Paul Kemp

Paul Kemp is a Professor of Ecological Engineering at the University of Southampton, leading the International Centre for Ecohydraulics Research and other interdisciplinary initiatives. His research focuses on integrating ecological principles with engineering solutions to address challenges in natural resource management, particularly in freshwater and marine fisheries, climate change impacts, and sustainable infrastructure development.

• Leadership Roles: Director of the International Centre for Ecohydraulics Research, Director of Centres for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Infrastructure Systems and Sustainable Infrastructure for Cities, and Director of the Future Towns Innovation Hub.
• External Roles: Editor of River Research and Applications (since 2008), keynote speaker at international conferences on fish behavior and hydropower impacts, and consultant for environmental agencies.

Research Interests: Paul’s work combines fish behavior studies with hydraulic engineering to design sustainable solutions for fish passage, acoustic deterrents, and habitat restoration. Key areas include mitigating infrastructure impacts on aquatic ecosystems, optimizing fish guidance systems, and advancing climate-resilient water-energy nexus strategies.

Publications Trends: Recent work emphasizes fish migration dynamics, ecohydraulic modeling, and the application of electrical/acoustic technologies for species-specific guidance. Over 200 km of European rivers have been analyzed for fragmentation impacts, while studies on beaver dams and climate resilience highlight interdisciplinary approaches.

Grants & Awards: Funded by NERC, EPSRC, EU, and international organizations. Projects include BEcoWIND (offshore wind biodiversity mitigation), SHAASAN (sustainable hydropower in developing regions), and the Water/Energy/Food Nexus Sandpit.

Labs & Teams: Leads the Water and Environmental Engineering Group and collaborates with the Nature-Based Ocean Solutions and Ocean Energy initiatives. Supervises 15+ PhD students in topics like fish behavior, ecohydraulic engineering, and sustainable infrastructure systems.