Andy Large

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Andy Large

Information

Professor of River Science

Newcastle University, School of Geography, Politics, and Sociology

EMAIL: andy.large@newcastle.ac.uk

See Andy's NCL page>

Motivation

"My research life changed in 2012 with an invitation to discuss a time project comparing the Ohio River USA and the River Tyne. Working with professors of British History from the UK and the USA the Rivers of the Anthropocene project was a truly transdisciplinary project with equal emphasis on art, history, geography, deep time geology, social science, engineering, ecology and many others. As Jai Syvitski, then Chair of the International Biosphere-Geosphere Program (IGBP, now Future Earth) commented of a Rivers of the Anthropocene conference in Indianapolis in January 2014: “it blew everyone’s minds in equal measure!” Since then, my research career has focused on bringing together the natural & physical sciences, the arts & humanities, and the social sciences in equal emphasis to address some of the most wicked global problems we face in the Anthropocene."

BACKGROUND

I have over three decades experience of researching river and wetland ecosystems, focusing on how extreme events and climate change affect catchment vulnerability and resilience. He develops novel approaches to quantifying river geomorphology, social and physical effects of flooding, and assessing how rivers benefit society though ecosystem services provision.

INTERESTS/RESEARCH

I am Principal Investigator and Director of the UKRI GCRF Living Deltas Hub (Living Deltas), which is one of 12 ambitious interdisciplinary research Hubs funded by UK Government through their Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). Working in partnership with researchers, governments, international agencies, NGOs, and community groups and with a focus on impacts of climate environmental and societal change on delta society and mitigation measures to address these, Living Deltas co-produces knowledge with actors and agents ranging from the poorest and most marginalised delta dwellers to governments and policymakers and shares expertise to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to growing environmental issues. Operating therefore on a model of equitable partnership with delta-dwellers, policymakers and the research community, a key aim of Living Deltas is to help Vietnam, India and Bangladesh raise livelihoods and resilience for sustainable delta futures and better achieve the SDGs in delta specific contexts.