Prof. Dr. Dongfang Liang graduated in hydraulic engineering from Tsinghua University in China (BEng in 1998 and PhD in 2003). His PhD project involved the measurement of shallow water flows using the large-scale PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) and PLIF (Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence) techniques. He then widened his research experience by concentrating on numerical methods while working at the University of Western Australia and Cardiff University, both as a research associate. He joined the University of Cambridge in late 2006. He visited Kyoto University as a Matsumae International Research Fellow in 2012, TU Berlin as a Humboldt Research Fellow for Experienced Researchers in 2013–2015, and Deltares as a Marie Curie Fellow in 2016. He was a Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellow in 2015. His research topics include hydrodynamics, water engineering, hydro-environment, sediment transport, water/soil/structure interactions and flood risk management.