Associate Professor
Contact Information: Email / Website
Office: Williamson Hall
Education: Ph.D. Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota, 2012
Areas of Interest / Research:
- Mathematical Modeling of Coastal Landscape Evolution
- Moving Boundary Problems in Earth Sciences
- Interconnections between Coastal Geomorphology, Ecology, and Human Activities
- Quantitative Approaches in Geomorphology and Stratigraphy
Dr. Jorge Lorenzo-Trueba's research program aims to uncover the fundamental controls shaping the formation and evolution of coastal morphology and stratigraphic architecture. Coastal zones are among Earth’s most dynamic regions, marked by rapid and continuous change. Despite their vulnerability to natural hazards, these areas attract significant human settlement and development. Advancing our understanding of the processes that build and reshape coastal environments is not only a scientific endeavor but also a societal necessity, as these insights inform strategies for managing and preserving coastal regions.
Through an integrative approach that combines numerical modeling with field and laboratory data, my research investigates a range of coastal environments, including barrier islands, fluvial deltas, mangroves, and marshes, with an emphasis on long-term evolution over decades to millions of years. He is particularly interested in examining how human activities impact coastal evolution, from deliberate engineering interventions to unintended consequences of land-use changes. Understanding the long-term dynamics of coupled natural and human coastal systems is especially relevant to Florida, where cycles of rapid development and storm-driven destruction have shaped the state’s coastal landscape over the past century.