Lunch lecture deltares

Dr. Jing Zhao, from Deltares, will give a lunch lecture on 18th June, titled "Applying Mathematics to Real-World Challenges: My Work at Deltares". In this lunch lecture, she will (1) give a general introduction of Deltares, (2) talk about her work/projects at Deltares as an Applied Mathematician addressing real-life challenges, and (3) discuss opportunities for Master’s students, including internships and thesis projects at Deltares.

Below is more about her: She obtained her PhD in 2015, from the Numerical Analysis Group of the Department of Applied Mathematics at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). Her PhD work focused on the development of fast numerical solvers for wheel–rail contact problems in the railway industry.  

In the same year, after completing her PhD, she joined Deltares as a scientific software engineer. Her work focused on the development of Deltares’ scientific software, in particular Delft3D Flexible Mesh, which incorporates advanced numerical solvers for hydrodynamic modelling in rivers, lakes, oceans, etc. The software is used worldwide by governmental organizations, consulting firms, universities, and research institutes. It is applied to address a wide range of water-related challenges, including flood risk assessment, coastal protection, sediment transport, and water quality management.

Since 2024, she has shifted toward Scientific Machine Learning (SciML), where she participates the research on developing AI models, e.g. Graph Neural Networks–based models, as emulators of traditional numerical models for fast storm surge forecasting. Alongside this, she contributes to the development of Delft-FEWS (Flood forecasting and Early Warning System), by working on the configuration and related AI innovations. 

Moreover, she serves as a guest researcher at TU Delft, where she maintains a close research collaboration on topics including scientific machine learning (SciML) and fast numerical solvers. Through the supervision of PhD, Master’s thesis, and internship projects, she actively contributes to bridging academic research and practical innovation.

For more information about her, please visit her LinkedIn page here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jing-zhao-542bb775/

Note: after subscribing, showing up is mandatory! There are 72 spots only with first come first serve, priority will be given to students that sign up with their GEWIS account.