Summary
David Milan is a fluvial geomorphologist, and obtained his PhD in 2001 from the Department of Geography, University of Newcastle. Whilst writing up his PhD he worked as an Associate Lecturer in Fluvial and Glacial Geomorphology at the University of Northumbria, and in 2001 obtained a Lectureship in Physical Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Gloucestershire. In 2012 he moved to the Department of Geography, Geology and Environment at the University of Hull, where he is currently Reader in River Science. David recently completed an Institute of Advanced Study Fellowship (2020-21) at Collegium de Lyon, University of Lyon, France.
Journal Article
Hydro-geomorphological modelling of leaky wooden dam efficacy from reach to catchment scale with CAESAR-Lisflood 1.9j
Wolstenholme, J. M., Skinner, C. J., Milan, D., Thomas, R. E., & Parsons, D. R. (2025). Hydro-geomorphological modelling of leaky wooden dam efficacy from reach to catchment scale with CAESAR-Lisflood 1.9j. Geoscientific Model Development, 18(5), 1395-1411. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-1395-2025
Using geophysical subsurface data for the reconstruction of valley-scale spatio-temporal floodplain evolution: implications for upland river restoration
Schwendel, A. C., Milan, D. J., Pope, R. J., Williams, R., & Thompson, W. (2024). Using geophysical subsurface data for the reconstruction of valley-scale spatio-temporal floodplain evolution: implications for upland river restoration. Geomorphology, 466, Article 109459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109459
Working with wood in rivers in the Western United States
Ockelford, A., Wohl, E., Ruiz-Villanueva, V., Comiti, F., Piégay, H., Darby, S., Parsons, D., Yochum, S. E., Wolstenholme, J., White, D., Uno, H., Triantafillou, S., Stroth, T., Smrdel, T., Scott, D. N., Scamardo, J. E., Rees, J., Rathburn, S., Morrison, R. R., Milan, D., …Aarnink, J. (2024). Working with wood in rivers in the Western United States. River Research and Applications, https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.4331
How quickly does wood fragment in rivers? Methodological challenges, preliminary findings, and perspectives
Hortobágyi, B., Milan, D., Bourgeau, F., & Piégay, H. (2024). How quickly does wood fragment in rivers? Methodological challenges, preliminary findings, and perspectives. Earth surface processes and landforms : the journal of the British Geomorphological Research Group, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5877
Research interests
Dr Milan’s research lies at the interface between fluvial geomorphology and freshwater ecology, and focuses upon monitoring and modelling fluvial dynamics, with special emphasis on sediment transport and associated geomorphic processes in gravel bed and dryland river systems. His research has utilised remote-sensing and has applied LiDAR to assess river bed grain-size, high resolution topographic change, and river habitat. Dr Milan is also involved with applied research into geomorphologically-based Natural Flood Management, assessing impacts of climate change on fluvial systems, and monitoring the impacts of large dams on fluvial processes and fish habitat. Dr Milan has recently conducted work on large wood and carbon dynamics in rivers.
Lead investigator
Project
Funder
Grant
Started
Status
Project
Understanding floods from catchment to coast
Funder
NERC Natural Environment Research Council
Grant
£2,000.00
Started
1 January 2017
Status
Complete
Project
Remote sensing soil processes and health for improved Carbon sequestration
Funder
British Academy
Grant
£9,434.00
Started
1 December 2021
Status
Complete
Project
NERC Discipline Hopping: Quantifying the benefits of recent river restoration upon fish habitat in the Lake District, UK.
Funder
NERC Natural Environment Research Council
Grant
£9,872.00
Started
1 December 2022
Status
Complete
Project
Institute of Advanced Study Fellow
Funder
Collegium de Lyon Universite de Lyon
Grant
£24,806.00
Started
1 September 2020
Status
Complete
Co-investigator
Project
Funder
Grant
Started
Status
Project
Remote quantification of soil composition characteristics using an integrated hyperspectral remote sensing approach
Funder
NERC Natural Environment Research Council
Grant
£46,354.00
Started
1 November 2022
Status
Complete
Postgraduate supervision
David welcomes applications for PhD research in:
- Carbon sequestration in river catchments
- natural flood management
- geomorphic change detection using LiDAR
- geospatial analyses of river channel morphology and roughness
- sediment transport processes in gravel-bed rivers
-large wood in rivers
- siltation of salmonid spawning areas
- monitoring and modelling sediment pathways in river systems
Completed PhDs:
Shona Thomson - "Landscape evolution modelling of dryland rivers"
Jason Stopps - ("Sediment sources and delivery to ecological sensitive instream sites, River Lugg, Herefordshire, UK"
Andrew Parker "Sediment sourcing in a catchment heaviliy influenced by histric metal mining: a case study from the South Tyne, UK"
Current PhD supervisions:
Josh Wolstenholme - "Influence of Natural Flood Management (NFM) on fluvial geomorphologic evolution"
Serena Teasdale- "Sticky Coasts: Characterising the role of biological cohesion in modulating erosion in coastal fringe environments"