Prof. Adam Douglas Switzer

Adam Switzer holds concurrent positions as Professor of Coastal Science at the Asian School of the Environment; Assistant Dean (Development) at the College of Science; Director of CIFAL Singapore and Principal Investigator at the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS). He is a broadly trained coastal geoscientist and the overarching driver of his research is to apply interdisciplinary geoscience to solve contemporary coastal problems at local, regional and international scales. His main research areas investigate catastrophic marine inundation events (tsunami or large storms), sea level changes, the evolution of coral reefs and tropical coastal systems. After obtaining a BSc and PhD in Geosciences from the University of Wollongong, Australia he accepted an Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong fellowship to study at The University of Hong Kong where he held positions as Post-Doctoral Fellow and Research Assistant Professor. Adam is an internationally recognised expert in coastal science. In the field of coastal hazards Adam has pioneered the study of storm and tsunami deposits with studies in Australia, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia. Here, he focuses on the use of geophysical techniques like Ground Penetrating Radar and the sedimentary study of sand and boulders deposited by extreme events. His Quaternary geology work focuses on the coastal evolution of tropical coastal systems in Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and China where he uses geological techniques to reconstruct past environmental change and investigate the role of sea level change, climate variability and human influence on the evolution of tropical and sub-tropical coastal systems. His work on coral reefs and tropical coasts focuses on coral records of environmental change including the study of past ocean changes, pollutants, storm and tsunami events and heavy metal sedimentation. His research program at the Earth Observatory of Singapore aims to facilitate the development of safer and more sustainable communities in Asia. His research currently involves collaborations with people from ten Asian nations. In 2022 he was awarded the Wing Ip medal by the Asia Oceania Geoscience Society for unselfish co-operation and leadership in Geoscience in the Asia Oceania region. Adam he has been PI or Co-I on 20 grants in Singapore (worth >$18M) and he has authorship on >120 peer-review publications. He was a founding editorial board member of the journal Communications Earth and Environment from Nature. Adam is also passionate about science communication and has appeared in documentaries for Mediacorp (Singapore), Curiosity Channel (Discovery) and BBC (UK) and delivered invited talks a numerous international venues including the World Economic Forum.
Type
party
Access Privileges
Research School of Earth Sciences
Title
Prof.
Given Name
Adam Douglas
Surname
Switzer
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4352-7852
Brief Description
Adam Switzer holds concurrent positions as Professor of Coastal Science at the Asian School of the Environment; Assistant Dean (Development) at the College of Science; Director of CIFAL Singapore and Principal Investigator at the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS). He is a broadly trained coastal geoscientist and the overarching driver of his research is to apply interdisciplinary geoscience to solve contemporary coastal problems at local, regional and international scales.
Full Description
Adam Switzer holds concurrent positions as Professor of Coastal Science at the Asian School of the Environment; Assistant Dean (Development) at the College of Science; Director of CIFAL Singapore and Principal Investigator at the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS). He is a broadly trained coastal geoscientist and the overarching driver of his research is to apply interdisciplinary geoscience to solve contemporary coastal problems at local, regional and international scales. His main research areas investigate catastrophic marine inundation events (tsunami or large storms), sea level changes, the evolution of coral reefs and tropical coastal systems. After obtaining a BSc and PhD in Geosciences from the University of Wollongong, Australia he accepted an Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong fellowship to study at The University of Hong Kong where he held positions as Post-Doctoral Fellow and Research Assistant Professor. Adam is an internationally recognised expert in coastal science. In the field of coastal hazards Adam has pioneered the study of storm and tsunami deposits with studies in Australia, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia. Here, he focuses on the use of geophysical techniques like Ground Penetrating Radar and the sedimentary study of sand and boulders deposited by extreme events. His Quaternary geology work focuses on the coastal evolution of tropical coastal systems in Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and China where he uses geological techniques to reconstruct past environmental change and investigate the role of sea level change, climate variability and human influence on the evolution of tropical and sub-tropical coastal systems. His work on coral reefs and tropical coasts focuses on coral records of environmental change including the study of past ocean changes, pollutants, storm and tsunami events and heavy metal sedimentation. His research program at the Earth Observatory of Singapore aims to facilitate the development of safer and more sustainable communities in Asia. His research currently involves collaborations with people from ten Asian nations. In 2022 he was awarded the Wing Ip medal by the Asia Oceania Geoscience Society for unselfish co-operation and leadership in Geoscience in the Asia Oceania region. Adam he has been PI or Co-I on 20 grants in Singapore (worth >$18M) and he has authorship on >120 peer-review publications. He was a founding editorial board member of the journal Communications Earth and Environment from Nature. Adam is also passionate about science communication and has appeared in documentaries for Mediacorp (Singapore), Curiosity Channel (Discovery) and BBC (UK) and delivered invited talks a numerous international venues including the World Economic Forum.
Email Address
aswitzer@ntu.edu.sg
Postal Address
Professor, Asian School of the Environment Nanyang Technological University Singapore, SG
Website Address
https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/cris/rp/rp00628; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4352-7852
Fields of Research
370901 - Geomorphology and earth surface processes; 370903 - Natural hazards; 370905 - Quaternary environments
Socio-Economic Objective
280107 - Expanding knowledge in the earth sciences
Keywords
Coastal hazards; Sedimentology; Washover fan; Cyclone; Tropical depression; Tsunami
Status: Published
Published to:
  • Australian National University
  • Australian National Data Service
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