Julian Leyland is a Professor of Physical Geography, specialising in sediment dynamics and 
geomorphological change across river, coastal and deltaic systems. His research focuses on 
quantifying sediment fluxes, seabed evolution and shoreline retreat under accelerating sealevel rise and extreme events. Through the integration of repeat topographic and 
bathymetric survey, Earth observation and morphodynamic modelling, he provides robust 
evidence on coastal erosion, sediment budgets, and nearshore change to inform spatial 
planning and long-term risk management. He has led the development of stakeholderinformed sediment management planning systems in large deltaic environments, linking 
physical processes with ecosystem resilience and socio-economic risk to support integrated 
marine spatial planning across the land–sea interface. Julian is Director of Environmental 
Sensing at Southampton (ES@S), a cross-university research and enterprise facility deploying 
multibeam sonar, autonomous surface vehicles, UAV–LiDAR and satellite analytics to 
characterise dynamic coastal and marine environments and underpin adaptive, evidence-led 
marine governance