Dr Soroosh Sharifi BSc, MSc, PhD

Lecturer in Water Engineering

• PhD in Civil Engineering, University of Birmingham, 2009
• MSc in Hydraulic Structures, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, 2006
• BSc in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, 2003

Dr Sharifi holds a BSc in Civil and Environmental Engineering (2003) and an MSc in Hydraulic Structures (2003) from Ferdowsi University of Masshhad. His PhD in Civil Engineering was undertaken at the University of Birmingham researching Applications of Evolutionary Computation in Open Channel Flow (2009). After completing his PhD studies he moved to the United States. Between 2010-13, Dr Sharifi was a post-doctoral scholar at the Catholic University of America, where he was working on several water and environment-related research projects. In September 2013 he returned to the University of Birmingham as a Lecturer in Civil Engineering.

In the last 10 years, Dr Sharifi has been conducting research on various topics in the field of Water and Environmental Engineering. He is interested in the following topics:

• Hydro-Informatics and Evolutionary Computation
• Inverse modeling
• Bayesian and Stochastic Modeling
• Environmental and Computational Hydraulics
• Experimental River Mechanics
• Stormwater Contaminant Fate and Transport
• Best Management Practice Spatial and Cost Optimization
• Contaminant Source Identification
• Computer Models of Watershed Hydrology

Current Teaching Programmes

• Water Resources Technology and Management Masters/MSc
  • Hydrology
  • Flooding and Water Resource Management
  • Groundwater Engineering
• Civil Engineering MEng/BSc
  • Civil Engineering research projects
  • Guided research
  • Industrial research

Dr Soroosh Sharifi is an academic researcher with a strong focus on the environmental implications of plastics and innovative approaches to addressing plastic-related challenges.

His research spans two critical areas:

• the transition to a circular plastics economy
• the removal of plastic pollutants from water systems

He has contributed significantly to research on the transition from linear to circular plastic economies, particularly in Africa. His work explores the role of digital innovations in creating sustainable plastic value chains. This includes investigating the impact of digital solutions in enhancing plastic waste collection, sorting, and recycling processes. His research highlights the importance of policy interventions, industry collaborations, and socio-economic factors in enabling the shift towards sustainable plastic management. Through cross-sectoral stakeholder engagement, Dr Sharifi has examined the barriers to circular economy adoption, including regulatory challenges, market dynamics, and corporate-state interactions. His findings stress the need for systemic changes, policy support, and technological integration to achieve a fully circular plastic economy, particularly in developing nations.

In addition to his work on circular plastics, Dr Sharifi has conducted pioneering research on the removal of microplastics from drinking water. His studies have assessed various filtration and treatment methods, including the use of ballasted flocculation techniques, to enhance microplastic removal efficiency. His work demonstrates that ballasted flocculation significantly outperforms conventional treatment methods, offering a promising solution for mitigating the impact of microplastics on human health and aquatic ecosystems. His research in this domain underscores the urgency of addressing microplastic pollution and the need for advancements in water treatment technologies.