Robert C. Lanzafame

Robert C. Lanzafame is a Senior Lecturer at Delft University of Technology's Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, specializing in Hydraulic Structures and Flood Risk. Holding a PhD from UC Berkeley and licensed as a California Civil Engineer, he teaches foundational engineering methods, programming, probability theory, and applied levee design while supervising bachelor's and master's students.

His educational background includes BSc and MSc degrees in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley, with doctoral research on vegetation effects on dike stability using probabilistic design methods. Professional experience encompasses geotechnical consulting on California levees, dams, and pipeline projects, informed by firsthand work in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Lanzafame's research integrates flood risk management with educational innovation, focusing on structural reliability, probabilistic design, and computational thinking. Recent work examines animal burrow impacts on levees and human stability during wave overtopping, while his educational research develops interactive Jupyter Book tools for engineering curricula. Since 2023, he leads the MUDE module for all first-year MSc engineering students.

His teaching excellence is recognized through multiple awards:

• 1st Place, Best Teacher, Hydraulic Engineering (2020)
• 1st Place, Best Teacher, Hydraulic Engineering (2021)
• 2nd Place, Best Teacher, Hydraulic Engineering (2021)
• 2nd Place, Best Teacher, Program Core and MUDE Modules (2022)
• 2nd Place, Best Teaching Team (MUDE), Structural Engineering Track (2022)

Lanzafame directs the faculty-wide TeachBooks project to create interactive educational materials using open-source tools, collaborating with university initiatives to transform engineering pedagogy through computational thinking integration. He actively presents workshops on Python programming in education and interactive book development across TU Delft.