Martin Lambert

Professor Martin Lambert

Professor

School of Architecture and Civil Engineering

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD, but is currently at capacity - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Professor Martin Lambert, Head of School, School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering

Research Interests

Prof Martin F. Lambert is  Professor of Water Engineering and Hydraulics in the School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering at the University of Adelaide and was previously Head of the School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering from 2009-2012 and 2015-2017 and the Associate Dean (Research) in the ECMS Faculty from 2006-2009. His research has focused on several aspects of water engineering related to stochastic hydrology and the use of fluid transients for the effective and efficient condition assessment of the aging engineered pipe infrastructure. He has taught a range of subjects in the School and has been awarded several prizes for teaching including the University Prize for Excellence in Higher Degree by Research Supervision in 2008 and an Australian Learning & Teaching Council citation in 2009.

 

Prof Lambert graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Hon 1) from the University of Newcastle, Australia.  Since stating at Adelaide University in June 1995 Prof Lambert has developed several new research areas and received over $4.9 million in research funds mainly from the Australian Research Council.  He also has worked with industry while undertaking consulting projects in the water engineering area. Prof Lambert continues to publish papers in international journals and conferences in all area of his research.  His current research areas are listed below.

Current Research Areas
  • Inverse transient techniques for condition assessment of water distribution systems. This new area of research uses small water hammer waves that travel very rapidly around a pipe system to detect the occurrence, location and size of problems in pipes
  • Sensor networks in water distribution systems for monitoring transient pressure
  • Biofilms in pipelines and the impact on pipe roughness
  • Iron nanowires from pipe biofilms
  • Development of spatial and point rainfall simulation model for continuous simulation in hydrology.
  • Determining the effects of catchment moisture conditions on flood frequency distributions and examining the joint probability problem arising from the interaction between freshwater floods and ocean water levels.
  • Discharge reduction in straight compound channels caused by momentum interaction effects between the main channel and the floodplain.

  • Appointments
    Date Position Institution name
    2015 - ongoing Professor and Head of School, The University of Adelaide
    2013 - 2015 Professor and Deputy Head of School The University of Adelaide
    2013 - 2015 Faculty Higher Degree Convenor The University of Adelaide
    2009 - 2012 Professor and Head of School The University of Adelaide
    2007 - 2009 Associate Dean (Research) The University of Adelaide
    2005 - 2008 Associate Professor in Hydraulics and Water Engineering The University of Adelaide
    2004 - 2005 Visiting Professor as part of study leave Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
    2002 - 2004 Deputy Head of Department University of Adelaide
    1998 - 2004 Senior Lecturer in Water Engineering University of Adelaide
    1995 - 1997 Lecturer in Water Engineering University of Adelaide
    1993 - 1995 Research Associate University of Newcastle Australia
    1992 - 1993 Research Assistant University of Bristol
    1989 - ongoing Senior Engineer Lake Macquarie City Council
    1989 - 1991 Tutor The University of Newcastle
    1981 - 1989 Cadet Civil Engineer Lake Macquarie City Council

  • Awards and Achievements
    Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
    2014 Award Research Spotlight Award from American Geophysical Union (top 5% of papers in AGU) for Westra et al (2014) American Geophysical Union United States -
    2009 Award ALTC Citation Award - - -
    2008 Award Award for Excellence for Higher Degree by Research Supervision University of Adelaide Australia -
    2008 Award “GN Alexander Medal” - - -
    2008 Teaching Award ECMS Faculty Prize for Excellence in Teaching University of Adelaide Australia -
    2008 Recognition ECMS Faculty Award for Excellence for Higher Degree by Research Supervision - - -
    1999 Award George Stephenson Gold Medal - - -
    1997 Award Telford Premium - Australia -
    1995 Nomination PhD thesis nominated for the Lorentz-Straub Award - United States -
    1989 Scholarship Awarded a Commonwealth Postgraduate Research Scholarship - - -
    1989 Scholarship Awarded a Department of Civil Engineering Scholarship at The University of Newcastle - - -
    1988 Award The Hunter District Water Board Gold Medallion - - -
    1988 Award Awarded the Australian Water and Wastewater Association, Newcastle Group Prize for Year IV Project Report. - Australia -
    1988 Award The Tony Herzog Award for Final Year Project Report. - - -
    1988 Award The Australian Consulting Structural Engineers Prize in Structural Engineering - - -

  • Education
    Date Institution name Country Title
    1994 University of Newcastle Australia Australia Doctor of Philosophy
    1989 University of Newcastle Australia Australia Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Hons 1)

  • Postgraduate Training
    Date Title Institution Country
    1989 - 1993 Post-graduate Research Student University of Newcastle Australia Australia

Research Funding

Title Granting Body Period Amount
Large Research Grants Received
High-resolution pipeline condition assessment using hydraulic transients ARC (Discovery) 2017-2019 $499,000
Mobile weather radar system for advanced environmental monitoring and modelling ARC (LIEF) 2013-2016 $340,000

Cost Effective Pipeline Condition Assessment Using Paired Pressure Sensor Arrays  (Lambert, Simpson, Zecchin and Arkwright)

ARC (Discovery)

DP140100994

Principal Investigator

2014-2017

$430,000

Combining transient micro-reflections and multi-sensor arrays for condition assessment of buried pipes  (Lambert, Simpson, Zecchin and Simmons)

ARC (Linkage - Industry)

LP130100567

2013-2016

$285,000
       

A new flood design methodology for a variable and changing climate (Lambert, Kuczera, Thyer and Metcalfe)

ARC (Discovery)

DP1094796

Principal Investigator

2010-2012

$340,000

Frequency Domain Micro-Reflection Processing for Pipe Condition Assessment (Simpson, Lambert and White)

ARC (Discovery)

DP1095270

Chief Investigator

2010-2012

$370,000

Optimal Water Resource Mix for Metropolitan Adelaide Phase 1   – Task 4

(Thyer and Lambert)

Goyder Institute Project

55111367

2012-2014

$340,672

C.1.1  Climate Change (Thyer, Lambert, Maier and Dandy)

Goyder Institute Project

55108584

2010-2014

$501,552

A stochastic space-time model of rainfall fields in large heterogeneous regions (Lambert, Kuczera, Metcalfe, Thyer, Cowpertwait)

ARC (Discovery)

DP0770860

Principal Investigator

 

2007-2009

$345,880

Micro-reflections for pipe condition assessment in water networks (Simpson, Lambert, Ghidaoui, Lee)

ARC (Discovery)

DP0772320

Chief Investigator

2007-2009

$380,000

A Bayesian hierarchical approach for simulating multi-time scale hydrological variability for water resource planning (Thyer; Franks, Kuczera, Lambert, Metcalfe, Berghout) Ind. Partner: Hunter Water

ARC (Linkage - Industry)

LP0562650

Chief Investigator

 

2005-2008

$87,844

Validation of pipe wall condition assessment techniques for major water pipelines in South Australia. (Lambert and Simpson)

Contract Research

SA Water

Principal Investigator)

2007-2008

$185,000

A new approach to systematic blockage detection and mapping in water distribution systems. (Simpson, Lambert, Nixon)

Ind. Partner: United Water International

ARC

(Linkage – Industry)

 LP0455201

Chief Investigator

 

2004-2007

$131,005

Stochastic spatial rainfall model for engineering risk assessment. (Lambert, Kuczera, Metcalfe)

ARC (Discovery)

DP0452180

Principal Investigator

2004-2006

$188,000

Continuous non-invasive assessment of the physical condition of water distribution systems. (Simpson, Lambert, White, Liggett)

ARC (Discovery)

DP0450788

Chief Investigator

 

2004-2006

$344,000

Laboratory and field testing of a leak detection technique using fluid transients (Simpson, Lambert, Karney – University of Toronto).

ARC (Linkage Int.) LX0242364

Chief Investigator

 

2002-2004

$42,448

Coded transients for monitoring and assessment of fluid distribution systems. (Simpson, Lambert, Liggett)

ARC (Large)

Chief Investigator

 

2001-2003

$235,000

Inverse transients for detecting closed valves, blockages and pipe constrictions in water networks. (Simpson and Lambert)

ARC  (SPIRT)

Chief Investigator

 

2001-2003

$96,000

Leak detection for water distribution systems (Simpson, Lambert, Assoc. Prof. B. Brunone of University of Perugia, Italy).

ARC (Linkage International)

Chief Investigator

 

2000-2002

$36,500

An improved rainfall simulation model for use in engineering analysis and risk assessment. (Kuczera, Lambert)

ARC (Large)

 

1999-2001

$152,000

Artificial mixing for destratification and control of cynobacterial growth in reservoirs (Lambert).

CRC Water Quality and Treatment

Chief Investigator

 

1999-2001

$84,000

LECTURING RESPONSIBILITIES:

My main teaching responsibilities have covered the areas of fundamental civil engineering hydraulics and fluid mechanics, open channel flow, hydrology, water resources management and construction and surveying. The table below lists some of the courses I have taught while at the University of Adelaide. 

Course

Period

Level 

 Remarks
       
Engineering Mechanics – Statics (Summer Semester) 2016-2017 I This course familiarises students with the principles of static equilibrium by applying Newton's laws of motion to solve engineering problems. Emphasis is placed on drawing free body diagrams and self checking strategies. Topics include introduction to forces; 2D equilibrium of particles and rigid bodies; centre of gravity and centroids; distributed loading and hydrostatics; friction; analysis of truss structures; and shear force and bending moment diagrams.
Research Methodology  2010-2011 V

This course will consist of guided reading and study directed towards understanding the nature of research and how it is conducted. Students will work in small groups and carry out a literature review and write a research proposal on a topic related to water resources management. They will also give an oral presentation based on their work during the semester. Each group will meet with their supervisor on a weekly basis throughout the semester.
Analysis of Rivers 2006,2013,2014 IV This course examined advanced topics in open channel flow such as flow in compound river channels, curvilinear flows, unsteady flow and transitions. These was followed by an introduction to River Mechanics and modelling flow in 2D and 3D situations, such as meandering channels and flow around piers and other structures. The course then introduced concepts in sediment transport and examine techniques to predict the threshold of motion, sediment transport rates as well as local scour and morphology changes.  25 Students
Eng Mod. Analysis I  2005-2006
  I
This course serves as an introduction to how engineers typically solve “real world” and complex problems. In many cases mathematical or analytical solutions are impossible. For engineers charged with solving these problems this situation is untenable.

This course introduced students to this important area and provided training in its fundamental components. These include

  • Being comfortable with how a computer works and understanding different computing environments.
  • To be able to program and write scripts to execute models and analyze engineering problems.
  • Learn the syntax of Fortran 90/95, Visual Basic in Excel (VBA) and Matlab.
  • Understand the development of programs that are well structured and can be maintained.
  • To be introduced to some of the algorithms that you will study in more detail in later years for solving complex problems.
  • Be exposed to civil engineering analysis programs.

Computing and Hydraulics

1996-1998

P/G

This course was a core component of the Joint Universities Masters programme in Hydrology and Water Resources. It dealt with advanced computer programming in FORTRAN and a range of hydraulics subjects ranging from pipe flow, open channel flow, flow measurement and unsteady flow.

15 students.

Advanced Water Resources Management

1997, 2001, 2003 2004

IV and P/G

Advanced hydrological times series analysis, Monte-carlo simulation, sustainability, world water issues, water quality issues, yield analysis, dam reliability and water sensitive urban design.

30 students.

Water Engineering and Design IIIA

1995-2001, 2004

III

Steady and unsteady open channel flow, hydraulic structures, sediment transport, environmental problems resulting from river engineering, laboratory experiments 60-90 students.

Environmental Engineering and Design III

1997

III

Advanced hydrological and environmental analysis and processes, water and wastewater treatment.

60-70 students.

Water Engineering IIS1- Hydraulics

1998, 2002

II

Introduction to fluid mechanics and civil engineering hydraulics.

60-70 students.

Water Engineering IIS2- Hydrology

1996-1998

II

Engineering hydrology, meteorology, rainfall analysis, flood routing, hydrological design and flood frequency analysis.

 60-70 students.

Construction and Surveying

1997

II

Basic surveying techniques, construction equipment and practices, project management and planning, critical path methods, resource management.

60-70 students.

 

PROJECT SUPERVISION AND TUTORIALS:

 

Course

Period

Level

Remarks

Final Year Research Project

1996-present

IV

These open-ended research projects are undertaken by students in groups of 2-4 and involve a literature review, advanced numerical computation, laboratory or fieldwork, a conference style presentation of their work and the preparation of a substantial thesis.

2-3 groups of 4 students.

Final Year Design

1999

IV

The final year class undertake a large capstone design. This project was designing a new bridge over the River Murray at Berri.

Environmental Engineering and Design III (Design Component)

2004

III

This involved setting and running the design project for this course. The students were asked to design a fishway for the barrages at the mouth of the River Murray.

20 students.

 

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2023 Co-Supervisor Anomaly detection of pipe networks by the inverse transient method Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Morteza Imani
    2023 Co-Supervisor A numerical approach to turbulent transient pipe flow dynamics. Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Isuru Chinthana Gunaratne
    2023 Co-Supervisor Edge computing devices and radio frequency in a model-based IoT ecosystem to manage council assets Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Adam Hadji
    2023 Co-Supervisor A Unified Calibration Framework of Statistical Weather Generators for Climate Risk Assessment Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Ling-Wan You
    2023 Principal Supervisor Leak Noise Characterization and Leak Detection in Water Distribution Systems Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Chengcheng Yin
    2022 Principal Supervisor Proactive Detection of Wastewater Overflows in Smart Wastewater Systems Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Thi Hai Duong Ninh
    2021 Principal Supervisor Network Calming for Enhancing Pipe Condition using Smart Sensors Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Valerie Alexandra Anna Berta Satzinger
    2021 Principal Supervisor Characterisation and condition assessment of water distribution systems using hydraulic transients with data-driven algorithms Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Jiawei Ye
    2020 Principal Supervisor An analytical framework to support the application of higher-value approaches in the circular economy. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Ms Jodie Kathleen Bricout
    2020 Principal Supervisor Investigating the Effects of Isolation Activities Following a Pipe Burst in a Water Distribution Network to Minimize Impacts on Customers Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Miss Cynthia Tan
    2016 Principal Supervisor Determining the Internal Wall Condition and Location of the Air Pocket in Sewer Rising Main Using Inverse Transient Analysis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Miss Sheida Poroushani

  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2019 - 2022 Co-Supervisor Near-wall turbulence dynamics in steady and transient pipe flows Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Byron Andres Guerrero Hinojosa
    2018 - 2022 Co-Supervisor Real-time Pipeline Burst Detection and Estimation using the Damping of Fluid Transients Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Xiaoxuan Du
    2017 - 2023 Principal Supervisor EFFECTUAL URBAN GOVERNANCE: THE EFFECTUATION OF CITIES FOR SYSTEMS CHANGE UNDER UNCERTAINTY Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Daniel James Conley
    2017 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Use of Artificial Neural Networks and fluid transient waves for active and passive inspection of water pipelines Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Jessica Bohorquez Arevalo
    2017 - 2020 Principal Supervisor Paired Impulse Response Function and Layer-Peeling Method for Anomaly Detection and Condition Assessment of Pipelines Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Wei Zeng
    2014 - 2016 Co-Supervisor Evaluation of Regional Climate Models for Simulating Sub-daily Rainfall Extremes Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Miss Virginia Edith Cortes Hernandez
    2014 - 2017 Co-Supervisor Multi-Objective Optimization of Pumping Operations from Alternative Water Sources Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Lisa Jane Blinco
    2014 - 2019 Principal Supervisor Pipe Wall Condition Assessment and Leak Detection using Paired Pressure Sensors with Hydraulic Transient Analysis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms He Shi
    2014 - 2018 Principal Supervisor Condition Assessment for Water Distribution Pipelines Using Inverse Transient Analysis and the Reconstructive Method of Characteristics Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Chi Zhang
    2011 - 2016 Principal Supervisor Stochastic Spatial Rainfall Modelling for Hydrological Design: Development of a Parsimonious Simulation Approach and Virtual Hydrological Evaluation Framework Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time APrf Bree Sarah Bennett
    2010 - 2014 Principal Supervisor Leak Detection and Condition Assessment for Water Distribution Pipelines using Fluid Transient Waves Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Jinzhe Gong
    2008 - 2013 Co-Supervisor Frameworks for Evaluating and Improving Simplified Hydrologic Models for Baseflow and Rainfall-Runoff Estimation Using Distributed Physical Models Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Li Li
    2006 - 2010 Co-Supervisor Drought Predictions: Applications in Australia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Hui Wong
    2004 - 2008 Principal Supervisor Reach-Scale Spatial Hydraulic Diversity in Lowland Rivers: Characterisation, Measurement and Significance for Fish Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Nadine Kilsby
    2004 - 2010 Co-Supervisor Laplace-Domain Analysis of Fluid Line Networks with Applications to Time-Domain Simulation and System Parameter Identification Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Aaron Zecchin
    2003 - 2008 Co-Supervisor Advanced Numerical and Experimental Transient Modelling of Water and Gas Pipeline Flows Incorporating Distributed and Local Effects Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Young-Il Kim
    2003 - 2006 Co-Supervisor Bayesian Artificial Neural Networks in Water Resources Engineering Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Greer Humphrey
    2003 - 2006 Principal Supervisor Identification and Modelling of Hydrological Persistence with Hidden Markov Models Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Julian Whiting
    2003 - 2010 Principal Supervisor A Stochastic Space-Time Rainfall Model for Engineering Risk Assessment Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time APrf Michael Leonard
    2002 - 2005 Principal Supervisor USING SYSTEM RESPONSE FUNCTIONS OF LIQUID PIPELINES FOR LEAK AND BLOCKAGE DETECTION Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Pedro Lee
    2002 - 2006 Co-Supervisor Equilibrium Morphological Modelling in Coastal and River Environments: The Development and Application of Self-Organisation- and Entropy-Based Techniques Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Joanna Nield
    2001 - 2008 Co-Supervisor Transient Response Analysis for Fault Detection & Pipeline Wall Condition Assessment in Field Water Transmission & Distribution Pipelines & Networks Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Mark Stephens
    1999 - 2003 Principal Supervisor Leakage and Blockage Detection in Pipelines and Pipe Network Systems Using Fluid Transients Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Xiaojian Wang
    1999 - 2007 Principal Supervisor A High Resolution point Rainfall Model Calibrated to Short Pluviograph or Daily Rainfall Data Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Shane Jennings
    1999 - 2004 Principal Supervisor Surface Mixers for Destratification and Management of Anabaena circinalis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Prof David Lewis
    1998 - 2009 Principal Supervisor Measurement Of Very Slow Flows In Environmental Engineering Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Andrew John Skinner
    1997 - 2002 Principal Supervisor An Improved Engineering Design Flood Estimation Technique: Removing the Need to Estimate Initial Loss Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Theresa Heneker

  • Committee Memberships
    Date Role Committee Institution Country
    2010 - 2014 Chair Chair of the National Committee on Water Engineering Engineers Australia -
    2009 - 2015 Advisory Board Member Member of the Australian Rainfall and Runoff Technical Committee Engineers Australia -
    2006 - 2010 Representative South Australian Representative on the National Heritage Engineering Australia Board Engineers Austrlaia -
    2006 - 2010 Chair Chairman of the Engineering Heritage Branch in SA - -
    2005 - 2010 Vice-Chair Deputy Chair of the National Committee on Water Engineering Engineers Australia -
    2003 - 2004 Representative Immediate Past President of the South Australian Division of Engineers Australia. Engineers Australia -

  • Memberships
    Date Role Membership Country
    2004 - ongoing - Fellow of the Institution of Engineers -
    2004 - ongoing - Associate Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers -
    2002 - ongoing President President of the South Australian Division of the Institution of Engineers, Australia Australia
    2001 - ongoing Vice-President Senior Vice President of the South Australian Division of the Institution of Engineers, Australia Australia
    2000 - ongoing Representative National Congress Representative for the South Australian Division of the Institution of Engineers, Australia. Australia
    2000 - ongoing Vice-President South Australian Division of the Institution of Engineers, Australia Australia
    1998 - ongoing Member South Australian Division Committee of the Institution of Engineers, Australia -
    1994 - ongoing - Member of the Civil College in the Institution of Engineers, Australia, Registered on NPER-3 (Civil Engineering) -
    1994 - ongoing Chair Civil Engineering Branch of the Institution of Engineers, Australia in the Newcastle Division. Australia
    1994 - ongoing Member Division Committee of the Institution of Engineers, Australia in the Newcastle Division Australia
    1993 - ongoing Vice-Chair Civil Engineering Branch of the Institution of Engineers, Australia in the Newcastle Division Australia
    1991 - ongoing Member Professional Engineering Week" Committee Australia
    1991 - ongoing Member Engineering Heritage Committee of the Institution of Engineers, Australia in the Newcastle Division -
    1991 - 1993 Member national conference committee for "Water in Engineering - Looking towards the 21st Century" conference held in July 1993 -
    1991 - 1992 Treasurer Secretary and Treasurer of the Newcastle Division Civil Engineering Branch of the Institution of Engineers Australia
    1990 - ongoing Member National Committee of Young Engineers of the Institution of Engineers Australia
    1989 - ongoing Secretary Young Engineers Branch of the Institution of Engineers, Australia in the Newcastle Division Australia
    1988 - 1994 Member Member of the Newcastle Division Civil Engineering Branch of the Institution of Engineers Australia
    1988 - 1991 Member Member of the Young Engineers Branch of the Institution of Engineers, Australia in the Newcastle Division Australia
    1988 - ongoing - Member of the International Association of Hydraulic Research -

  • Editorial Boards
    Date Role Editorial Board Name Institution Country
    2004 - 2007 Associate Editor Journal of Hydraulic Engineering American Society of Civil Engineers United States
    2003 - ongoing Member Editorial Advisory Panel Journal Water Management Institution of Civil Engineers United Kingdom
  • Position: Professor
  • Phone: 83135838
  • Email: martin.lambert@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 83134359
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Engineering North, floor 2
  • Org Unit: Civil Engineering
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