Marcel R.A. van Gent

Professor Marcel R.A. van Gent holds a full professorship in Coastal Engineering at Delft University of Technology's Civil Engineering & Geosciences faculty while serving as Senior Specialist in Future Proof Infrastructure at Deltares. With over 30 years of expertise, he leads research in coastal structures, wave dynamics, and climate adaptation strategies.

His research spans critical coastal engineering domains including breakwater design, wave overtopping mechanics, dune erosion processes, and numerical modeling of hydraulic phenomena. Van Gent pioneers the application of artificial intelligence techniques to coastal infrastructure resilience, focusing on armor stability analysis and climate adaptation of coastal defenses. His work integrates laboratory testing, field measurements, and computational modeling to address complex coastal challenges.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals consistent focus on rubble mound breakwaters, wave-structure interactions, and innovative armor solutions like cube-armored structures. His research increasingly addresses climate adaptation needs through studies on low-crested breakwaters and uncertainty quantification in coastal design.

Van Gent serves as Editor-in-Chief of the flagship journal Coastal Engineering (Elsevier) and led the physical processes section of the authoritative Rock Manual. He has directed major projects including Deltares' physical modeling for the Port of Rotterdam expansion and contributed to European Union research initiatives.

His professional activities include frequent keynote addresses at international conferences across Europe and Asia, co-chairing the 2024 Coastlab conference in Delft, and maintaining active collaboration with global research institutions, government agencies, and engineering firms.