Flood & Catchment Modelling
Catchment-scale TUFLOW, HEC-RAS 2D and integrated hydrological modelling to define flood mechanisms, constraints and resilient responses.
AECOM · PRINCIPAL WATER RESOURCES ENGINEER
Complex water systems,
made resilient.
Dr. Hao Wu is a Principal Water Resources Engineer at AECOM who combines catchment-scale modelling, practical infrastructure design and digital automation for complex, high-consequence water projects. With more than 21 years of experience, he turns uncertainty into clear, defensible decisions for communities and critical infrastructure.
Auckland, New Zealand
MEngNZ · progressing toward CPEng
Flood risk · water infrastructure · digital delivery
21+ yearsWater, coastal and civil engineering
50+ projectsMajor coastal and maritime infrastructure
150+ projectsNew Zealand land-development delivery
PhD · MEngNZResearch depth and professional practice
Professional focus
Engineering insight, from catchment to coast.
Integrated modelling, practical design and digital workflows—from a single site to a regional water system.
Stormwater & Civil Design
Practical stormwater systems, overland-flow paths and Three Waters design that balance consent requirements, constructability and long-term performance.
Coastal & Water Infrastructure
Advanced numerical and physical modelling for coastal processes, ports, protection works and critical water infrastructure.
Selected experience
Water-resources leadership for growth and resilience.
Current New Zealand delivery is underpinned by two decades of modelling, design and research across major infrastructure.
New Zealand growth & approvals
Led catchment-scale hydraulic modelling and stormwater strategy for nationally significant residential, industrial and regional-growth projects.
- Developed and defended TUFLOW models through rigorous independent peer review.
- Tested terrain, storage, discharge and future-climate scenarios to support resilient design and regulatory approvals.
- Integrated floodplain, overland-flow and Three Waters considerations into practical development strategies.
Subdivision & Three Waters
Delivered civil infrastructure design across 150+ New Zealand residential and land-development projects, including stormwater, rainfall analysis and consent support.
HEC-RAS 2D delivery
Led 2D hydraulic assessments for major residential developments, integrating terrain refinement, structures, 1D/2D networks and sensitivity testing.
Coastal & maritime infrastructure
Directed numerical and physical modelling across 50+ major coastal and maritime projects, including deepwater platforms, ports, tunnels and coastal restoration.
Recognition & research
Technical depth with an independent record.
Research, software development and recognised contributions that strengthen practical engineering judgement.
Qualifications & professional standing
PhD in Coastal and Offshore Engineering, supported by master’s and bachelor’s degrees in engineering. Hao is a Member of Engineering New Zealand and is actively progressing toward Chartered Professional Engineer certification.
- PhD, Coastal and Offshore Engineering
- Member of Engineering New Zealand (MEngNZ)
- Principal Water Resources Engineer, AECOM
Awards, research & software
Recipient of First Prize awards in Ocean Engineering Science & Technology and Surveying & Mapping Science & Technology, and a Second Prize in Natural Resources Science & Technology Progress.
- Peer-reviewed journal and conference publications
- Patented experimental methodologies
- Multiple engineering and geospatial software copyrights
Integrated hydraulic modelling
Defensible models for complex water systems.
Hao brings together TUFLOW, HEC-RAS 2D and InfoWorks ICM with GIS, LiDAR processing and fit-for-purpose automation. His modelling integrates rainfall, runoff, pipe networks, rivers, overland flow and tidal conditions to support risk reduction, growth planning and resilient asset decisions.
Model strategyFit-for-purpose extents, terrain preparation, data integration and scenario design for large study areas.
Flood intelligenceAnalyse 1D/2D interactions, flood pathways, hydraulic structures and exposure under future-climate conditions.
Decision confidenceTranslate robust testing and peer-review-ready results into practical design, planning and investment evidence.
Digital engineering
Tools that make modelling work harder.
Software and automation designed to shorten the path from spatial data to trusted engineering insight.
Digital engineering & automation
From geospatial data to scalable simulation.
Hao builds practical tools that remove repetitive modelling work, improve quality assurance and make technical insight easier to share—from QGIS workflows and distributed simulation scheduling to Civil 3D automation.
A distributed simulation scheduler with a NAS-based state machine, cross-node task queues, monitoring and zero-install synchronisation for enterprise IT environments.
Technical documentation →An open-source Python toolkit for streamlined TUFLOW workflows, terrain processing and GIS automation.
Explore on GitHub →Purpose-built tools include a TP108-aligned peak-flow calculator and a Civil 3D Dynamo drainage SOQ automator for quantities, trench volumes and depth classification.
View Dynamo case study →Working approach
One delivery lens: model, design, automate.
From model to action
Every assessment starts with the decision it must support: understand the system, test meaningful scenarios, apply sound engineering judgement and communicate the result clearly. Modelling, design and automation are used together—not as separate services—to move complex projects toward confident action.