Biography

Jennifer Irish is a professor of coastal engineering at Virginia Tech and a globally recognized expert in storm surge dynamics, coastal hazard assessment, and nature-based coastal infrastructure. Before transitioning to academia in 2006, she served as a Coastal Engineering Regional Technical Specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. With over 70 journal papers and 5,800 citations, Professor Irish has made impactful contributions to coastal engineering. Her research has driven advancements in storm surge physics and probabilistic hazard assessment, hazard mitigation using vegetation and barrier islands, the impacts of sea level rise, and airborne lidar bathymetry. She has led or co-led academic research projects totaling US$25 million, with US$4 million supporting her research program. Her achievements have earned her prestigious honors, including the U.S. Fulbright Senior Scholar Fellowship and the U.S. Department of the Army's Superior Civilian Service Award. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Coastal Engineering Research Council and has previously served as Chair of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Committee on Technical Advancement and as Secretary of ASCE’s Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute Board of Governors. Professor Irish’s leadership and scientific contributions have been recognized with election to the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and to Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers.