The research and development of UrbanBEATS spans several international universities and a team of over 20 active researchers. We collaboratively work on various interdisciplinary research projects that either:
- Involve the creation of new algorithms and modules for UrbanBEATS
- Apply UrbanBEATS in some form to a case study or a research problem
- Address an urgent research need that eventually leads to the creation of new model features
Let us introduce ourselves!
Core Developers
The programmers and tinkerers of the model code and its testing and demonstration, always looking for new cool ways to build the software for a wide user base and always confusing each other with code additions! The core development team sits within the broader research consortium.
 | Peter M. Bach – Lead Researcher & Developer (UrbanBEATS) |
 | Martijn Kuller – Lead Researcher & Developer (SSANTO) |
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Veljko Prodanovic |
The Research Consortium
The broader research consortium comprises several different international research groups and work either independently or collaboratively on different aspects of UrbanBEATS’ development.
Switzerland
Three research institutes in Switzerland are actively working on UrbanBEATS’ development. It is also where both lead developers Peter and Martijn are based. Key focal topics include: planning of blue-green infrastructure, analysis of spatial connectivity and urban development modelling, algorithms for decentralised water infrastructure and urban flooding and biodiversity analysis.
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 Max Maurer Urban Water Management (Eawag) Institute of Environmental Engineering (ETHZ) |  João P. Leitão Urban Water Management (Eawag) |
 Giulia Donati Urban Water Management (Eawag) |  Natalia Duque Villarreal Urban Water Management (Eawag) |
 Janine Bolliger Swiss Federal Institute WSL |
Australia
UrbanBEATS’ development began in Australia and we still have an active team of researchers working on the model. Currently the R&D team spans three Universities. Key focal topics include: Stormwater systems planning, quantity and quality management, planning of Blue Green Infrastructure, future-proofing of small towns, demonstration and application of UrbanBEATS in the Australian context.
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 Ana Deletic Science & Engineering Faculty Queensland University of Technology (QUT) |  David T. McCarthy Dept. Civil Engineering Monash University |
 Kefeng Zhang Research Associate Water Research Centre University of New South Wales |  Anna Lintern Lecturer Dept. Civil Engineering Monash University |
 Luke Shi PhD Candidate Dept. Civil Engineering Monash University |  Megan Farrelly Associate Professor School of Social Sciences Monash University |
 Cintia Dotto Senior Sustainability Office (Climate Change) City of Melbourne |  Behzad Jamali Hydrologist/Flood Engineer WMAwater |
Canada
Canada recently joined the R&D Team through a collaboration on the case study of Troi-Rivières, Quebec. We are working together on enhancing the stakeholder engagement capabilities and multi-criteria decision-making aspects of the model.
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 Peter Vanrolleghem Professor, Chair modelEAU, Faculty of Science & Engineering Université Laval |  Danielle Dagenais Professor, Chair Landscape & Environment Université de Montréal |
 Françoise Bichai Assistant Professor Dept. Civil, Geological, Mining Engineering Polytechnique Montréal |  Roxane Lavoie Assistant Professor Planning, Architecture, Art & Design Université Laval |
 Morgane Bousquet PhD Candidate modelEAU, Faculty of Science & Engineering Université Laval |  Sandrine Lacroix Masters Candidate Dept. Civil, Geological, Mining Engineering Polytechnique Montréal |
Austria
Early developments on UrbanBEATS were in close collaboration with our colleagues at the University of Innsbruck. Some key research areas involving the model include: integration of water supply and urban drainage, Blue Green Infrastructure and modelling bioclimatic conditions.
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 Wolfgang Rauch Professor, Head of Institute Unit of Environmental Engineering University of Innsbruck |  Manfred Kleidorfer Professor Unit of Environmental Engineering University of Innsbruck |
 Robert Sitzenfrei Professor Unit of Environmental Engineering University of Innsbruck |  Yannick Back PhD Candidate Unit of Environmental Engineering University of Innsbruck |
The Netherlands
Our collaborators in The Netherlands are involved in a wide variety of topics on the research and development of UrbanBEATS, in particular the modelling of decentralised wastewater infrastructure planning, transition pathways and simulation of the total urban water cycle and the urban microclimate in a spatially explicit manner.
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 Lisa Scholten Assistant Professor Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management TU Delft |  Frans van de Ven Associate Professor Civil Engineering and Geosciences TU Delft |
Past Students
Research on UrbanBEATS has provided the opportunity for a number of student projects. Below is a list of past students who have participated and completed their respective thesis (Bachelor, Masters, PhD).
| Adam Castonguay Desmond Manuelpillai Dharshi Hasthanayake Hary Setya Budhi James Le Jarrod Luxton Jenson Seaw Jonathon Hampshire Lihao Yuan | Markus Sitzmann Ravi Moorthy Severin Staalesen Shuchen Hsu Spencer Browne Stefan Kitanovic Xinyun Zhang Zihua Li |