Behzad Mozafari

Behzad is a postdoctoral research fellow in the NexSys project and a guest lecturer at University College Dublin (UCD). NexSys aims to identify pathways towards net-zero energy systems, and in this capacity, he is developing a Digital Twin framework for water resource recovery facilities.

He completed his PhD at UCD's School of Civil Engineering, developing physically-based and conceptual surface-groundwater models to synthesise and improve surface runoff dynamics in Irish peatlands, which are the most threatened ecosystems in Ireland. Throughout his career, Behzad has received numerous national and international awards and scholarships, including the UCD Sustainability Seed Funding (2024) and first place at the European Peatlands and Policies Mapathon (2024). He has also been selected as the national representative of Ireland in the Young Hydrologic Society for 2021-2024. Before joining UCD, he held a research position at the University of Strasbourg, France, and obtained his MSc and BSc degrees from Sharif University of Technology and Iran University of Science and Technology.

His research interests focus on hydrological, hydrogeological and environmental modelling, particularly addressing multi-faceted hydro-environmental challenges through computational methods, fieldwork, remote sensing, data-driven solutions and sustainable urban water systems. Prior to joining the NexSys project, Behzad worked as a researcher on various sustainability-related projects, including an inventory of available eco-hydrological datasets for Tanzanian watersheds, an international collaborative effort on seawater intrusion in fractured aquifers (with collaborators from the National Centre for Groundwater Research & Training and College of Science & Engineering, Australia, and the National School for Water and Environmental Engineering of Strasbourg, France), and an EPA-funded project on peatland hydrological modelling.

Behzad has (co-)authored multiple research papers and conference proceedings and regularly contributes as a reviewer to scientific journals. He delivers guest lectures and seminars in areas including Hydrological Modelling, Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Water Infrastructure. Furthermore, he is supporting multiple PhD and Master's students in their research initiatives.

Beyond academia, Behzad has a lifelong passion for music, playing over 25 musical instruments by ear and composing poetry.