Visionary planning for the future continues with the recent appointment of our new Managing Director, Associate Professor and ARC Future Fellow Kristen Splinter!

Kristen is well known in the Coastal Engineering industry, with over 20 years of applied and fundamental research experience (over 10 of which have been right here at WRL). 

Her ARC Future Fellowship aims to generate new knowledge in coastal processes to develop regional shoreline change models and deliver unprecedented shoreline data. 

Kristen sees her appointment as “a very humbling opportunity to help foster this great team of both academics and professional engineers and lead us to even bigger and better things”. With a strong desire to support and encourage more women into the discipline, Kristen is an advocate for better gender equity within academia and engineering.

”As we continue to face the challenges associated with climate change”, she says, “I want to see WRL as an Australian leader in innovative water related design.” She also wants to focus on improving our links and support within the Pacific Region and align our work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Congratulations Kristen - who now takes the helm of our legendary Water Research Lab – home to a powerhouse of creative problem-solvers!