Dr. Navid Tahvildari is an Associate Professor in the Department of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Florida International University since January 2025. He earned his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University and subsequently, joined the Environmental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory at Stanford University as a postdoctoral scholar. Prior to joining FIU, Dr. Tahvildari was an associate professor and the Director of Coastal Engineering Institute at Old Dominion University.
Dr. Tahvildari’s research interests involve understanding the dynamics of wave and flow in the natural and built environment with the aim to increase the resiliency of coastal communities. Specifically, he is interested in hydrodynamics of storm surges and waves and their interaction with the natural and man-made features, using nature-inspired solutions to mitigate coastal erosion, storm surge, and wave hazards, and urban compound flooding.

In the area of flood hazards, Tahvildari’s research group has,

• Applied hydrodynamic and wave models to simulate storm surge flooding of coastal transportation infrastructure, quantifying the effects of sea level rise.
• Improved urban compound flood prediction by coupling hydrodynamic surge models, rainfall, and hydraulic models for stormwater infrastructure, signifying the influence of backwater effects on inland flooding in low-lying areas.
• Developed machine learning models to predict coastal flooding.

In the area of coastal mitigation solutions, Tahvildari’s research involves,

• Application of regional-scale hydrodynamic models to quantify the role of coastal marshes in storm surge and wave reduction.
• Development and application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to evaluate the role of nature-based solutions, like marshes, seagrass beds, and living shorelines in wave attenuation.
• Field observation of wave and current attenuation and changes in sediment transport by living shorelines.

Dr. Tahvildari’s other research areas include dynamics interfacial waves and internal tides in stratified flows. Dr. Tahvildari’s research has been supported by NSF, NOAA, NASA, local and state public agencies, and private sector.
Teaching interests and experience include fluid mechanics, probability and statistics, coastal hydrodynamics, sediment transport, coastal engineering, and environmental fluid mechanics.