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The projects below are grouped into five research themes, from climate-resilient infrastructure design to foundational hydraulic engineering. Each section lists its own projects from most recent to earliest. Every entry includes a description, its funding agency, main collaborators, and outcomes, whether a published paper, a live web tool, or a technical report.
Research Themes
Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Design
Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Design
Don Valley following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)
RiskDRAIN: Climate-Informed Design Storms and Road Drainage Design Tool (2024-2026)
RiskDRAIN is a risk-based framework and interactive web tool that generates climate-adjusted design storms for road drainage infrastructure. It pairs a risk-based framework for selecting climate-informed design storms with an accessible interface, so practitioners can evaluate flood risk for highway drainage design directly online.
Funded by: Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO)
Main Collaborators: Dr. Rashid Bashir, Dr. Neil Tandon (York University)
Outcomes: Live tool: RiskDRAIN. Fereshtehpour, Bashir & Tandon (2026), "Development of an interactive web-based tool for flood risk analysis and climate-resilient road drainage design: RiskDRAIN," Environmental Modelling and Software. DOI: 10.1016/j.envsoft.2026.106867. Fereshtehpour, Bashir & Tandon (2025), "Risk-based framework to determine climate-informed design storms for road drainage infrastructure," Science of the Total Environment. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180427.
FrostCast: Cumulative Freezing Index and Maximum Frost Depth across Ontario (2025-2026)
This project calculates site-specific frost depth and cumulative freezing index values across Ontario for pavement and foundation design, using historical and projected climate data. Its output supports infrastructure decisions where frost penetration governs design depth, and feeds directly into transportation and geotechnical planning.
Funding Agency: Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO)
Main Collaborators: Dr. Rashid Bashir (York University)
Outcomes: Live tool: FrostCast.
Revisiting the Existing Historical and Projected IDF Curves for Urban Drainage Infrastructure (2025)
This project re-examines Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) curves used for urban drainage design in the City of Caledon under historical and projected climate conditions. It informs how the city's stormwater infrastructure standards should adapt to shifting rainfall intensities.
Funding Agency: City of Caledon, ON
Main Collaborators: Dr. Hadisegh Bolkhari (City of Caledon), Dr. M.R. Najafi, Dr. R. Javid, and Dr. Robiul Md. Islam (Western University)
Outcomes: Presented at Building for Tomorrow 2025 Conference (London, ON, Canada).
Impacts of Climate Change on the Climatic Factors Essential for the Design and Operation of Canadian Dams
This ongoing project investigates how climate change is altering the climatic factors, such as precipitation extremes and snowmelt timing, that govern the design and safe operation of Canadian dams.
Funding Agency: National Research Council Canada (NRC)
Main Collaborators: Dr. H. Shirkhani (NRC), Dr. M.R. Najafi, Jack Warden (Western University)
Outcomes: Warden, J.W., Fereshtehpour, M., Najafi, M.R., Shirkhani, H. (2025). Climate Change Uncertainties in Dam Design, Operation, and Management. In: Azimi, A.H., Robinson, C. (eds) Proceedings of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering Annual Conference 2024, Volume 9. CSCE 2024. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol 709. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-95107-7_16
Review of Best Practices in Stormwater Management
Toronto Water initiated this project in collaboration with Western University to determine the required capacity for the stormwater systems in the City of Toronto in order to meet future extreme events resulting from climate change. As part of this study, a comprehensive review of 10 jurisdictions of similar size to Toronto has been done, with the aim of identifying the best global practices currently in use.
Funding Agency: City of Toronto, Toronto Water
Main Collaborators: Toronto Water project team, Dr. M. R. Najafi (Western University)
Outcomes: Fereshtehpour & Najafi (2025), "Urban Stormwater Resilience: Global Insights and Strategies for Climate Adaptation," Urban Climate. DOI: 10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102290
Climate-Resilience of Dams and Levees and Estimation of Future Design Floods: A Review
This research project focuses on the design and resilience of dams and levees in the face of changing climate conditions. It emphasizes the need to consider potential failures and the exacerbation of flooding risks, as well as the importance of incorporating climate change data into flood estimation methods. We proposed a framework that aims to enhance the resilience of dams and levees by providing effective strategies for design and assessment across Canada.
Funding Agency: National Research Council Canada (NRC-OCRE-2022-TR-009)
Main Collaborators: R.M. Islam (lead author), Dr. Mohammad Reza Najafi (Western University), and co-authors from Western University and Environment and Climate Change Canada
Outcomes: Islam, Fereshtehpour, Najafi et al. (2024), "Climate-Resilience of Dams and Levees in Canada: A Review," Discover Applied Sciences, 6, 174. DOI: 10.1007/s42452-024-05814-4.
Illustrative image, generated with AI, not a photograph of an actual project site.
Hydraulic Sufficiency Report of Box Culverts in Northern Khorasan, Iran (2019-2020)
This project produced site-specific hydraulic sufficiency reports for box culvert bridges across Northern Khorasan, Iran. Each report checked the crossing against Iranian highway culvert standards (Publications 83, 260, 292-1, and 302), alongside USBR and Australian riprap-sizing guidelines for multi-barrel outlets. For each site, the analysis sized upstream and downstream scour protection under the 25-year and 50-year design floods. It selected riprap type, median stone size (d50), protective layer thickness, and apron length and width based on outlet velocity, water depth, and freeboard, and it accounted for the higher hydraulic loading that multi-opening culverts see compared to single-opening outlets. Each report also checked the structure's resistance to underseepage-driven piping with Bligh's creep theory and Lane's weighted-creep method. It computed the seepage path length along the culvert foundation from the structural drawings, compared the resulting creep coefficients against soil-specific thresholds, and cross-checked those results against borehole data from the accompanying geotechnical report.
I carried out the same hydraulic sufficiency analysis for several box culvert locations across the region. Since this was consulting engineering work delivered as technical reports rather than published research, the outcome for each site is the report itself rather than a journal paper.
Consulting company: Sepehran Dezh Pars Consulting Engineers
Climate Downscaling, Machine Learning, and Hydrology
Climate Downscaling, Machine Learning, and Hydrology
From the field to our models! Deeply appreciative of the field team's significant work to make this essential dataset possible. Images show iButton sensor retrieval in British Columbia (Daneil Yip, ECCC, September 2026).
HEATMAP: Machine Learning-Based Temperature Downscaling: Converting Macroclimate to Microclimate Conditions (2025-Present)
This project develops a machine learning framework that downscales macroclimate temperature data into fine-resolution microclimate predictions beneath forest canopies across western Canada. The model combines subcanopy sensor observations with an ensemble of boosted regression trees, LightGBM, and XGBoost. SHAP-based attribution identifies which landscape and canopy variables drive local temperature offsets. Two companion tools support the work: CRAFT for sensor data preprocessing, and the Microclimate Offset Explorer for visual inspection of the predicted offsets.
Funded by: Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
Main Collaborators: Dr. Diana Stralberg, Dr. Scott Nielsen, Dr. Andreas Hamann (University of Alberta); K. Konowalec, B. Casey (Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute)
Outcomes: Presented at CGU 2026 (Halifax, NS) and MEB 2026 (Montpellier, France [Download Poster]).
Machine Learning-Based Models for Flood Inundation Mapping: Impact of DEM Type and Resolution (Case Study of Carlisle, UK)
This project focuses on the impact of different types and resolutions of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) on the accuracy of flood inundation prediction using a deep learning method. The study uses a 1D convolutional neural network (CNN) trained with synthetic hydrographs and target data obtained from a 2D hydrodynamic model. The study shows that although using coarser resolution data can affect the accuracy of the CNN model, it still offers a practical and effective method for quickly predicting floods compared to traditional hydrodynamic modeling approaches.
Funding Agency: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy
Main Collaborators: Dr. Steven J. Burian (University of Utah)
Outcomes: Fereshtehpour, Esmaeilzadeh, Alipour & Burian (2024), "Impacts of DEM Type and Resolution on Rapid Flood Inundation Mapping Using a Deep Convolutional Neural Network," Earth Science Informatics. DOI: 10.1007/s12145-024-01239-0.
The associations between MEI and NAO indices and successive dry-wet and wet-dry events.
Relationship of Large-Scale Climate Patterns to Successive Floods and Droughts over Canada
This project identifies how large-scale, low-frequency climate variability modes shape the spatiotemporal pattern of successive hydro-hazards (floods and droughts that occur in close succession) across Canada. I completed it together with graduate student M.R. RahimiMovaghar, whom I mentored through the project.
Funding Agency: NSERC Discovery Grant
Main Collaborators: Dr. Mohammad Reza Najafi (Western University), M.R. RahimiMovaghar (Ph.D. candidate, mentored)
Outcomes: RahimiMovaghar, Fereshtehpour & Najafi (2024), "Spatiotemporal Pattern of Successive Hydro-Hazards and the Influence of Low-Frequency Variability Modes Over Canada," Journal of Hydrology, 634, 131057. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131057.
Impacts of Climate Change on the Hydrology of a Forested Watershed (Batchawana, Ontario, Canada)
This study assesses how climate change, land cover transition, and internal climate variability jointly affect the hydrology of a snow-dominated forested watershed in northern Ontario. It separates each driver's individual and combined influence on streamflow and snowmelt timing.
Funding Agency: NSERC Discovery Grant
Main Collaborators: Dr. Mohammad Reza Najafi (Western University), J. Leach, Y. Wang (M.Sc. student, mentored), A. Al Maharmeh (MEng student, mentored)
Outcomes: Fereshtehpour, Najafi, Leach & Wang (2025), "Quantifying the individual and combined influence of climate change, land cover transition, and internal climate variability on the hydrology of a snow-dominated forested watershed," Climatic Change. DOI: 10.1007/s10584-024-03848-6.
Compound Inland and Coastal Flood Hazards
Compound Inland and Coastal Flood Hazards
Compound Coastal Flooding in Light of Climate Change along Western North America
This project characterizes the drivers behind compound coastal flooding along the Pacific Northwest coast, where storm surge, wave setup, and heavy precipitation can combine to produce flooding more severe than any single driver alone. The analysis uses multi-model climate projections and copula-based statistical methods to assess how these interactions may shift under a changing climate.
Funding Agency: Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
Main Collaborators: Dr. Merce Casas-Prat (ECCC), J. Cousineau (NRC), Dr. M. R. Najafi (Western University)
Outcomes: Fereshtehpour, M., Casas-Prat, M., Najafi, M.R., & Cousineau, J., "Compound Coastal Flooding Drivers in the Pacific Northwest: Understanding Precipitation-Surge-Wave Interactions and Projected Changes" (revision submitted, Weather and Climate Extremes). Earlier results presented at EGU General Assembly 2024. DOI: 10.5194/egusphere-egu24-14796.
Visible satellite image of an atmospheric river bringing copious amounts of moisture from the tropical Pacific into the Pacific Northwest on Dec. 8, 2015. Image credit: NOAA, via BLM Oregon & Washington
Contribution of Atmospheric Rivers to future inland flooding Across Western North America
This project examines how atmospheric rivers contribute to compound inland flooding across western North America, and how their frequency and intensity are projected to change under a warming climate. I completed it together with graduate student A.V. Grgas-Svirac, whom I mentored through the project.
Funding Agency: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Main Collaborators: Dr. Alex J. Cannon (ECCC), Dr. M. R. Najafi and A.V. Grgas-Svirac (Western University)
Outcomes: Grgas-Svirac, Fereshtehpour, Najafi & Cannon (2026), "Assessing the Role of Atmospheric Rivers in Compound Inland Flooding Events across Western North America under a Changing Climate," Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. DOI: 10.5194/nhess-26-901-2026.
Risk maps of compound inland flooding across Canada under different warming levels. ROS refers to rain-on-snow and SEF denotes saturation-excess flooding.
Impact of Climate Change on Compound Inland Flooding over North America (2022-2025)
During my postdoctoral work at the HydroClimEx lab, my primary focus has been on investigating various causes of inland flooding in the context of climate change. One of my main tasks involves evaluating the role of internal climate variability in shaping future changes. To achieve this, I employ a Large Ensemble Regional Climate Model (CanRCM4-LE).
Learn more (📖-🎧)
Funding Agency: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Main Collaborators: Dr. Alex J. Cannon (ECCC), Dr. M. R. Najafi (Western University)
Outcomes: Fereshtehpour, Najafi & Cannon (2025), "Characterizing Compound Inland Flooding Mechanisms and Risks in North America under Climate Change," Earth's Future. DOI: 10.1029/2024EF005353.
Coastal Flood Risk Analysis under Non-Stationary Assumptions and Different Resolutions of Spatial Data (2013-2018)
My doctoral research analyzes coastal flood risk in Lower Manhattan, New York City, under nonstationary conditions. It examines how the resolution of spatial elevation data affects flood damage and vulnerability estimates.
Funding Agency: University of Tehran (doctoral research)
Main Collaborators: Dr. Mohammad Karamouz (University of Tehran, Ph.D. supervisor)
Outcomes: Karamouz & Fereshtehpour (2019), "Modelling DEM Errors in Flood Inundation and Damages: A Non-Stationary Approach," Water Resources Research, 55(8), 6606-6624. DOI: 10.1029/2018WR024562. Fereshtehpour & Karamouz (2018), "DEM Resolution Effects on Coastal Flood Vulnerability Assessment: Deterministic and Probabilistic Approach," Water Resources Research, 54(7), 4965-4982. DOI: 10.1029/2017WR022318.
Water Resources Risk, Policy, and Management
Water Resources Risk, Policy, and Management
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired these false-color images on March 28, 2019 [https://assets.science.nasa.gov/]
Special Reporting Committee on Iran Floods 2019
Following the widespread 2019 floods in Iran, I served as coordinator and researcher on a special reporting committee commissioned by the Office of the President of Iran and headed by the President of the University of Tehran. The committee produced a comprehensive national report organized into 15 working groups. I contributed to the Hydrology and Water Resources working group, together with the Flood Management Committee at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. My contribution there consisted of technical review and field investigation, which fed into the national assessment of the flood event.
Funding Agency: Commissioned by the Office of the President of Iran [Special Reporting Committee on Iran Floods 2019]
Main Collaborators: University of Tehran flood assessment team; Flood Management Committee, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
Outcomes: A comprehensive national report comprising 15 working groups; my contribution sits within the Hydrology and Water Resources working group.
Game Theoretic and Agent-Based Framework to Determine Flood Insurance Premiums (2019-2021)
This project develops an evolutionary stable strategy framework, grounded in game theory, to determine flood insurance premiums. It models how insurers' and policyholders' competing incentives converge on stable, risk-informed pricing.
Funding Agency: Iran National Science Foundation (INSF)
Main Collaborators: Dr. Kamran Davary (Ferdowsi University of Mashhad), M. Ashrafi, Z. Zarei Kolouei, B. Roghani
Outcomes: Fereshtehpour, Ashrafi, Zarei Kolouei, Davary & Roghani, "Game Theory in Flood Insurance: A Review and Practical Application" (under review, Discover Sustainability).
Investigation of the Impact of Floating Solar Panels on Water Bodies
This project assesses the factors that govern the use of floating solar systems on Iran's water infrastructure. It evaluates feasibility across a set of dam reservoirs and identifies the technical and environmental considerations that determine where floating solar deployment makes sense.
Funding Agency: Water Authority of Khorasan Razavi, Iran
Main Collaborators: R. Javid (Ferdowsi University of Mashhad), A. Farrokhi, E. Bahrami (Torbat University), E. Ebrahimi (Urumia University)
Outcomes: Fereshtehpour, Javid, Farrokhi, Bahrami & Ebrahimi (2021), "Evaluation of Factors Governing the Use of Floating Solar System: A Study on Iran's Important Water Infrastructures," Renewable Energy, 171(6), 1171-1187. DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2020.12.005.
Revisiting Master Plan for Zayandehroud River Pollution Reduction (2015-2016)
This project revisits the master plan for reducing pollution in the Zayandehroud River, Isfahan's principal river system, and identifies updated measures to address contamination sources along the river.
Funding Agency: Isfahan Department of Environment, Iran
Main Collaborators: Dr. Reza Kerachian, Dr. Mohammad Karamouz (University of Tehran)
Outcomes: Final technical report delivered to the Isfahan Department of Environment. It presents the revised master plan and recommended pollution-control measures along the Zayandehroud River corridor.
Foundational Hydraulic Engineering
Foundational Hydraulic Engineering
Experimental setup built from scratch at Isfahan University of Technology's Hydraulic Laboratory, used to study outflow from a circular pipe (jet-box) striking an internal hanging baffle wall (IHBW). The baffle dissipates additional flow energy; a Pitot tube measures the resulting velocity.
Experimental and Numerical Flow Modeling in Drop Manholes (M.Sc. Thesis)
My master's thesis investigates the hydraulic behavior of drop manholes in storm drainage systems, structures that carry flow down a vertical or near-vertical drop between sewer pipes at different elevations. The work combines a physical model built in the hydraulics laboratory with a three-dimensional numerical model developed in OpenFOAM, and it examines how an internal hanging baffle wall placed inside the drop shaft changes the flow pattern and dissipates energy compared to a plain drop structure. Results from the experimental and numerical models were compared directly against each other to validate the numerical approach for this class of structure.
Funding Agency: Isfahan University of Technology (master's thesis research)
Main Collaborators: Dr. M. R. Chamani and Dr. K. Asghari (Isfahan University of Technology, M.Sc. supervisor)
Outcomes: Fereshtehpour & Chamani (2020), "Flow characteristics of a drop manhole with an internal hanging baffle wall in a storm drainage system: numerical and experimental modeling," Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, 146(8), 04020022. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)IR.1943-4774.0001490. Fereshtehpour & Chamani (2020), "Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Flow over Drop with Upstream Circular Channel," Sharif Journal, 36.2(4.2), 101-109 (in Persian). DOI: 10.24200/J30.2020.54820.2678.
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