About
Dr. sc. (PhD) Sebastian Schwindt (he/him) is a researcher focusing on computational and data-driven ecohydraulics. Computing frameworks focus primarily on grid-based but also semi-Lagrangian numerical simulations. Data analytics leverage insights from field and remote sensing surveys to address the biodiversity and climate crises. He leads the hydro-morphodynamics group at the Institute for Modelling Hydraulic and Environmental Systems (IWS) at the University of Stuttgart (visit his institutional profile). Beyond his core focus, he remains dedicated to hydropower-related challenges, including reservoir sedimentation and mitigating impacts in residual river stretches governed by environmental flows (e-flows).
He completed his Bachelor's (2010) and Master's (2012) studies in Environmental Engineering at the Technical University of Munich (Germany). After a detour into the private hydropower sector, Sebastian accomplished his doctorate in Civil Engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL, Switzerland) from 2013 to 2017 under the supervision of Prof. Anton J. Schleiss and Prof. Mário Franca.
Later, Sebastian pursued postdoctoral research at the University of California, Davis (USA), with Prof. Greg Pasternack. The emphasis of his postdoctoral research was on the lateral connectivity and ecohydraulic enhancement of the Yuba River (California, USA) based on remote sensing (lidar) imagery and numerical models. Find the full scientific record at ORCID.org.
Passionate about "black screens," Sebastian helps administer the web presences of the AFS-BES/ASCE-EWRI Joint Committee on Fisheries Engineering and Science and the Ecohydraulics community (ecohydraulics.org), where he also regularly contributes blog posts. Additionally, Sebastian contributes to several groups and divisions within the Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall (DWA) .
Teaching
Sebastian offers classes, workshops, and courses covering the following topics:
- Basic and advanced Python programming (including collaborative code design and documentation) for water resources engineering, research, and (geospatial) data analysis
- Numerical surface water simulations
- Integrated flood protection planning, river restoration, and river engineering
Sebastian also offers tutorials, supplemental materials, and practice-oriented exercises at hydro-informatics.com.Graduating students: Are you looking for an exciting Bachelor or Master Thesis? Visit the IWS team website to apply for one of the announcements. If your are curious about virtual worlds: Contact Sebastian for topics related to numerical simulations with video engines
Do you already have an idea for an innovative research graduation project? Contact Sebastian and get your creativity started.
For thesis templates, visit the Ecohydraulics Github pages.
Research
Restoring aquatic ecosystems is increasingly recognized as a critical strategy for addressing the growing biodiversity and climate crises. While most restoration efforts prioritize flagship species, evidence suggests that smaller aquatic organisms play an outsized role in maintaining ecosystem services and regulating greenhouse gas fluxes in rivers. Sebastian's research centers on computational and data-driven analyses to gain fundamental insights into water-driven processes that underpin vital functions, tackling a broad spectrum of ecologically and climatologically urgent questions. Recent investigations span AI-optimized numerical modeling, data-driven ecohydraulic site analysis, and riverbed clogging (also known as "colmation"). By integrating deterministic, high resolution numerical simulations, field data, and remote sensing, Sebastian's group assesses river dynamics, ecological integrity, and flood hazards to support science-backed restoration.
For a comprehensive list of publications and projects, please visit Sebastian's ORCID or Google Scholar profiles.
Codes, research algorithms, and Python packages from Sebastian are mostly hosted on GitHub along with detailed docs: https://github.com/sschwindt/
Awards and Distinctions
Get more information or start a new project by sending an inquiry (see contact options in the Outreach section).Outreach
Find tutorials and short videos zooming into water resources and numerical tools also on Sebastian's @hydroinformatics (Hydro-Morphodynamics) channel on YouTube.
Read Sebastian in the Ecohydraulics community blog at https://ecohydraulics.org, where he also is a site admin.
For contact options visit iws.uni-stuttgart.de or check out social media like Linkedin and ResearchGate.