For more than 50 years, Dr. Alex McCorquodale P.E., P.Eng., has applied his vast experience in hydrology to solving challenges in rivers, lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico. As Senior Technical Advisor at the Institute, McCorquodale brings his expertise to bear on selected projects and in mentoring younger researchers.
He holds a Ph.D. in Hydraulic Engineering from the University of Windsor, Canada. His Bachelors’ degree in Civil Engineering is from the University of Western Ontario where he was awarded the Board of Governors Medal in 1962. He is an Athlone Fellow and obtained a M.Sc. in Fluid Mechanics from the University of Glasgow. He also has a Diploma in Fluvial Geomorphology from Colorado State University. Professor McCorquodale taught hydraulic engineering for 30 years at the University of Windsor before joining the University of New Orleans in 1996 as the FMI Chaired Professor in Environmental Modeling. Prior to that he worked as a hydraulic engineer for H.G. Acres, Consulting Engineers, Niagara Falls, Canada. He is a past director of the Great Lakes Institute at the University of Windsor.
He retired from University of New Orleans in 2018 and is now Professor Emeritus in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New Orleans.
His research interests include physical and numerical modeling of environmental and hydrodynamic processes involving: Riverine and coastal flows, water and waste water treatment systems, transient flows in pipelines and water distributions systems and shore protection. He has developed 2 and 3-D hydrodynamic and mass transport models for complex flows. His wastewater treatment models have been applied in Canada, United States, Australia and Europe. He has published more than 100 refereed articles. He is a co-author of the IAWQ reference book on secondary clarifiers and the Water Environment Federation Manual of Practice on Settling Tanks.
His recent work has involved modeling of the Lower Mississippi River and proposed diversions as well as the development of hydrologic and water quality models for the Pontchartrain and Barataria Estuaries. He supervised field studies and numerical modeling of the pathogens in storm water discharges that impacted the shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain. He has also been involved in riverine and lake modeling as a part of the Ontario Source Water Protection program. He has conducted 1-D and 3-D modeling of several waste water outfalls in the Great Lakes and the Connecting Channels.
He is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario and the State of Louisiana and has over fifty years of experience as a hydraulic engineering consultant to engineering firms and government agencies in Canada, the United States and Australia.