Ulrich Ofterdinger

The overarching theme of my research activities is the characterisation of complex geohydrological and environmental systems across multiple scales with an emphasis of better understanding the underlying governing processes and the potential impacts to the environment and human health.  

My Research Interests include:
    - Fractured Bedrock Hydrogeology
    - Catchment Hydrology/Hydrogeology
    - Hydrogeophysics
    - Isotope Hydrology/Geochemistry
    - Risk Assessment of Unconventional Oil & Gas Extraction
    - Environment & Human Health / Medical Geology
    - Bioaccessibility of Potentially Harmful Elements
    - Contaminant Fate & Transport / Numerical Modeling
    - Hydrogeological Aspects of Geothermal Energy Systems
    - Sustainable Finance
 
Current and recent Consortium Research Projects across the above areas with partners from across the UK, Ireland and the EU as well as Brazil, sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia have been supported by National (e.g., NERC, RAEng, British Council/UK, EPA & SFI/RoI) and International Research Funders (e.g. EU Horizon2020 & EuropeAid, NSF/USA, CONFAP & FAPESP/BR).

** Check out our recent book in the Special Publication Series of the Geological Society of London ! **

PhD in Hydrogeology (Dr. sc.nat.), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH, Zürich (CH)

Diploma (BSc & MRes) in Applied Geology, Christian-Ahlbrechts-Universität, Kiel (FRG) & Universiteit Gent, Ghent (B)

Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching (PGCHET), Queen's University Belfast, Belfast (UK)

My teaching activities include the coordination and delivery of both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching modules as part of the School's Civil Engineering Programmes as well as specific MSc programmes. I am furthermore Course Director for the MSc Environmental Engineering Programme.

Current and Recent Teaching Activities at QUB include:
    - Engineering Hydrology & Hydrogeology
    - Land, Water & Air Quality
    - Site Characterisation
    - Computer Modelling of Contaminant Transport
    - Environmental Engineering
    - Design and Communications
    - Introduction to Renewable Energy Technologies
    - Construction Materials  - Soils


Examples of External Teaching Activities include:

Supervisor, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Scholarship Programme Project: Using nuclear technology for environmental safety and sustainable development of water resources in Borjomi region, Georgia, November 2009

Using Environmental Isotopes for Evaluation of Streamwater/ Groundwater  Interactions in Selected Aquifers in the Danube Basin, IAEA Regional Training Course RER8016, 28/06 – 02/07 2010, Sofia & Belene (Bulgaria)

Hydrologic and Hydrogeologic Modelling with the Use of Isotope Techniques in Water Resources Management, IAEA Regional Training Course RAF8048 - Building Capacity in Support of Regional and Sub-Regional Water Resources Planning, Development and     Management in Africa, 07/10 – 12/10 2013, Sfax, Tunisia

Geohydrology Short Course - Numerical Groundwater Modelling Theory and Practical, 8-10 May 2017, Geological Society of South Africa, Nelson Mandela University, South Africa

Current Topics in Groundwater Geophysics, Summer School at Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, 29/01 - 02/02/2018

Shale Gas in the Global South - Negotiating Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts across the Karoo Basin, Workshop at Nelson Mandela University, South Africa, 18/02 - 22/02/2019

Administrative Teaching Roles include:
Programme Director MSc Environmental Engineering, Queen's University Belfast
Programme Director for International Student Exchange Programmes, Civil Engineering, Queen's University Belfast
External Examiner for MSc Applied Environmental Geology Programme, University College Cork