Dr Brendan Walsh

Lecturer
School of Engineering
North Building
| Room: NC113
[email protected]
+353 (0)42 9370200

Biography

Brendan Walsh is a Lecturer in the Civil Engineering Department, bringing a strong combination of academic expertise and industry experience. He is a Chartered Engineer and a member of Engineers Ireland.

Before joining academia, Brendan worked on a range of large-scale infrastructure projects, where he developed extensive experience in design, project delivery, and engineering problem-solving. This industry background informs his teaching approach, enabling him to connect fundamental theory with practical, real-world applications.

Brendan maintains active engagement with industry through the provision of specialist civil engineering advice and consultancy support. These ongoing collaborations help ensure that both his teaching and research remain aligned with current professional practice.

His academic work includes active research across a number of environmental engineering areas, with particular interests in river hydrology, surface water management, flooding and coastal and marine processes. This research focus is underpinned by his PhD in Engineering, which specialised in ocean wave measurement.

Brendan is committed to delivering high-quality teaching and to preparing students for successful careers in civil engineering, with an emphasis on developing both technical competence and professional skills.

Teaching

Qualifications & Awards

  • Diploma in Civil Engineering - Dundalk IT
  • B.A. in Mathematics - Trinity College Dublin
  • B.A.I. in Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering - Trinity College Dublin
  • Post graduate Diploma in Environmental Engineering  - Trinity College Dublin
  • Chartered Engineer - Engineers Ireland
  • Masters Degree in Engineering  - Trinity College Dublin
  • Post grad in Teaching and Learning - Dundalk IT
  • PhD in Engineering, specialising in ocean wave measurement - Dublin City University

Research & Interests

Brendan holds a PhD in Engineering, specialising in ocean wave measurement. His research investigated the use of air pressure measurements within a chamber above an Oscillating Water Column (OWC), which is connected to the ocean, to estimate the sea state responsible for driving the motion of the water column. The work established a frequency-dependent linear transfer function between chamber pressure and sea state, enabling ocean wave conditions to be inferred from pressure measurements. 

The research introduces and validates a novel Wave-Activated Sensor Power Buoy (WASP), an autonomous system designed to estimate ocean wave conditions using internal pressure measurements rather than traditional surface-following methods. Through a combination of laboratory-scale experiments and full-scale sea trial, the study developed a transfer function that accurately converts pressure data into wave surface characteristics. Results showed strong agreement with conventional wave buoy measurements, particularly in moderate to high-energy sea states, with key wave parameters such as significant wave height and period estimated within 10% accuracy. While performance was reduced in low-energy conditions, the findings demonstrate the WASP’s potential as a compact, energy-efficient, and cost-effective alternative for coastal and offshore wave monitoring. The work also highlights opportunities for further optimisation, supporting the future development of next-generation ocean observation technologies.


Outside of his core teaching and research responsibilities, Brendan maintains a strong professional interest in fluvial systems, with a particular focus on river hydrology, catchment dynamics, and flood processes. His work engages with catchment-scale analysis, including rainfall–runoff relationships, hydrograph interpretation, and the influence of land use and geomorphology on discharge regimes. Brendan is especially interested in flood risk assessment and mitigation, examining mechanisms such as infiltration-excess and saturation-excess overland flow, channel conveyance, and floodplain connectivity. This extends to the application of hydrological modelling and GIS-based catchment analysis to better understand and predict extreme hydrological events under changing climatic conditions.