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Biography
I am a native of Yorkshire, England where I was born in 1952. My initial education was at Kelvin Hall, a technical grammar school located in Kingston upon Hull. For my university education, I relocated to Norwich and attended the University of East Anglia, graduating in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science in the Environmental Sciences, with First Class Honours.
I stayed on at UEA for my doctoral studies on secondary currents and streambank erosion at meander bends, publishing my first journal paper in 1975. My doctoral work was published in the journal 'Nature' in 1977, and I was awarded my PhD in 1978. I first visited the USA that year, travelling across the country and visiting universities and government research centers, including the USDA-ARS National Sedimentation Laboratory (NSL) and the US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station (WES), both in the State of Mississippi. In 1979 I was invited to return to the USA, spending a year as a Visiting Researcher studying bank stability at the NSL, with funding provided by the Vicksburg District, USACE as part of the 'Section-32' bank stabilization project. During this time a second paper of mine was published in 'Nature'.
In 1981, I accepted the post of Associate Professor in the School of Civil Engineering at Colorado State University, joining the team then led by Dr Daryl B. Simons. In 1985, I switched to an Affiliate Professor post at CSU, continuing my research on gully erosion and river mechanics there and having a third paper published in 'Nature', In 1985 I was appointed to the post of 'Lecturer' at the University of London, Queen Mary College (QMC). During 1988 and 1989, I returned to Vicksburg as a Visiting Scientist at WES, working on fluvial processes and their management in the Mississippi and Red Rivers. In 1990, I was promoted to the rank of 'Reader' at QMC.
Also in 1990, I was awarded the established Chair of Physical Geography at Nottingham University, the post I still hold; now as an Emeritus Professor. While at Nottingham, I have taught Geography and researched in wide variety of projects concerned with river science, river engineering, and flood risk management. During my three periods of sabbatical leave from Nottingham I was, respectively, a Visiting Professor at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand (1998), a Visiting Scientist with the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Office in Santa Rosa CA (2008), and a collaborating researcher with the Portland District, US Army Corps of Engineers (2013). I also continued my affiliation with CSU and developed new affiliations with Tsinghua University (China) and Portland State University (USA). In 2021, I retired from employment at Nottingham University and relocated to Vancouver WA, where I now reside. I remain research active at Nottingham University and am a co-Investigator on the NERC-funded research consortium studying the 'Economics of Biodiversity'.
My professional career now spans over 50 years. I have studied large rivers on five continents (including the Thames, Mississippi, Missouri, Columbia, Rio Grande, Mekong, Brahmaputra, Ganges, Indus, Danube, Parana, San Juan, Awash, and Clutha) and advised governments and river agencies on sustainable approaches to river management and restoration, nationally and internationally. My contributions to knowledge have been recognised through award of the American Society of Engineers' Collingwood Prize and the Royal Geographic Society's Back Award for policy-related research. I have published extensively and my work has over 20,000 citations (H-Index = 72 and i10-index = 182). In retirement, I remain professionally active and I undertake consultancy, both in the UK and USA. I also continue my long-term research on the Lower Mississippi River and the Toutle-Cowlitz drainage system at Mount St Helens, WA. My aim is to apply novel river and environmental science in ways that inform policy, support innovative restoration design and implementation, and promote 'Engineering with Nature' in ways that protect people and infrastructure, while increasing biodiversity & building resilience in our rivers, floodplains and wetlands.
Expertise Summary
My academic degrees from UEA are in Environmental Science, with a focus on Fluvial Geomorphology.
My first academic post at Colorado State University was in the Department of Civil Engineering.
I have advised National and Local Governments and other responsible authorities on Flood Risk Management.
I have been heavily involved for decades in River Restoration and have lately developed some expertise in Biogeomorphology.
Teaching Summary
Portland State University (USA)
Professional Certificate in River Restoration - I teaching on core and advanced courses and convene the Advanced certificate.
Tulane University (USA)
I teach on climate change and river restoration.
Research Summary
UKRI
Economics of Biodiversity - https://www.ukri.org/what-we-do/browse-our-areas-of-investment-and-support/economics-of-biodiversity/
US Army Corps of Engineers
Future River Analysis and Management Evaluation (FRAME) - https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/publications/future-river-analysis-and-management-evaluation-frame-tool
Bonneville Power Administration (USA)
Columbia River Tributaries Technical Team - which advises the Tributary Habitat Steering Committe on restoration of tributary streams within the interior Columbia Basin to support recovery of salmon populations diminished due to operation of hydropower dams on the Columbia River.
Recent Publications
COLIN R THORNE, 2020. Blue-Green Cities: Integrating Urban Flood Risk Management with Green Infrastructure Thomas Telford.
LYLE W ZEVENBERGEN and COLIN R THORNE, 1987. Quantitative Analysis of Land Surface Topography Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 12(1), 47-56