About
Dr. sc. Sebastian Schwindt is a researcher in fluvial hydraulics and morphodynamics at the University of Stuttgart (see institutional profile). He leads the hydro-morphodynamic modelling group at the Institute for Modelling Hydraulic and Environmental Systems (IWS). His research focuses on numerical analyses, sediment transport, ecohydraulics, and ecosystem design. The focus of his latest works is on efficient data analyses, accuracy of numerical models, and computational methods.
He completed his Bachelor (2010) and Master (2012) studies at the Technical University of Munich (Germany) in Environmental Engineering. After a short detour into the private sector, Sebastian accomplished his doctorate 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. His PhD thesis with, entitled Hydro-morphological processes through permeable sediment traps at mountain rivers, sheds light on hazardous morphodynamic processes in mountain rivers (download).
Between 2017 and 2019, Sebastian pursued postdoctoral research at the University of California, Davis (USA) with Prof. Greg Pasternack. The emphasis of his postdoctoral research was on the ecohydraulic enhancement of the Yuba River (California, USA). Find out more about Sebastian and his scientific career on ORCID.org.
Students
Teaching - Sebastian offers classes, workshops and courses with respect to the following subjects:
- Basics and advanced Python programming (including collaborative code design and documentation) for Water Resources Engineering, Ecohydraulic Research, and Spatial Data Analysis
- Numerical Modelling, Sediment Transport and Morphodynamics for Hydraulic Engineers
- Integrated Flood Protection Management , River Restoration and River Engineering
More details, tutorials (e-textbooks), materials (sample scripts and datasets), and practice-oriented exercises are available at hydro-informatics.github.io.Graduating students: Are you looking for an exciting Bachelor or Master Thesis? Visit the IWS team website to apply for one of the announcements. Currently, the following topics are waiting for motivated students:
You already have an idea for an innovative research or a practice (applied) project? Contact Sebastian and get your creativity started.Research
Sebastian focuses on hydraulic engineering, restoration science, ecohydraulics, and the development of Python algorithms for deterministic numerical-spatial data analysis. The full record of his scientific works is available at ORCID.org and here is a list of selected papers:
- Larrieu, Pasternack, Schwindt, 2020. Automated analysis of lateral river connectivity and fish stranding risks-Part 1: Review, theory and algorithm. Ecohydrology. doi:10.1002/eco.2268
- Moldenhauer-Roth, Piton, Schwindt, Jafarnejad, Schleiss, 2021. Design of sediment detention basins: scaled model experiments and application. International Journal of Sediment Research. doi:10.1016/j.ijsrc.2020.07.007
- Schwindt, Larrieu, Pasternack, Rabone, 2020. River Architect. SoftwareX 11. doi: 10.1016/j.softx.2020.100438 | Download (open access)
- Schwindt, Pasternack, Bratovich, Rabone, Simodynes, 2019. Hydro-morphological parameters generate lifespan maps for stream restoration management. Journal of Environmental Management 232, 475-489. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.11.010
- Schwindt, Franca, Reffo, Schleiss, 2018. Sediment traps with guiding channel and hybrid check dams improve controlled sediment retention. Natural Hazards and Earth System Science 18, 647-668. doi: 10.5194/nhess-18-647-2018 | Download (open access)
- Schwindt, Franca, Schleiss, 2017. Effects of lateral and vertical constrictions on flow in rough steep channels with bedload. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering 143 (12), 04017052-1-12. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001389
- Schwindt, Franca, De Cesare, Schleiss, 2017. Analysis of mechanical-hydraulic deposition control measures. Geomorphology 295, 467–479. doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.07.020
Codes, research algorithms, and Python packages from Sebastian are hosted on GitHub, along with detailed docs. The following Python packages and programs are available:
- FlussTools: A Python3 package for river analyses, including geo-spatial analyst functions, numerical model uncertainty assessments (fuzzy set based), lidar data processing tools, and database tweaks for the application of plants in restoration science. Sebastian maintains this repository together with former and current undergrad and grad students.
- River Architect: A Python-based back-end tool for river design and habitat enhancement with an extensive Wiki.
- Pydroscape: Basic Python3 tools primarily for (but not limited to) riverscape, sediment transport, geodata, and hydraulic analyses.
- Open Science: A repository that links to data and codes of published research.
- HY2OPT: A Python3 interface for the optimization of numerical models including pre- and post-processing (development stage - private access only - send an inquiry to learn more).
Awards and Distinctions
Sebastian is currently working on the following projects:
Accomplished scientific and other projects:
- Best available science analysis of Habitat Enhancement of the lower Yuba River (with University of California, Davis)
- Expertise for the revitalization of the Arbogne River, Fribourg, Switzerland
- Physical modelling optimization of a filter check dam at the Drance, Martigny, VS, Switzerland
- Rivermanagement: Sediment and habitat dynamics in Switzerland
- Restoration of the pumped storage hydro power station Happurg, Germany
- Physical model of the Rhône at Massongex for the installation of a run-of-river hydro power plant
- Preparation of the feasibility study for the Isimba hydro power plant in Uganda
Get more information or start a new project by sending an inquiry on the Contact form.Contact