Blair Johnson

Blair Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, part of the Cockrell School of Engineering. He leads the Johnson Environmental Turbulence (JET) Laboratory, focusing on environmental fluid mechanics, turbulence, sediment transport, and experimental methods. His research explores mixing processes in environmental flows, including ice melting dynamics and buoyant plume behavior. Johnson holds a Ph.D. and M.S. from Cornell University and a B.S. from Johns Hopkins University.

Education:

• Postdoc, Arizona State University, Mechanical Engineering (2017)
• Ph.D., Cornell University, Civil and Environmental Engineering (2016)
• M.S., Cornell University, Civil and Environmental Engineering (2012)
• B.S., Johns Hopkins University, Civil Engineering (2008)

Research Interests: Environmental fluid mechanics, turbulence, sediment transport, mixing processes, experimental methods, and flood mitigation infrastructure design.

Grants & Awards:

• NSF CAREER Award (2023)
• ONR Faculty Fellowship (2022)
• CAEE Department Teaching Award (2022)
• SERDP grants for munitions burial/exposure studies (pending final approval)

Lab & Collaborations: The JET Lab specializes in turbulence and environmental fluid dynamics, utilizing facilities like the 1972 flume and outdoor experimental setups. Ongoing projects include ice melting studies, median barrier design for flood-prone areas, and collaborations with NRL Stennis and WHOI. Johnson advises a dynamic team of graduate and undergraduate students, emphasizing hands-on research and fieldwork.