Spero Lab @ University of South Alabama
Coastal Hazards and Dynamics Lab
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shorelabpromo1.mp4Note: The video (above) features collaborators M. Starek, J. Berryhill, J. Moris, and undergraduate students from various field campaigns.
Lab Director:
Lab Director:
Dr. Hannah Spero
Dr. Hannah Spero
Dr. Spero is an incoming Assistant Professor at the University of South Alabama in Fall 2027 in the Department of Civil, Coastal, and Environmental Engineering. She earned her B.S. in Geosciences-Hydrology from Boise State University (USA) in 2021. She completed her Ph.D. in Environmental Fluid Dynamics at the University of Notre Dame (USA) in 2026 as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. She was a visiting researcher at Universidad Catolica del Norte (Chile) in 2026 as an SZ4D fellow. More recently, Dr. Spero completed a one-year postdoc at Kyoto University (Japan) from 2026 to 2027 as a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellow.
RESEARCH: The Coastal Hazards and Dynamics Lab is focused on science-driven and impact-oriented research. We are interested in large-scale fluid flow hazards (storms, tsunamis, and dam failures), primarily coastal, and the geomorphic evidence of these events for how they shape landscapes. In our lab group, hands-on fieldwork, sensor suites and deployments, remote-sensing, and advanced computer models are combined to better understand these large-scale fluid flow hazards.
The Coastal Hazards and Dynamics Lab is actively recruiting for graduate student positions (MS and PhD). For Fall 2027, Spring 2028, or Fall 2028 start. Please look at the "Opportunities" Tab to learn more.
Sample of Areas of Interest
(1) Remote-Sensing: Comparing off-the-shelf lidar with terrestrial lidar and drone SfM.
(3) Landslide-Generated Tsunamis: numerical modeling, remote-sensing, historical archives for validation
(2) Storms:
Monitor storm effects on the coastline, specifically, looking at sediment transport and onshore effects. Including developing new methods for clast tracking.
(4) Global Coastal Boulder Deposits on Rocky Coastlines
Developing methods to link extreme waves to coastal boulder transport on a global-scale with many sites
(5) Natural to Designed Coastal Protection Systems
Designed coastal elements like dynamic revetments to riprap compared with natural systems. Also, nature-based solutions and comparison with grey infrastructure.
Locations: United States, US Virgin Islands (Carribean), Atacama Desert (Chile), Western Ireland, Okinawa (Japan)
Previous and Ongoing Collaborations:
Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, Boise State University, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Williams College, University of New England, University of Notre Dame, University of the Virgin Islands, University of Queensland, Heidelberg University, Kyoto University, University of Catolica del Norte, and University College Dublin.
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