Susanna Dazzi received her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at the University of Parma in April 2016. Her research activity aimed at improving the existing numerical tools for the numerical modelling of mixed flows (i.e. simultaneous occurrence of free-surface flow and pressurized flow in sewers, culverts or under bridges) with finite volume schemes. During her PhD studies, she also collaborated to two experimental investigations (the first concerning the impact of dam-break waves on obstacles, the second focusing on the development of an imaging technique for the water level measurement in laboratory) in the Hydraulics Laboratory of the University of Parma.
Since 2016, she has been working as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Parma. Her main research interest is the development and application of numerical models for flood simulations and flood hazard mapping. In particular, she is part of the research group that develops the PARFLOOD model, a GPU-accelerated code that solves the 2D shallow water equations with the Finite Volume method. Her contributions to PARFLOOD include: software programming, theoretical analysis, numerical scheme optimization, model validation, and applications to the simulation of engineering problems (river floods, dam-break scenarios, etc.), with special focus on levee-breach inundations. She is part of the work group of the RESILIENCE project (REsearch on Scenarios of Inundation of Lowlands Induced by EmbaNkment Collapses in Emilia-Romagna), financed by the Civil Protection Agency of Emilia-Romagna Region. She was also involved in other studies commissioned by the Po River Basin Authority (AdBPo) and the Interregional Agency for the Po River (AIPo), all concerning river flood modelling.