Ankita Bhattacharya placement – University of New South Wales, Syndey

I had the opportunity to undertake a research placement at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia, which proved to be an incredibly enriching experience. During my time there, I visited the Water Research Laboratory at UNSW, an esteemed research organisation with over 60 years of experience in addressing some of the most challenging problems in water and coastal engineering. The placement allowed me to engage with a wide range of coastal, estuarine, and groundwater research activities that strongly complement my PhD work on compound flooding.

One of the highlights of my time at UNSW was assisting a team of researchers during fieldwork in peat swamp environments, which was a unique experience. The aim of the project was to understand how mining-induced drainage and different types of droughts, including slow-developing and flash droughts, influence the release of carbon dioxide, methane, and dissolved organic carbon from these ecosystems. We collected groundwater and surface water samples from multiple peat swamp sites for analysis of its potential impact due to coal mining. Navigating through peat swamps can be extremely demanding, particularly for someone without prior exposure to such environments, but it proved to be a valuable first-hand learning experience.

Collecting groundwater samples during field work in the peat swamps of Sydney, Australia

At the Water Research Laboratory, I was introduced to a range of ongoing coastal experiments. I had the opportunity to observe how large wave conditions are generated and calibrated to simulate extreme events over long return periods. Watching around a thousand waves impact coastal structures within a short time frame in a controlled laboratory setting was fascinating, especially in terms of understanding wave timing, velocity, and intensity.  I was also introduced to several exciting interdisciplinary research projects, including work on blue carbon and mangrove restoration. Through this, I learned how coastal vegetation can play an important role in carbon sequestration, ecosystem recovery, and potential groundwater–tidal interactions. In addition, I learned about CoastSnap, an award-winning global citizen science project that uses smartphone images to monitor changes along coastlines. Hearing directly from the project’s founder provided valuable insight into how innovative technologies are being used to identify hazardous coastal processes such as rip currents, highlighting the potential of low-cost, community-driven coastal monitoring.

Australia is truly a fascinating place, and one of my most memorable moments from my time in Sydney was spotting its incredible wildlife – including koalas, kangaroos, and even water dragons while having lunch at the lab!

Overall, this placement was a fantastic opportunity to broaden my technical skills, engage with new research perspectives, and build international collaborations. I am extremely grateful to the Envision DTP for supporting and funding this placement, and to my supervisors for encouraging me to travel to Australia and gain new research insights.