Dr. Adrian Butler

Biography

Adrian Butler is a Professor in Subsurface Hydrology within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London. He has key teaching responsibilities, lecturing on groundwater flow and contaminant transport for both undergraduate and master's degree students. As Course Director for the Hydrology and Water Resources Management MSc course, he focuses on education and research related to subsurface flow and transport processes and their environmental impacts. His research interests primarily involve measuring, analyzing, and modeling these processes, with particular emphasis on Chalk aquifers found in Southern England. He has conducted significant research on groundwater recharge processes and the transport of contaminants, utilizing a variety of geophysical modeling techniques. Additionally, Butler is actively addressing the challenges of groundwater resource development influenced by climate change, including critically studying the impacts of groundwater abstraction in the High Plains aquifer in the USA and its implications for irrigation practices. His research extends to health impacts related to water salinity in developing countries, collaborating with colleagues in the School of Medicine's Department of Epidemiology. He is also involved in a project with Queen’s University Belfast (SALINA) that focuses on innovative management strategies for saline intrusion in coastal aquifers. As a principal investigator for a major project funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), he is leading efforts under the Community Water Management for a Liveable London (CAMELLIA) initiative, which aims to promote sustainable water management solutions in response to urban growth demands in London.

Research Interests