Alvaro Semedo is a certified hydrographer and an experienced researcher specializing in coastal oceanography, ocean wave dynamics, and climate change. He has a strong academic background in postgraduate education and an extensive international career, having worked and lived in several countries.
Before joining IHE Delft, Dr. Semedo served as a hydrographer and researcher in the Portuguese Navy. During his naval career, he also acted as an advisor to the Portuguese Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs. Notably, he served as the Dean of Postgraduate Studies at the Portuguese Naval Academy for over seven years, where he coordinated several MSc programs, including the MSc in Navigation and Geomatics.
Currently, he coordinates the European Union-funded Erasmus Mundus Master’s program in Coastal Hazards, a joint postgraduate initiative involving institutions from the Netherlands (IHE Delft), Portugal (University of Algarve), and Spain (University of Cantabria). Dr. Semedo has also led and participated in numerous academic capacity-building projects in Asia and Africa, working in collaboration with universities and research institutions worldwide.
After completing a double master’s degree in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography at the Naval Postgraduate School in the United States, Dr. Semedo earned his PhD from Uppsala University in Sweden.
His research interests include wave climate and coastal oceanography. He has contributed to various initiatives, such as the WCRP-JCOMM COWCLIP (Coordinated Ocean Wave Climate Project), where he served on the scientific steering committee.
Throughout his academic career, Dr. Semedo has supervised five PhD students and over 20 MSc students. He is currently a full-time faculty member at IHE Delft, where he holds the position of Associate Professor in Coastal Oceanography.
Publications
A complete list of publications can be found in Google Scholar.