Bridget Wadzuk, PhD

Edward A. Daylor Chair in Civil Engineering | Director of Sustainable Engineering | Director of Strategic Initiatives| College of Engineering Villanova University

  • Villanova PA

Bridget Wadzuk, PhD, is an expert in water resources engineering, environmental fluid dynamics, and stormwater wetlands

Contact

Villanova University

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Media

Social

Areas of Expertise

Water Resources Engineering
Stormwater Green Infrastructure
Stormwater Management
Rain Gardens
Environmental Fluid Dynamics

Biography

Dr. Wadzuk is a good interview source for stories about water resources, environmental problems caused by stormwater runoff, and the research that is being done to better design and construct systems that will prevent, alleviate and resolve the conditions that engender water pollution, flooding, erosion and other challenges.

Education

The University of Texas at Austin

PhD

The University of Texas at Austin

MS

Villanova University

BS

Select Accomplishments

2024 Villanova University Outstanding Faculty Research Award

Presented by the Office of the Provost, the award honors faculty members who demonstrate the highest standards of excellence in their research, scholarship and contributions to their field. Dr. Wadzuk was recognized for her work in water resources engineering and green stormwater infrastructure, most notably her research on the evapotranspiration process from green roofs and bioretention.

Select Media Appearances

Villanova University Rain Garden Shows 20-year Success at Soaking Up Stormwater Runoff

WHYY  online

2024-05-05

Rain gardens could be part of the solution, according to recent Villanova University findings. After more than 20 years of monitoring, researchers say the university’s rain garden has effectively soaked up stormwater and prevented pollution from entering waterways.

“Overall, what we ended up seeing is that the system can manage a lot of the water that’s coming in off the watershed. And we’ve seen that it’s been able to consistently do that over time,” said researcher Bridget Wadzuk, associate director of the Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems.

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A Green Infrastructure Research Lab Grows at Villanova

U.S. News & World Report  online

2019-09-13

The U.S. continues to set new marks for the rainiest months on record. Green stormwater infrastructure—such as rain gardens and bioswales that allow rain to sink into the ground—is a strategy to help decrease the frequent flooding urban areas face after heavy rain. I am part of a research team at Villanova University's College of Engineering that has been studying green stormwater infrastructure on our campus for more than 20 years. By Bridget Wadzuk, PhD, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Villanova University

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Phila. Roofs are Sprouting Greenery

Philadelphia Inquirer  online

2015-04-22

Villanova researchers are looking at drainage scenarios, and learning that "green roofs often have more storage capacity than we are taking advantage of," said Bridget Wadzuk, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. The finding could lead to new drainage structures that will bring down the cost "and make green roofs an even more attractive option for storm-water management," she said.

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Research Grants

National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation Grant

National Science Foundation

2023

The team has been awarded this grant for the installation and upkeep of a unidirectional sediment-feed tilting flume. The device will serve a wide scope of hydrology research projects and experiments for Villanova researchers as well as national and international partners in academia, water utilities and engineering firms.

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PFI:BIC Self-Learning Algorithms for Advancement of Smart Stormwater Green Infrastructure Systems

National Science Foundation

2014-2018

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Select Academic Articles

A Complete Water Balance of a Rain Garden

Water Resources Research

M. W. McGauley, A. Amur, M. Shakya, and B. M. Wadzuk

2024

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Predicting the performance of green stormwater infrastructure using multivariate long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network

Journal of Hydrology

Md Abdullah Al Mehedi, Achira Amur, Jessica Metcalf, Matthew McGauley, Virginia Smith, Bridget Wadzuk

2023

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Understanding the Role of Evapotranspiration in Bioretention: Mesocosm Study

Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment

Wadzuk, Bridget M., John M. Hickman Jr, and Robert G. Traver

2014

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