Dr Antoifi Abdoulhalik
Research Fellow

Summary

I am currently a Research Fellow in Hydrology and Artificial Intelligence within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Brunel University London, and a Visiting Scientist at Queen’s University Belfast. My research lies at the interface of hydrology, hydrogeology, and artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on coastal groundwater management, seawater intrusion control, and machine-learning-driven hydrological forecasting.

I completed my PhD in Civil Engineering (Coastal Groundwater Hydrology) at Queen’s University Belfast in 2017, where I pioneered the concept of Mixed Physical Barrier (MPB) systems to mitigate seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers. Following my doctoral research, I have continued to advance interdisciplinary approaches that integrate data-driven modelling, AI/ML algorithms, and physically based hydrogeological principles to improve water resources management in both coastal and inland systems, particularly in data-scarce basins.

Since joining Brunel University in 2023, I have contributed to the WE-ACT (Water Efficient Allocation in a Central Asian Transboundary River Basin) project, where I led the development of AI-enhanced discharge forecasting, snow-hydrology modelling, and climate data downscaling frameworks during the initial research phase. My broader research interests include coastal groundwater management, subsurface physical barriers (addressing seawater intrusion, nitrate contamination, and sustainable groundwater abstraction), as well as the application of machine learning for integrated hydrological system management.

Beyond research, I actively engage in international collaboration and interdisciplinary capacity building, working closely with partners across Central Asia, Europe, and the UK. I have authored and co-authored several peer-reviewed publications in leading hydrology and environmental journals, and regularly contribute to scientific dissemination and the mentoring of early-career researchers. My current work aims to bridge physically based hydrological understanding with AI-driven predictive intelligence, advancing the transition toward sustainable, data-informed water management and digital-twin systems for complex basins worldwide.

Qualifications

Degrees

• PhD in Civil Engineering (Coastal Groundwater Hydrology; Title: The use of subsurface physical barriers to control seawater intrusion in heterogeneous coastal aquifers: Experimental and numerical study), Queen’s University Belfast, UK, 2017
• MSc in Civil and Environmental Engineering (Water Resources), Queen’s University Belfast, UK, 2014
• BSc in Civil Engineering, University of Cergy-Pontoise, France, 2012