معرفی
Prof. Erik Toorman is a leading academic at the KU Leuven within the Faculty of Engineering Science and Department of Civil Engineering. He serves as Head of the Hydraulics and Geotechnics unit and Program Director for Water Resources Engineering. His work bridges theoretical and applied research in sediment mechanics, computational fluid dynamics, and coastal morphodynamics.
- Key Roles: Promotor for multiple EU/FWO projects, Lecturer in hydraulic engineering, Scientific advisor to Flanders Hydraulics Research.
Research Focus: His expertise spans cohesive/non-cohesive sediment transport, two-phase flow dynamics, fluid mud rheology, and microplastics dispersal. Recent projects include nature-based coastal defense (e.g., Lanice conchilega polychaete), high-concentration sediment modeling, and plastic flux quantification in the Scheldt estuary.
Publications reveal a strong emphasis on
- CFD for ship-mud interactions,
- validated morphodynamic models,
- bio-geomorphodynamic approaches,
- sediment-turbulence coupling.
Teaching: Coordinates courses like Hydraulics, Sediment Mechanics, and Research Methods for Civil and Water Resources Engineering programs.
Collaborations: Partners include Flanders Hydraulics Research, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and international dredging consultants (DEME, Jan de Nul). He leads the COSINUS and PLUXIN projects, integrating sediment transport with climate resilience and plastic pollution mitigation.
