg" alt="/icons/conceal_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Local scour mechanism in alluvial rivers and prediction methods

NSFC Grant for Excellent Young Scientists Overseas

Dr Yifan Yang - Principal Investigator

Duration: 2024-2027

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Highlights:

• Bridging the gap between cross-scale riverbed scour mechanisms
• Structure-indcued local scour may trigger erosion at larger scales, and vice versa
• Combining MEMS sensors, numerical modelling, and UAV survey for holistic investigation