Rate My Professor Alison Raby

Professor Alison Raby is Professor in Environmental Fluid Mechanics in the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, at the University of Plymouth. She leads the COAST Engineering Research Group and serves as Associate Head of School with responsibility for research. Her academic background includes a BSc in Physics with Mathematics from the University of Sussex, a PhD titled 'Experimental and Theoretical Analysis of Perfusion and Diffusion in MRI' from the University of Surrey, and a DPhil titled 'Extreme Waves, Overtopping and Flooding at Sea Defences' from the University of Oxford. Following her doctoral studies, she held postdoctoral positions at the University of Reading working on renewable energy technologies such as small-scale hydro power, wind turbines, and solar photovoltaic systems. She also gained industry experience developing the world’s first commercial-scale tidal turbine. Raby has been at the University of Plymouth for nearly 20 years, achieving Chartered Engineer status and Fellowship of the Institution of Civil Engineers. In 2019, she delivered her Inaugural Professorial Lecture entitled 'Extreme waves and the structures that dare to stand'.

Raby's research specializations encompass coastal engineering, with a focus on extreme wave interactions with coastal structures including lighthouses, seawalls, and breakwaters; tsunami boulder transport; mixed debris interactions under extreme flood conditions; compound flooding; and adaptation strategies for climate change impacts like sea-level rise and increased storminess. She has been principal investigator on major EPSRC-funded projects, including STORMLAMP (2016–2020), which investigated wave loading and resilience of rock-mounted lighthouses through field measurements, laboratory modeling, and numerical analysis in collaboration with UCL, Exeter, and lighthouse authorities; and ENFORCE (2013–2016), which verified design waves for extreme runup, overtopping, and forces on sea defences. Her international contributions include participation in Earthquake Engineers Field Investigation Team missions, such as post-2011 Tōhoku tsunami reconnaissance in Japan, and studies on post-tsunami reconstruction in Indonesia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. She led a special issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A on 'Environmental Loading of Heritage Structures' and the REF 2021 exercise for engineering at Plymouth. Key publications include 'Wolf Rock lighthouse: past developments and future challenges' (2019), 'Environmental loading of heritage structures' (2019), and 'On wave impact pressure variability' (2022). In 2021, she was named one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering Heroes by the Women’s Engineering Society. Her work influences resilient design of coastal infrastructure, heritage preservation, and contributions to UN Sustainable Development Goals such as SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water).