Dr. Matthew Brand
Assistant Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
3240F Patrick F. Taylor Hall
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Phone: (225) 578-1523 / Fax: (225) 578-4945
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-brand-0257786b/
Educational Background
B.S. Environmental Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 2015
M.S. Environmental Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 2016
Ph.D. Environmental Engineering, University of California, Irvine, 2020
Employment History:
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana
State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 01/2024 to present.
· Post-Doc, Coastal Ecosystems Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratories,
Sequim, WA, 2021-2023
· National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 08/2015 to 09/2020
Research Interests:
My research focuses on developing multi-scale process-based models of coastal systems that capture human and natural influences on dynamics, risks and impacts. My work aims to advance understanding of coastal systems and to inform adaptation in a changing climate. Areas of specific interest include: resolving event-scale physical processes in multi-decadal projections of marsh habitat under sea level rise, hydro-financial modeling to quantify adaptation project benefits and risks, integration of stochastic modeling techniques into decision-support tools, and in-situ and remote sensing data-model synthesis.
Professional Service:
· Member, American Geophysical Union
· Science Advisor, Blue Forest Conservation
· Science Advisor, 4Walls International
Selected Publications
1. Brand, M.W., Diefenderfer, H.L., O’Connor, J.E., Borde, A.B., Jay, D.A., Al‐Bahadily, A., McKeon, M. and Talke, S.A., (2023). Impacts of a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake on water levels and wetlands of the lower Columbia River and estuary. Geophysical Research Letters, 50(14), p.e2023GL103017.
2. Brand, M.W., Buffington, K., Rogers, J., Thorne, K., Stein, E.D., & Sanders, B.F., (2022), Multi-decadal simulation of marsh topography under sea level rise and episodic sediment loads. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth’s Surface. 127, e2021JF006526. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006526
3. Brand, M. W., Quesnel, K., Saksa, P., Ulibarri, N., Bomblies, A., Mandle, L., ... & Gibbons, J. P. (2021a). Environmental Impact Bonds: a common framework and looking ahead. Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability, 1(2), 023001.
4. Brand, M. W., Guo, L., Stein, E. D., & Sanders, B. F. (2021b), Multi-decadal simulation of estuarine sedimentation under sea level rise with a response-surface surrogate model. Advances in Water Resources, 150, 103876.
5. Brand, M.W., Gudino-Elizondo, N., Allaire, M., Wright, S., Matson, W., Saksa, P., and Sanders, B.F., (2020), Hydro-financial stochastic modeling for environmental impact bonds. Water Resources Research. August 3, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR027328.
Awards and Grants:
2024-2026 Innovative Finance for National Forests
US Forest Service – ($150,000 total, $81,685 USD to Co-PI Brand)
Grant to analyze the impacts of forest restoration on runoff, erosion, and management costs borne by the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District near the Cleveland National Forest. This project aims to determine the value of upstream restoration activities to flood control districts.2023-2024
2023-2025 Direct Technical Assistance, Ecological Effects of Sea-Level Rise Program
NOAA – ($500,000 total, $161,125 USD to Co-PI Brand)
Follow-on grant for the NOAA Ecological Effects of Sea-Level Rise (ESLR) program to support investigation of ecosystem co-benefits of wetland restoration in a cost-benefit analysis framework. Encouraged to submit full proposal by March 15th after submitting Letter of Intent, funding is transferable to other institutions.
2023-2026 Newport Bay Water, Sediment and Microplastics Modelling
California State Water Boards ($250,000 total, $50,000 USD to Co-PI Brand)
Investigating microplastics transport in Newport Bay using Delft3D model to better understand microplastics fate and transport.
2022-2023 Exploring the Coastal Community Co-Benefits of Wave-Energy Converts for Wetland and
Beach Ecosystems
U.S. Department of Energy – Water Power Technologies Office
($50,000 USD)
Grant to explore the role of wave energy conversion (WEC) devices in shoreline and ecosystem protection along the Oregon coastline and situate WECs within the spectrum of green-grey infrastructure.
2022 Early Career Research Award
Pacific Northwest National Laboratories
