Daniel G. Macdonald

Biography

Dr. Daniel MacDonald is a Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He received a Ph.D. in Oceanographic Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Joint Program in 2003,At UMass Dartmouth, Dr. MacDonald leads the Coastal Engineering and Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, which focuses research in a variety of areas related to coastal physics and engineering. Basic and applied research encompasses the areas of stratified hydrodynamics, turbulence and frontal dynamics—with specific emphasis on estuarine flows, river plumes, and industrial discharges. A significant research focus also lies in the area of renewable energy, including wave energy and the hydrodynamic aspects of other marine renewable technologies, and conventional hydropower.  He is also actively involved in the utilization of robotic platforms for environmental data acquisition in coastal and inland aquatic environments. Dr. MacDonald is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and American Geophysical Union.

Research Interest

  Environmental Fluid Mechanics, Turbulence and Mixing, River Plume Dynamics, Marine Renewable Energy, Environmental Data Collection with Autonomous Vehicles.