Irene Manzella

Dr. Irene Manzella is an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Earth Sciences at the University of Twente. Her research focuses on landslide dynamics, volcanic processes, and granular flow mechanics with applications to natural hazard mitigation. She specializes in experimental geophysics, combining field observations, laboratory simulations, and numerical modeling to understand mass wasting phenomena.

Key research areas include debris avalanche propagation mechanisms, sedimentological analysis of volcanic deposits, and the role of particle concentration in gravitational instabilities within volcanic clouds. Manzella's work integrates smart sensor technologies for real-time landslide monitoring and develops innovative methods for disaster impact assessment, such as multi-hazard dashboards and EO-based risk frameworks.

Her collaborative projects involve creating flood and earthquake hazard maps for Dominica, developing immersive visualizations for scientific communication, and organizing conferences like the NEEDS conference 2023. Manzella contributes to open-source tools like Python workflows for satellite data processing and has published over 35 peer-reviewed articles in journals like Geomorphology and Frontiers in Earth Science.

Recent work emphasizes bidisperse granular flows' scale-dependent behavior, smart sensor applications for tracking debris movement, and improving volcanic hazard predictions through experimental validation of ash cloud dynamics. Her research bridges engineering, geology, and computer science to enhance disaster resilience strategies globally.