Dr Clare Michelle Stephens

My Expertise

Hydrologic modelling

Climate change impacts on water resources

Ecohydrology

Biography

Clare is a post-doctoral researcher with the UNSW Water Research Centre. Her key interests are in hydrology and climate change, with a focus on ecohydrologic modelling and data analysis. She obtained her PhD from UNSW, researching the performance robustness of hydrologic models under climate change. Clare was selected as a Westpac Future Leaders scholar in 2016 and the Young Environmental Engineer of the Year (Engineers Australia) in 2015....view more

Clare is a post-doctoral researcher with the UNSW Water Research Centre. Her key interests are in hydrology and climate change, with a focus on ecohydrologic modelling and data analysis. She obtained her PhD from UNSW, researching the performance robustness of hydrologic models under climate change. Clare was selected as a Westpac Future Leaders scholar in 2016 and the Young Environmental Engineer of the Year (Engineers Australia) in 2015. Before starting her research career, Clare was a consulting engineer working on flood risk management and infrastructure design projects.

My Qualifications

PhD in Civil/Environmental Engineering
University of New South Wales (with research exchange at Columbia University NY), 2020

Chartered Professional Engineer and Member, Institute of Engineers Australia

Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) (Hons I)
University of Queensland (with exchange at Technische Universität Berlin, Germany), 2011

My Awards

2015 Young Environmental Engineer of the Year (Engineers Australia)
2016 Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship
2019 National Council of Women NSW Australia Day Award
2016/17 OzEWEX Summer Institute Scholarship – fully funded position for 6-week research program
2018 Best Presentation by a Young Professional, Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium
2018 Best Poster at UNSW School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Industry Engagement Day
2011 Program Prize for highest GPA in graduating class, BE (Environmental)

My Research Activities

My research focuses on:

Modelling water resources in a changing world
Dynamics of hydrologic variables
Model structure and parameter uncertainty under climate change
Water sector resilience
Application of different hydrologic data types

Publications:

Stephens, C. M., et al. (2020). "Is Past Variability a Suitable Proxy for Future Change? A Virtual Catchment Experiment." Water Resources Research 56(2): e2019WR026275.

Stephens, C. M., et al. (2019). "Investigating strategies to improve hydrologic model performance in a changing climate." Journal of Hydrology 579: 124219.

Stephens, C. M., et al. (2018). "Revisiting Pan Evaporation Trends in Australia a Decade on." Geophysical Research Letters 45(20): 11,164-111,172.

Stephens, C. M., et al. (2018). "Implications of future climate change for event-based hydrologic models." Advances in Water Resources 119: 95-110.