In 2015, Sahar Haddadian came to the United States from Tabriz, Iran, to pursue her doctorate in coastal engineering. Inspired by her father, a civil engineer, Sahar always possessed a strong interest in engineering.
While working on numerical and experimental modeling of a dam break during her master’s, she realized she was more interested in the hydraulic parts of her research than the structural parts! From that moment, she changed the focus of her studies to coastal engineering where she could explore more challenging hydraulic problems and solutions.
She recently defended her thesis on Direct Numerical Simulation of Alongshelf Current-supported Turbidity Currents over Erodible Bed, during a Zoom presentation. “Alongshelf current-supported turbidity currents (ACSTCs) are one of the most important mechanisms contributing to sediment transport processes in mild-sloped portions of the continental shelves,” stated Sahar. She focused on the effect of various sediment settling velocity, erosion parameters, and associated density stratification on total sediment suspension, velocity structure, and turbulent characteristics of these turbidity currents over erodible bed.
Sahar’s defense brought people together in a special way. Under typical circumstances the only people in the room would have been her PhD advisors. Since it was conducted using Zoom, Sahar’s parents were able to watch from Iran, along with friends tuning in from Louisiana and Michigan. Congratulations on a successful PhD defense, Dr. Sahar Haddadian!