Matt Blacka
Water Research Laboratory UNSW Manly Vale Campus
Matt is Chartered Professional Engineer (Civil, Environmental) with 17 years of applied experience leading projects in the fields of coastal processes and hazards, estuary processes, coastal structures and coastal climate change adaptation. His projects in these areas include engineering design, vulnerability assessment, management planning, physical modelling, field data collection and monitoring. Matt’s work extends throughout the east coast of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. He holds a Master of Engineering Science with specialisation in Coastal Engineering and Management, and a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) degree, with first class honours in Coastal Engineering.
Matt’s background qualifications in Civil Engineering combined with his passion for the natural coastal environment allow him to bring a considered and technical approach to his work in the areas of coastal management and coastal protection. His experience provides a wealth of knowledge on the use and mis-use of coastal protection systems, and the impacts of coastal management works on the environment. Matt’s expertise in coastal structures extends to include physical modelling, wave loading assessments, design, condition assessments and analysis of environmental impacts for coastal protection works.
Matt regularly leads desktop and field investigations for coastal and estuary processes, hazards and management studies, and he has many years of practical experience undertaking environmental data collection in the coastal zone. In recent years he has specialised in coastal processes of reef fringed Pacific Islands, with projects that include analysis of waves, storm surge and hydrodynamic processes.
Matt is an active member of the Australia/Pacific Islands coastal scientific and engineering communities, regularly publishing work in technical conferences and presenting in industry forums. He is a corresponding committee member and former secretary of the Engineers Australia NSW Coastal, Ocean and Port Engineering Panel and a member of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (Oceania). Matt is passionate about professional development in the coastal engineering sector and is a coordinator of UNSW’s professional training courses in coastal engineering.
