Ivan Haigh

Professor Ivan Haigh is an Associate Professor in Ocean and Earth Science at the University of Southampton, UK. His research focuses on sea level variations, coastal flooding, and climate change impacts. He leads multiple international research projects, including the CHANCE project (NERC/NSF-funded) and Vietnam flood risk studies (NERC/NAFOSTED-funded), totaling £4.8M across 8 active grants. He is a Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Investigator (Co-I) on projects addressing compound flooding, storm surge barriers, and coastal resilience. His work bridges academic research with practical coastal management, collaborating with agencies like the UK Environment Agency and Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure.

Educated at the University of Southampton (BSc Oceanography/Maths, 1998-2001) and with a PhD (2005-2009) on sea level changes in the English Channel, Haigh held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Western Australia before returning to Southampton as a lecturer. Promoted to Associate Professor in 2016, he also leads the NERC-funded Knowledge Exchange Fellowship (2021), focusing on climate-resilient infrastructure.

Teaching includes coordinating coastal processes modules at undergraduate and MSc levels, with a focus on stakeholder engagement. His external roles include keynote speaking at global conferences (e.g., 'All at Seas Conference' 2013) and membership in the Institute of Marine Engineering. Current PhD supervision spans 10 students across interdisciplinary topics like compound flooding and storm surge modeling.

Research groups include the Physical Oceanography Institute and Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute. Notable projects include ACROSS (colonisation of Sahul via seafaring) and RISeR (sea-level change projections for northwest Europe). His work emphasizes translating scientific insights into actionable coastal management strategies, addressing both academic and societal challenges.