1337758
Associate Professor
Prasanna Egodawatta
Faculty of Engineering,
School of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Biography
Dr Prasanna Egodawatta is a senior lecturer in Water/Environmental Engineering at Queensland University of Technology. He has over fifteen years of experience in both industry and academia. The main foci of Prasanna’s academic contributions are in following areas.Water Engineering:
Hydrology and open channel hydraulics;
Hydraulic and hydrologic modelling; and
Resilience and risk based water management.
Environmental Engineering:
Urban water pollution;
Water treatment and reuse;
Use of statistical and multivariate analytical techniques in environmental data analysis;
Water sensitive urban design; and
Water quality modelling.
Academic Activities and Leadership
Prasanna has been actively engaged in engineering education. He has completed two QUT Teaching and Learning research projects and one Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) Innovation and Development (I&D) project in relation to improving flexibility and facilitating use of technology in laboratory based education. Prasanna is currently teaching in following areas:
- Fundamentals in fluid mechanics
- Open channel hydraulics
- Engineering Hydrology
- Water sensitive urban design
Prasanna has published extensively in the fields of environmental science and environmental engineering with key focus on urban hydrology, stormwater quantity and water quantity & quality modelling. Over 75% of his journal publications are in Q1 ranked journals according to SCIMago Journal Ranking. He has co-supervised over 15 Doctoral and Research by Masters students to completion.
Prasanna was the Higher Degree Research Director for the School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences for the period from July 2015 to Jan 2017. This is an administrative role for managing around 120 higher degree research (HDR) students. He also served a member of Research Degree Committee (RDC) representing Science and Engineering faculty from 2015 to 2017. RDC is a University Council committee established to manage research degrees (Masters of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy) in QUT.
Prasanna has been served as an external examiner for more than 10 Doctoral and Masters by Research thesis projects from national and international institutions. He has been engaged as a reviewer for a number of journals including, Water Research, Environmental Modelling and Software and the Science of the Total Environment.
Experience and Involvements
Prasanna has received over $600k in research funding for a number of research projects, including an ARC funded Linkage project. Selected set of projects are as listed below:
- Review of Performance of Holcim Jellyfish filter in Mackay/South East Queensland conditions; Client: Holcim (Australia) Pty Limited (Humes).
- Testing of SPEL Environmental product performance – Ormiston; Client: SPEL Environmental Pty Ltd.
- Water sensitive urban design (WSUD) application auditing (Applied Research Project); Client: Gold Coast City Council.
- ARC Linkage project: Adaptation of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) to climate change, changing transport patterns and urban form; Industry partners: Gold Coast City Council and Department of Transport and Main Roads, Queensland.
- Evaluating the performance of water sensitive urban design (WSUD); Industry partners: Gold Coast City Council and Department of Environment and Resource Management, Queensland.
- Stormwater quality modelling at Port of Brisbane; Industry partner: Port of Brisbane Corporation.
Personal details
Positions
- Associate Professor
Faculty of Engineering,
School of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Keywords
Stormwater Pollution, Stormwater Treatment and Reuse, Urban Hydrology, Water Quality Modelling, Water Sencitive Urban Design, Water System Resilience
Research field
Civil engineering, Environmental engineering
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- PhD (Queensland University of Technology)
Teaching
Dr Prasanna Egodawatta is teaching following units:
- EGB371 – Engineering Hydraulics
- EGH471 – Advanced Water Engineering
- EGH400-1 & EGH400-2 Civil Engineering Thesis Projects
Experience
Contributions to Knowledge
Dr Prasanna Egodawatta has made significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge in relation to stormwater quality modelling. His has contributed significantly to the development of state-of-the-art pollutant processes models; application of processes models in enhanced modelling tools and development of enhanced methodologies for calibration and uncertainty assessment of models.
Prasanna has contributed extensively to the knowledge bases in relation to the processes and pathways of urban toxic pollutants such as heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. His research contributions include classification and quantification of toxic pollutants from urban sources, and developing methodologies to predict heavy metals and hydrocarbon contributions based on catchment and traffic characteristic. His recent research work significantly enhanced the knowledge in relation to the assessment of risks posted by toxic pollutants in urban stormwater.
Prasanna’s research outputs also extend the understanding of the factors influencing physical and chemical characteristics of stormwater pollutants, leading to an in-depth understanding of stormwater chemistry and pollutant transformations.
Prasanna has pioneered the application of multivariate analysis techniques and use of statistical tools for the analysis of large and complex databases derived from urban water quality research. Prasanna has also contributed significantly to the development of novel approaches for enhanced stormwater quality management.
Industry Engagements
(1) Review of Performance of Holcim Jellyfish filter in Mackay/South East Queensland conditions (Client: Holcim (Australia) Pty Limited).
(2) Testing of SPEL Environmental product performance – Ormiston (SPEL Environmental Pty Ltd.)
(3) Water sensitive urban design (WSUD) application auditing (Applied Research Project) (Gold Coast City Council)
(4) ARC Linkage project: Adaptation of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) to climate change, changing transport patterns and urban form (Industry partners: Gold Coast City Council and Department of Transport and Main Roads, Queensland)
(5) Evaluating the performance of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) (Industry partners: Gold Coast City Council and Department of Environment and Resource Management, Queensland)
(6) Stormwater quality modelling at Port of Brisbane (Industry partner: Port of Brisbane Corporation)
The project evaluated port specific land uses for stormwater pollution based on their pollutant generation and wash-off characteristics.
Read more
Dr Prasanna Egodawatta has made significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge in relation to stormwater quality modelling. His has contributed significantly to the development of state-of-the-art pollutant processes models; application of processes models in enhanced modelling tools and development of enhanced methodologies for calibration and uncertainty assessment of models.
Prasanna has contributed extensively to the knowledge bases in relation to the processes and pathways of urban toxic pollutants such as heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. His research contributions include classification and quantification of toxic pollutants from urban sources, and developing methodologies to predict heavy metals and hydrocarbon contributions based on catchment and traffic characteristic. His recent research work significantly enhanced the knowledge in relation to the assessment of risks posted by toxic pollutants in urban stormwater.
Prasanna’s research outputs also extend the understanding of the factors influencing physical and chemical characteristics of stormwater pollutants, leading to an in-depth understanding of stormwater chemistry and pollutant transformations.
Prasanna has pioneered the application of multivariate analysis techniques and use of statistical tools for the analysis of large and complex databases derived from urban water quality research. Prasanna has also contributed significantly to the development of novel approaches for enhanced stormwater quality management.
Industry Engagements
(1) Review of Performance of Holcim Jellyfish filter in Mackay/South East Queensland conditions (Client: Holcim (Australia) Pty Limited).
- The project was a comprehensive performance assessment of Jellyfish filter for Queensland climate conditions by translating performance characteristics from Florida USA and using data obtained from a detailed monitoring program.
- The project outcomes helped obtaining conditional approval for installation of Jellyfish filter in Local Council regions.
(2) Testing of SPEL Environmental product performance – Ormiston (SPEL Environmental Pty Ltd.)
- The project is a comprehensive performance assessment of SPEL Stormscak and StormFilter for Queensland climate conditions using data obtained from a detailed monitoring program.
- This is to obtain conditional approval to install SPEL Stormscak and StormFilter within Local Council regions.
(3) Water sensitive urban design (WSUD) application auditing (Applied Research Project) (Gold Coast City Council)
- This project was to assess condition of stormwater treatment systems and organizational strategy within Gold Coast City Council (GCCC) in relation to water sensitive urban design (WSUD) implementations.
- The project enabled direct communication with GCCC WSUD working group, enabling effective transfer of recommendations for supporting policy changes.
(4) ARC Linkage project: Adaptation of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) to climate change, changing transport patterns and urban form (Industry partners: Gold Coast City Council and Department of Transport and Main Roads, Queensland)
- The project developed methodologies to predict changes in future air quality and stormwater quality due to changes in transport patterns and urban form
- The recommendations the project include strategies for adaptation of water sensitive urban design to climate change, changing transport patterns and urban form.
(5) Evaluating the performance of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) (Industry partners: Gold Coast City Council and Department of Environment and Resource Management, Queensland)
- The project involved performance auditing of water sensitive urban design treatment trains under South East Queensland climatic conditions.
- The project developed conceptual models to replicate hydraulic and water quality treatment characteristics of stormwater wetlands and bioretention systems.
(6) Stormwater quality modelling at Port of Brisbane (Industry partner: Port of Brisbane Corporation)
The project evaluated port specific land uses for stormwater pollution based on their pollutant generation and wash-off characteristics.
Publications
- Ma, Y., Liu, A., Egodawatta, P., McGree, J. & Goonetilleke, A. (2017). Quantitative assessment of human health risk posed by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urban road dust. Science of the Total Environment, 575, 895–904. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/103132
- Mahappu Kankanamalage, B., Egodawatta, P., McGree, J. & Goonetilleke, A. (2016). Assessing uncertainty in stormwater quality modelling. Water Research, 103, 10–20. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/222334
- Amarasinghe, P., Liu, A., Egodawatta, P., Barnes, P., McGree, J. & Goonetilleke, A. (2016). Quantitative assessment of resilience of a water supply system under rainfall reduction due to climate change. Journal of Hydrology, 540, 1043–1052. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/222183
- Nanayakkara Mummullage, S., Egodawatta, P., Ayoko, G. & Goonetilleke, A. (2016). Sources of hydrocarbons in urban road dust: Identification, quantification and prediction. Environmental Pollution, 216, 80–85. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/221464
- Gunawardana, C., Egodawatta, P. & Goonetilleke, A. (2015). Adsorption and mobility of metals in build-up on road surfaces. Chemosphere, 119, 1391–1398. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/79647
- Gunawardana, C., Egodawatta, P. & Goonetilleke, A. (2014). Role of particle size and composition in metal adsorption by solids deposited on urban road surfaces. Environmental Pollution, 184, 44–53. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/63301
- Mutunacharige Amarawickrama Gu, J., Egodawatta, P., Ayoko, G. & Goonetilleke, A. (2013). Atmospheric deposition as a source of heavy metals in urban stormwater. Atmospheric Environment, 68, 235–242. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/218752
- Gunawardana, W., Goonetilleke, A., Egodawatta, P., Dawes, L. & Kokot, S. (2012). Source characterisation of road dust based on chemical and mineralogical composition. Chemosphere, 87(2), 163–170. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/49070
- Egodawatta, P., Thomas, E. & Goonetilleke, A. (2009). Understanding the physical processes of pollutant build-up and wash-off on roof surfaces. Science of the Total Environment, 407(6), 1834–1841. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/26519
- Egodawatta, P., Thomas, E. & Goonetilleke, S. (2007). Mathematical Interpretation of Pollutant Wash-off from Urban Road Surfaces using Simulated Rainfall. Water Research, 41(13), 3025–3031. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/8736
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Prasanna, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Filter publications:
A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/p.egodawatta
Selected research projects
- Title
- Adaptation of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) to Climate Change, Changing Transport Patterns and Urban Form
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP0882637
- Start year
- 2008
- Keywords
- Stormwater Quality; Urban Water Quality; Water Sensitive Urban Design; Transport Impacts; Climate Change Impacts; Stormwater Infrastructure
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Current supervisions
- Application of Specialised Field Scale Monitoring for Groundwater Recharge and Salinisation Processes in the Burdekin River Delta, North Queensland, Australia
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Lucy Reading - Detection and remediation of PFAS in water and Sediments
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Professor Godwin Ayoko, Adjunct Professor Ashantha Goonetilleke, Associate Professor Wayde Martens - Ecohydrological Monitoring at Springbrook
MPhil, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Lucy Reading - Granular Bioreactor Systems as a Breakthrough Solution for PFAS Management
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Yang Liu - Identification and quantification of persistent pollutants in the environment
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Professor Godwin Ayoko, Adjunct Professor Ashantha Goonetilleke, Associate Professor Wayde Martens - Integrated Digestate Management in Wastewater Treatment: Phase-Specific Approaches for Enhanced Resource Utilisation and Energy Recovery
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Yang Liu - IoT-Enabled Smart Sensing for Climate Change Monitoring
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Lucy Reading - Modelling of microplastic transport and dispersion from terrestrial to aquatic environments
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Professor Godwin Ayoko, Adjunct Professor Ashantha Goonetilleke, Professor James McGree - Modelling Simultaneous partial Nitrification Anammox and Denitrification (SNAD) processes within biofilters
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Professor Ana Deletic, Dr Buddhi Wijesiri, Professor David McCarthy - Physics-Informed Deep Learning-Based Distributed Hydrologic Modelling Using High-Resolution Data
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Buddhi Wijesiri, Dr Zhongzheng Wang, Professor James McGree
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Advanced Fiber Interfaces (2026)
- Estimating Rainfall Losses Using Physical Catchment Characteristics (2025)
- Fate and distribution of per and poly fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the urban environment (2024)
- Developing an Economical and Reliable Real-Time Warning System for Rainfall-Induced Individual Landslides (2022)
- Influence of Water-Sediment Interactions and Land Use on the Mobility and Bioavailability of Heavy Metals in Urban Waterways (2022)
- Influence of Physico-Chemical Properties of Biosorbents on Heavy Metal Removal from Industrial Wastewater (2020)
- Transformation and Degradation of Organic Pollutants on Urban Road Surfaces (2020)
- Modelling Pollutants Leaching from Recycled Construction Materials (2019)
- Optimisation of Climate Change Adaptation for Urban Stormwater Management (2019)
- A Framework for Determining Rainfall Parameters for Stormwater Quality Treatment System Design (2018)
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
Supervision topics
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.