Bernard Laval

Dr. Bernard Laval is a Professor and Department Head in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC), part of the Faculty of Applied Science. His academic background includes a B.Sc. in Engineering Physics (UBC), M.Sc. in Physical Oceanography (McGill University), and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering (University of Western Australia). He has over 20 years of expertise in fluid mechanics of inland and coastal waters, focusing on field instrumentation and numerical modeling of physical processes in lakes and estuaries. His research explores transport mechanisms, thermal dynamics, and climate impacts on aquatic systems.

Dr. Laval teaches courses such as Fluid Mechanics I/II, Environmental Hydraulics, and Physical Limnology. His work has addressed critical environmental challenges, including the aftermath of the Mount Polley mine tailings spill and the dynamics of Arctic epishelf lakes. His research has been published in over 100 peer-reviewed articles, with a focus on glacial fjords, ice-ocean interactions, and lake circulation patterns. He leads interdisciplinary projects combining autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) with advanced modeling to study complex hydrodynamic systems.

His contributions to UBC include serving as Associate Head for Undergraduate Programs (2012–2015, 2016–2017) and leading the Environmental Fluid Mechanics research group. His research integrates field measurements, numerical simulations, and environmental monitoring to address pressing issues in climate change, limnology, and geophysical fluid dynamics.