About

Wernher Brevis is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC). He is an academic and researcher specializing in environmental and industrial fluid dynamics, complex fluids, turbulence, and fluid-structure interaction.  Dr. Brevis holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences (Fluid Dynamics) from the Universidad de Chile, completed in 2009 as a cooperative project with the University of Karlsruhe, Germany. He also earned his Civil Engineering degree with distinction from the Universidad de Concepción in 2001. Prior to his current role at PUC, which he assumed in August 2017, Dr. Brevis was a Lecturer in Applied Fluid Mechanics at The University of Sheffield in the UK from 2011 to 2017. Before that, he served as a Postdoctoral Researcher and Head of the Environmental Fluid Mechanics Division at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany. His academic leadership includes serving as the Head of the Ph.D. Program in Engineering and Technology at PUC from 2020 to 2023, and as an elected member of the Engineering School Council from 2020 to 2022. He has led several major research initiatives as a Principal Investigator, including projects funded by FONDECYT, FONDEQUIP, and EPSRC, focusing on fluid dynamics and interdisciplinary measurement systems. Additionally, he serves as an Associate Researcher for the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Disaster Risk, Resilience and Recovery (Cigiden R+). Dr. Brevis has been widely recognized for his teaching and academic contributions. He received the Most Inspiring Professor Award from his department at PUC in 2021, 2023, and 2025, along with the School of Engineering's Social Responsibility Award in 2021. He also holds an Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award from The University of Sheffield and a Best Reviewer Award from the Journal of Hydraulic Research. Beyond academia, he engages in public service as a member of the Water Resources Committee for Chile's Infrastructure Policy Council and contributes to the Ministry of Mining's Environmental Sustainability Board.

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