Bree Bennett

Research Interests

Environmental Engineering Environmental Engineering Modelling Surfacewater Hydrology Water Resources Engineering

Associate Professor Bree Bennett

Associate Professor

Centre for STEM Education and Innovation

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

I am the Director of the Centre for STEM Education & Innovation and an Associate Professor in the School of Architecture & Civil Engineering with a background in stochastic spatial rainfall and hydrological modelling. I am passionate about the application of advanced modelling and simulation to environmental engineering problems in areas such as water resources, agriculture and construction. In my discipline research I currently work across four main fields: (i) development of decision support tools for agriculture, (ii) developing scenario-neutral climate impact assessment approaches, (iii) the development of stochastic spatial rainfall models and evaluation frameworks for rainfall models, and(iv) development of life-cycle and decision support tools for the construction sector.

Date Position Institution name
2024 - ongoing Associate Professor University of Adelaide
2021 - 2023 Senior Lecturer The University of Adelaide
2019 - 2020 Lecturer University of Adelaide
2017 - 2019 Postdoctoral Research Fellow University of Adelaide, Adelaide
2013 - 2017 Lecturer (Casual) University of Adelaide, Adelaide

Date Institution name Country Title
The University of Adelaide Australia PhD
University of Adelaide, Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Laws (Hons)
University of Adelaide, Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Civil & Structural Engineering (Hons)

Year Citation
2025 Dadd, L., Bennett, B., Xie, T., & Visintin, P. (2025). Shear behaviour and environmental impact of single and multi-generation recycled aggregate concrete beams. Engineering Structures, 322, Part B, 11 pages.
DOI Scopus7 WoS7
2025 Dadd, L., Xie, T., Bennett, B., & Visintin, P. (2025). Shear Friction in Single-Generation and Multigeneration Recycled Aggregate Concrete. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 37(3), 12 pages.
DOI Scopus2 WoS3
2025 Nguyen, T., Bennett, B., & Leonard, M. (2025). Robust hydrological evaluation of stochastic rainfall. Journal of Hydrology, 659, 133247.
DOI
2025 Dadd, L., Visintin, P., Bennett, B., & Xie, T. (2025). Characterisation of shrinkage, carbonation and chloride penetration in multi-generation recycled aggregate concrete at equivalent compressive strengths. Construction and Building Materials, 474, 141111.
DOI Scopus3 WoS3
2024 Shobeiri, V., Bennett, B., Xie, T., & Visintin, P. (2024). A comprehensive data driven study of mechanical properties of concrete with waste-based aggregates: Plastic, rubber, slag, glass and concrete. CASE STUDIES IN CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS, 20, 22 pages.
DOI Scopus19 WoS16
2024 McInerney, D., Thyer, M., Kavetski, D., Westra, S., Maier, H. R., Shanafield, M., . . . Leonard, M. (2024). Neglecting hydrological errors can severely impact predictions of water resource system performance. Journal of Hydrology, 634, 130853-1-130853-15.
DOI Scopus7 WoS6
2024 Shobeiri, V., Bennett, B., Xie, T., & Visintin, P. (2024). Mix design optimization of waste-based aggregate concrete for natural resource utilization and global warming potential. Journal of Cleaner Production, 449, 141756.
DOI Scopus21 WoS20
2024 Dadd, L., Xie, T., Bennett, B., & Visintin, P. (2024). Exploring the physical and mechanical characteristics of multi-generation recycled aggregate concrete at equivalent compressive strengths. Journal of Cleaner Production, 451, 141965.
DOI Scopus24 WoS19
2023 Nguyen, T. H. T., Bennett, B., & Leonard, M. (2023). Evaluating stochastic rainfall models for hydrological modelling. Journal of Hydrology, 627(Part A), 130381-1-130381-18.
DOI Scopus7 WoS6
2023 McInerney, D., Westra, S., Leonard, M., Bennett, B., Thyer, M., & Maier, H. R. (2023). A climate stress testing method for changes in spatially variable rainfall. Journal of Hydrology, 625, Part A, 129876.
DOI Scopus6 WoS6
2023 Knowling, M. J., White, J. T., Grigg, D., Collins, C., Westra, S., Walker, R. R., . . . Alzraiee, A. (2023). Operationalizing crop model data assimilation for improved on-farm situational awareness. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 338, 16 pages.
DOI Scopus5 WoS4
2023 Xie, T., Bennett, B., & Visintin, P. (2023). Performance-Based Environmental Assessment of FRP-Confined Concrete Stub Columns: Investigation on FRP Types. Journal of Composites for Construction, 27(3), 18 pages.
DOI Scopus8 WoS7
2023 Shobeiri, V., Bennett, B., Xie, T., & Visintin, P. (2023). Mix design optimization of concrete containing fly ash and slag for global warming potential and cost reduction. Case Studies in Construction Materials, 18, 1-17.
DOI Scopus50 WoS37
2023 Knowling, M. J., Walker, R. R., Pellegrino, A., Edwards, E. J., Westra, S., Collins, C., . . . Bennett, B. (2023). Generalized water production relations through process-based modeling: A viticulture example. Agricultural Water Management, 280, 12 pages.
DOI Scopus6 WoS6
2022 Sturm, A. B., Visintin, P., & Bennett, B. (2022). A hybrid deterministic-probabilistic approach for the characteristic crack widths and crack spacings in reinforced concrete tension and flexural members. Engineering Structures, 256, 114071-1-114071-18.
DOI Scopus8 WoS7
2022 Bennett, B., Visintin, P., & Xie, T. (2022). Global warming potential of recycled aggregate concrete with supplementary cementitious materials. Journal of Building Engineering, 52, 15 pages.
DOI Scopus67 WoS60
2022 Visintin, P., Dadd, L., Ul Alam, M., Xie, T., & Bennett, B. (2022). Flexural performance and life-cycle assessment of multi-generation recycled aggregate concrete beams. Journal of Cleaner Production, 360, 1-15.
DOI Scopus36 WoS31
2022 Shobeiri, V., Bennett, B., Xie, T., & Visintin, P. (2022). A generic framework for augmented concrete mix design: Optimisation of geopolymer concrete considering environmental, financial and mechanical properties. Journal of Cleaner Production, 369, 1-16.
DOI Scopus32 WoS28
2021 Shobeiri, V., Bennett, B., Xie, T., & Visintin, P. (2021). A comprehensive assessment of the global warming potential of geopolymer concrete. Journal of Cleaner Production, 297, 126669-1-126669-22.
DOI Scopus162 WoS135
2021 Bennett, B., Devanand, A., Culley, S., Westra, S., Guo, D., & Maier, H. R. (2021). A modelling framework and R-package for evaluating system performance under hydroclimate variability and change. Environmental Modelling and Software, 139, 104999-1-104999-18.
DOI Scopus18 WoS12
2021 Knowling, M. J., Bennett, B., Ostendorf, B., Westra, S., Walker, R. R., Pellegrino, A., . . . Grigg, D. (2021). Bridging the gap between data and decisions: A review of process-based models for viticulture. Agricultural Systems, 193, 1-13.
DOI Scopus22 WoS22
2021 Gravina, R. J., Xie, T., Bennett, B., & Visintin, P. (2021). HDPE and PET as Aggregate Replacement in Concrete: Life-cycle assessment, Material Development and a case study. JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING, 44, 1-14.
DOI Scopus28 WoS25
2021 Culley, S., Westra, S., Maier, H., & Bennett, B. S. (2021). Identifying critical climate variables for use in scenario-neutral climate impact assessments. Environmental Modelling and Software, 136, 14 pages.
DOI Scopus32 WoS26
2019 Culley, S., Bennett, B., Westra, S., & Maier, H. R. (2019). Generating realistic perturbed hydrometeorological time series to inform scenario-neutral climate impact assessments. Journal of Hydrology, 576, 111-122.
DOI Scopus25 WoS22
2019 Visintin, P., Xie, T., & Bennett, B. (2019). A large-scale life-cycle assessment of recycled aggregate concrete: The influence of functional unit, emissions allocation and carbon dioxide uptake. Journal of Cleaner Production, 248, 18 pages.
DOI Scopus141 WoS126
2019 Bennett, B., Thyer, M., Leonard, M., Lambert, M., & Bates, B. (2019). A virtual hydrological framework for evaluation of stochastic rainfall models. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 23(11), 4783-4801.
DOI Scopus6 WoS5
2018 Bennett, B., Leonard, M., Deng, Y., & Westra, S. (2018). An empirical investigation into the effect of antecedent precipitation on flood volume. Journal of Hydrology, 567, 435-445.
DOI Scopus92 WoS83
2018 McInerney, D., Thyer, M. A., Kavetski, D., Bennett, B., Lerat, J., Gibbs, M., & Kuczera, G. (2018). A simplified approach to produce probabilistic hydrological model predictions. Environmental Modelling & Software, 109, 306-314.
DOI Scopus31 WoS29
2018 Bennett, B., Thyer, M., Leonard, M., Lambert, M., & Bates, B. (2018). A comprehensive and systematic evaluation framework for a parsimonious daily rainfall field model. Journal of Hydrology, 556, 1123-1138.
DOI Scopus33 WoS24
2016 Bennett, B., Lambert, M., Thyer, M., Bates, B., & Leonard, M. (2016). Estimating extreme spatial rainfall intensities. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, 21(3), 04015074-1-04015074-12.
DOI Scopus10 WoS9

Year Citation
2022 Nguyen, T., Bennett, B., & Leonard, M. (2022). Does good-modelled rainfall translate to good-modelled runoff?. In Engineers Australia (pp. 9 pages). Online: Engineers Australia Pty. Ltd..
Scopus1
2022 Leonard, M., Bennett, B., & Nguyen, T. (2022). Investigating catchment memory within a conceptual rainfall-runoff model. In ICWEE (pp. 62-68). Online: ICWEE.
2022 Newman, J. P., Bennett, B., Culley, S. A., Maier, H. R., Westra, S., Thyer, M., . . . Leonard, M. (2022). Understanding Kangaroo Island water supply reliability in future climates and the path to augmentation solutions. In Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium, HWRS 2022 (pp. 934-947). Online: Engineers Australia.
2021 Culley, S., Westra, S., Bennett, B., Maier, H., Newman, J., van der Linden, L., & Irvine, M. (2021). Water security analysis of the Middle River supply system: a foreSIGHT application. In Proceedings of the 24th International Congress on Modelling and Simulation (MODSIM2021) (pp. 547-553). Canberra, ACT, Australia: Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand Inc.
DOI Scopus1
2014 Bennett, B., Lambert, M., Thyer, M., Bates, B., & Westra, S. (2014). The impact of differences in rainfall seasonality on antecedent catchment wetness and flood risk. In Proceedings of the Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium (pp. 421-428). Perth, Western Australia: A.C.T. Engineers Australia.
2012 Bennett, B., Lambert, M., Thyer, M., Bates, B., & Leonard, M. (2012). Estimation of extreme spatial rainfall intensities. In Proceedings of the 34th Hydrology and Water Resources Symosium, HWRS 2012 (pp. 160-168). online: Engineers Australia.
2011 Bennett, B., Barrie, F., Barrie, H., Reavley, P., & Walker, D. (2011). Self-organising behaviour of sand ripples under waves. In Proceedings of Coast & Ports 2011 conference (pp. 1-6). Perth: CD.
2011 Bennett, B., Barrie, F., Barrie, H., Reavley, P., & Walker, D. (2011). Self-organising behaviour of sand ripples under waves. In 20th Australasian Coastal and Ocean Engineering Conference 2011 and the 13th Australasian Port and Harbour Conference 2011 Coasts and Ports 2011 (pp. 60-65).

Year Citation
2021 Knowling, M., Westra, S., Bennett, B., Ostendorf, B., Walker, R., Pellegrino, A., . . . Pagay, V. (2021). The ‘cause and effect’ of water decisions: Generalizing water production functions for viticulture through biophysical simulation. Poster session presented at the meeting of 24th International Conference on Modelling and Simulation. Sydney, Australia: Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand Inc.
2021 Leigh, R., Knowling, M., Westra, S., Bennett, B., Zecchin, A., Maier, H., . . . Devanand, A. (2021). A multi-modelling framework to stress-test water resource systems under change. Poster session presented at the meeting of 24th International Congress on Modelling and Simulation (MODSIM2021) Book of Abstracts. Sydney, Australia: Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand Inc..
2021 Knowling, M., White, J. T., Collins, C., Grigg, D., Westra, S., Ostendorf, B., . . . Pagay, V. (2021). Real-time ensemble assimilation of image-based canopy data into a process-based model for improved vineyard forecasting, situational awareness and decision-making. Poster session presented at the meeting of https://www.mssanz.org.au/modsim2021/documents/MODSIM2021_BookofAbstracts.pdf. Sydney, Australia.
2018 Bennett, B., Westra, S., Cavagnaro, T., Wheeler, S., Shi, Q., & Pagay, V. (2018). Unpacking Agricultural System Complexities for Improved Outcomes: Taking Advantage of Emerging Data, Technologies and Analysis. Poster session presented at the meeting of AGU Fall Meeting.
2018 Bennett, B., Culley, S., Westra, S., & Maier, H. (2018). ForeSIGHT: An R-package to Support Scenario-Neutral Climate Impact Assessments. Poster session presented at the meeting of AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts 2018, H53Q-1819. Washington, DC, USA.
2018 Bennett, B. S., Westra, S., & Culley, S. (2018). An R tool for climate resilience analysis of water resource systems. Poster session presented at the meeting of EGU General Assembly. Vienna, Austria.
2018 Westra, S., Bennett, B., Evans, J., Johnson, F., Leonard, M., Sharma, A., . . . Wu, W. (2018). Impact of Climate Change on Australian Flood Risk: A Review of Recent Evidence. Poster session presented at the meeting of Floodplain Management Australia. Gold Coast.
2018 Culley, S. A., Westra, S., Maier, H. R., & Bennett, B. (2018). An R tool for scenario-neutral climate impact analysis of water resource systems. Poster session presented at the meeting of 9th International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software.
2018 Culley, S. A., Westra, S., Maier, H. R., & Bennett, B. (2018). Identifying the climate variables to which water resource systems are most sensitive. Poster session presented at the meeting of 9th International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software.
2017 Bennett, B. S., Thyer, M., Leonard, M., Lambert, M., Bates, B., Evin, G., . . . Hingray, B. (2017). A comprehensive and systematic evaluation framework for evaluating spatio-temporal rainfall models. Poster session presented at the meeting of 22nd International Congress on Modelling and Simulation. Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
2017 Bennett, B. S., Culley, S., & Westra, S. (2017). Generating perturbed hydroclimate time series for use in scenario-neutral climate impact assessments. Poster session presented at the meeting of 22nd International Congress on Modelling and Simulation. Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
2017 Bennett, B. S., Westra, S., Zhang, L., & Potter, N. (2017). Update on CRAFT case study: Parafield MAR and stormwater capture. Poster session presented at the meeting of Goyder Institute Water Forum 2017. Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
2016 Bennett, B. S., Thyer, M., Leonard, M., Lambert, M., & Bates, B. (2016). Parsimonious simulation of daily rainfall fields. Poster session presented at the meeting of DEWNR-NRM Science Conference. University of Adelaide, SA, Australia.
2016 Bennett, B. S., Thyer, M., Leonard, M., & Lambert, M. (2016). Continuous simulation of spatial daily rainfall fields. Poster session presented at the meeting of EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts. Vienna, Austria.
2015 Bennett, B. S., Leonard, M., Thyer, M., & Lambert, M. (2015). Simulation of daily rainfall across a range of space and time scales. Poster session presented at the meeting of 21st International Congress on Modelling and Simulation. Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand. Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
2013 Bennett, B. S., Lambert, M., Thyer, M., Bates, B., & Westra, S. (2013). Techniques for Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Antecedent Catchment Wetness and Flooding. Poster session presented at the meeting of 20th International Congress on Modelling and Simulation. Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand. Adelaide, South Australia.

Year Citation
2022 Westra, S., Leigh, R., Knowling, M., Beh, E., Devanand, A., Thyer, M., . . . McInerney, D. (2022). Assessment of current and future water security in the Barossa and Eden Valleys.
2020 Culley, S., Westra, S., Maier, H., Bennett, B., & Newman, J. (2020). WATER SECURITY RELIABILITY ANALYSIS OF THE MIDDLE RIVER SUPPLY SYSTEM (2020/10).
2020 Leonard, M., Westra, S. P., & Bennett, B. (2020). Methodology Report for Multisite Rainfall and Evapotranspiration Data Generation of the Northern Basin (2020/01).
2020 Leonard, M., Westra, S. P., & Bennett, B. (2020). Data Generation of the Northern Basin, ANNEX A –Gwydir region stochastic evaluation (2020/02).
2020 Leonard, M., Westra, S. P., & Bennett, B. (2020). Methodology Report for Multisite Rainfall and Evapotranspiration Data Generation of the Northern Basin, ANNEX B –Border region stochastic evaluation (2020/03).
2020 Leonard, M., Westra, S. P., & Bennett, B. (2020). Methodology Report for Multisite Rainfall and Evapotranspiration Data Generation of the Northern Basin, ANNEX C –Namoi region stochastic evaluation (2020/04).
2019 Leonard, M., Westra, S., & Bennett, B. (2019). Multisite Rainfall and Evaporation Data Generation for the Macquarie Water Infrastructure Project (2019/01).
2018 Bennett, B. S., Zhang, L., Potter, N., & Westra, S. (2018). Climate Resilience Analysis Framework: Testing the resilience of natural and engineered systems (18/02). Goyder Institute for Water Research.
2018 Potter, N., Zhang, L., Bennett, B. S., & Westra, S. (2018). Case study for Climate Resilience Analysis Framework and Tools (CRAFT): Managed aquifer recharge at Parafield Airport (18/03).
2018 Westra, S., Leonard, M., & Bennett, B. (2018). Accounting for climate change in the management and development of South Australia’s stormwater infrastructure.
2018 Maier, H., Riddell, G., van Delden, H., Newman, J., Zecchin, A., Dandy, G., . . . Bennett, B. (2018). Improved decision support for natural hazard risk reduction: annual project report 2017-18 (427).

Year Citation
2016 Bennett, B. S. (2016). Stochastic Spatial Rainfall Modelling for Hydrological Design: Development of a Parsimonious Simulation Approach and Virtual Hydrological Evaluation Framework. (PhD Thesis, University of Adelaide).

Year Citation
- Nguyen, T. H. T., Bennett, B., & Leonard, M. (n.d.). <b><i>Supplementary Materials for paper titled </i></b><b><i>Tracking rainfall contribution in a conceptual runoff model</i></b>.
DOI

Year Citation
2018 Bennett, B. S., Culley, S., Westra, S., Guo, D., & Maier, H. (2018). foreSIGHT: Systems Insights from Generation of Hydroclimatic Timeseries (Version 0.9.2) [Computer Software]. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=foreSIGHT: CRAN.
2017 McInerney, D., Bennett, B. S., Thyer, M., & Kavetski, D. (2017). Interactive Probabilistic Predictions [Computer Software]. http://www.probabilisticpredictions.org/.
DOI
2016 Leonard, M., Bennett, B., Thyer, M., Marchi, A., Guo, D., Visintin, P., & Wright, D. (2016). Algorithmik Apps, http://www.algorithmik.org.au/ [Computer Software].
- Leonard, M., Bennett, B., Thyer, M., Marchi, A., Visintin, P., Wright, D., & Guo, D. (n.d.). Algorithmik Apps [Computer Software].

Year Citation
- Thyer, M., McInerney, D., Kavetski, D., Westra, S., Maier, H., Shanafield, M., . . . Leonard, M. (n.d.). Neglecting hydrological errors can severely impact predictions of water resource system performance.
DOI

Lecturing and Course Coordination

Date Lecturer Course Coordinator Course Title Course Level/ Code
2021/22/23 x x Civil Engineering Hydraulics CEME 2003
2021 x x Research Methods & Project Management ENG 3005
2019/20 x x Honours Research Projects Parts A & B  C&ENVENG 4222A/B, MINING 4222A/B  
2019/20 x x Special Topics in Civil, Environmental & Mining Engineering C&ENVENG 4xxx
2020 x x Masters Research Project Part B

C&ENVENG 7049B/7050B, MINING 7074B
2020 x x Masters Research Project Part A (combined) C&ENVENG 7049A/7050A, MINING 7074A
2016-17,19-20 x x (2017, 2019, 2020) Research Methodologies & Project Management

C&ENVENG 3222, MINING 3222
2016/17/18 x x Computing for Geostatistics C&ENVENG 7063
2015/16/17/19 x x Environmental Engineering and Sustainability II C&ENVENG 2068
2014/15/16 x   Civil and Environmental Engineering I C&ENVENG 1009
2016 x   Engineering Modelling and Analysis I C&ENVENG 1012
2013/14 x x Construction, Management and Surveying C&ENVENG 2067
2015/16 x   Engineering Hydrology C&ENVENG 3077

Tutoring

Date Course Title Course Level/ Code
2016 Engineering Modelling and Analysis II C&ENVENG 2070
2014/15/16 Christchurch Earthquake Study Tour C&ENVENG 4113EX
2014 Linear Geostatistics C&ENVENG 4056
2013 Computing for Geostatistics C&ENVENG 7063
2014 Structural Design III (Concrete) C&ENVENG 3005
2011/12/13 Engineering Hydrology C&ENVENG 3077
2009/11/12 Water Engineering IIA C&ENVENG 2071
2010/11/12 Engineering Modelling and Analysis I C&ENVENG 1012
2012 Civil and Environmental Engineering I C&ENVENG 1009
2011/12 Engineering Mechanics Statics C&ENVENG 1010

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2021 Principal Supervisor Extending the virtual hydrological framework for stochastic rainfall model evaluation. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Truong Huy Thien Nguyen

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2021 - 2025 Co-Supervisor Development of multi-generation recycled aggregate concrete for a circular economy Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Lloyd Douglas Dadd
2020 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Optimization of Structures Considering Environmental Sustainability Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Vahid Shobeiri
2019 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Improved Implementation of Scenario-Neutral Climate Impact Assessments for Water Resource Systems Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Sam Anthony Culley

Date Topic Location Name
2017 - ongoing Scenario-neutral climate impact assessment The University of Adelaide Sam Culley

Date Role Membership Country
2018 - ongoing Member American Geophysical Union (AGU) United States
2018 - ongoing Member European Geosciences Union (EGU) Australia

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