Hannah Power

Associate Professor Hannah Power is a coastal morphologist and geologist at the University of Newcastle, affiliated with the School of Environmental and Life Sciences and the Earth Sciences department. She specializes in coastal processes, sediment transport, and climate change impacts on coastal environments, with a focus on hazards like tsunamis and storm surges. Her work bridges field studies, remote sensing, and numerical modeling, and she actively collaborates with government agencies for coastal management.

• PhD in Coastal Geomorphology, University of Queensland
• BSc (Marine Science) Honours, University of Sydney

Research Interests:

• Coastal hazard assessment (tsunamis, storms, sea level rise)
• Swash zone and surf zone hydrodynamics
• Coral reef wave interactions and sediment transport
• Continental shelf wave dynamics and climate drivers
• Coastal management policy and science communication

Recent article trends show a focus on continental shelf waves, tsunami modeling, and intermittent estuaries under climate change. Her publications emphasize hydrodynamic modeling, field measurements, and remote sensing across diverse environments.

Scientific Awards:

• 2021 Science Technology Australia Superstars of STEM
• 2020 Newcastle Herald Hunter Hero Award Finalist
• 2015 APEC ASPIRE Finalist
• 2021 Australian Institute of Policy and Science Young Tall Poppy Award

Hannah's teaching integrates science fundamentals, critical thinking, and evidence-based solutions. She contributes to undergraduate and postgraduate courses, emphasizing coastal dynamics and climate adaptation. Her NSW Coastal Council role (2020) informs policy on collaborative coastal management.

Labs & Teams: Collaborates with the Environmental and Climate Change Research Group (ECCRG), Australian Forum for Operational Oceanography, and multidisciplinary teams for field experiments and modeling.