- Send email
- Doctoral Researcher Hub - E Building
Sai did her BSc (Blended) in Environmental Science from Savitribai Phule Pune University, India. During her final year, she did a year-long research internship at IISER, Pune, where she worked on the characterization and distribution of marine bivalves along the coasts of India and the Andaman Islands. She did an MSc in Applied Meteorology and Climate with Management from the University of Reading, UK.
In her MSc project dissertation, she collaborated with the Met Office to model Anthropogenic Heat Emissions, specifically examining the Unified Model Anthropogenic Heat Flux against Simple Dynamic Models. Sai is now pursuing a PhD, within the TechNGI Project, at Loughborough University and in collaboration with Willis Towers Watson (WTW).
Seeing Extreme Winds: Using Video Clips to Improve Wind Hazard Estimates for Risk Mitigation
Supervisors: Dr John Hillier, Dr Tim Marjoribanks, Dr Sarah Bugby
External: Dr Jonny Higham (University of Liverpool), Dr Daniel Bannister (Willis Towers Watson).
The insurance industry faces a main challenge in mitigating losses due to natural hazards, particularly the destructive impact of extreme winds in northwest Europe. While accurate wind velocity data is essential for refining catastrophe risk models and insurance schemes, the prohibitive cost of traditional instrumentation hinders effective data collection, particularly in urban areas. This gap hampers the development of tailored insurance products, limiting the capacity to offer personalized solutions.
To overcome this challenge, Sai's PhD research focuses on utilizing the innovative concept of 'Seeing the Wind', which utilizes short (up to 20 seconds) video clips of trees to generate high-resolution wind hazard maps, streamlining hazard assessment without relying on costly equipment. Initially, work builds on data from a pilot study. Furthermore, a campus-scale study is linked to Loughborough University’s weather station to create a local (micro-scale) map of wind hazards. Insurance companies can use these maps to fine-tune parameters, offering more accurate coverage. Therefore, this method helps establish a resilient community by advocating for proactive measures to mitigate risks.
TechNGI Project Website URL: https://www.techngi.uk/mini-college-of-doctoral-training/