Michael Allis

Mike began working as a Research Associate at WRL in February 2013, prior to this he has undertaken a PhD with UNSW based at WRL.

His current role is the investigation of wave-beach interaction, specifically bed-shear stresses on beach sediment and coastal structures under wave run-up in the swash zone. This research involved 4 weeks of prototype-scale experiments at the Great Wave Flume (GWK) at Forschungszentrum Küste, Germany, smaller scale tests in WRLs 3m flume and collaboration with previous field studies. 

The title of his PhD Thesis is The Speed, Breaking Onset and Energy dissipation of 3D Deep-Water Waves. The experimental investigation in WRLs large wave basin constituted evaluation of an energy-convergence breaking onset threshold, examination of wave-crest and white-cap speeds near to the point of breaking onset, measuring the energy dissipation from the resulting unsteady breakers, and observing white-cap geometric and kinematic characteristics . 

His professional engineering expertise is primarily in the fields of:

• Coastal engineering
• Ocean engineering
• Large scale physical experiments
• Geotechnical Site investigations
• Geomorphology

His specialist research interests include:

• Wave dynamics: air-sea interaction; wave breaking; energy dissipation; fluid mechanics.
• Coastal and Oceanographic Processes; Coastal Structures.
• Beach Morphology; Wave-beach interaction; Coastal Monitoring; Coastal Erosion
• Physical Modelling; Instrument Design; Mechanical Wave Generation;

Mike completed his BE(hons) in Civil Engineering at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, majoring in Fluid Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. Since graduating in 2007 Mike has been working for a commercial consultancy in Christchurch, NZ, as a geotechnical engineer undertaking project management, site investigations and technical reporting.