Joannes Westerink

Joannes Westerink is the Joseph and Nona Ahearn Professor in Computational Science and Engineering at the University of Notre Dame's College of Engineering. He holds concurrent faculty titles in the Departments of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Earth Sciences, Computer Science and Engineering, and other disciplines. His research focuses on computational fluid dynamics, tidal hydrodynamics, and hurricane storm surge prediction. He earned his Ph.D. from MIT in 1984, followed by M.S. and B.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from SUNY Buffalo.

Key research interests include finite element methods, coastal circulation modeling, and geophysical turbulence. In 2025, he was awarded the International Coastal Engineering Award for his contributions to storm surge forecasting and coastal hazard mitigation.

Westerink leads the Computational Hydraulics Laboratory, advancing numerical models like STOFS (Surge and Tide Operational Forecast System) for global water level predictions. His recent work integrates AI-driven nudging techniques and machine learning to enhance model accuracy, with applications in disaster risk assessment and climate adaptation.