Small Fellowships Help Grad Student Make Big Waves in Beach Preservation

Feb. 24, 2025 - Even before he finished his doctorate at UC Irvine, Daniel Kahl’s research was making waves, forcing scientists and policymakers to rethink conventional wisdom about how beaches shrink over time. He has presented his findings to the US Army Corps of Engineers, members of congress, and various county and city officials, as they consider ways to combat coastal erosion and rising sea levels.

“People are seeing what’s happened to beaches in their lifetime, so they’re bringing a lot of energy to the issue,” says Kahl, a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering. “They want healthy beaches for their kids to enjoy, and I want the same thing, too.”

Kahl credits his successful research endeavors to small, high-impact grants and fellowships like the Dean’s Leadership Council Community Impact Fellowship and the La Verne Noyes Fellowship Award, which funded his master’s degree.

“I’m extremely thankful for those smaller scholarships because they gave me the opportunity to pursue research that makes a difference in our community, and they directly changed my life,” Kahl says.

It’s no surprise that Kahl, who loves surfing, spear fishing and lobster hunting, has spent most of his career committed to preserving Southern California’s shoreline. After earning a bachelor’s in marine biology from UC San Diego, he worked for an environmental consulting firm where he spent time boating, scuba diving and piloting drones to monitor the impact of coastal engineering projects on sealife. He was particularly intrigued by efforts to replenish sand at Southern California’s shrinking beaches – but realized he needed engineering expertise to truly answer his questions about these programs. Kahl connected with UC Irvine’s Brett Sanders, Chancellor’s Professor of civil and environmental engineering, and eventually joined Sanders’ UCI Flood Lab to embark on a master’s.

Kahl’s initial research focused on inland flood modeling, including an award-winning study showing that socioeconomically disadvantaged communities have disproportionately higher flood risks in Los Angeles County. When Kahl finished his degree, he started a job at an engineering firm. But on Kahl’s first day in the office, Sanders called: their grant proposal to NASA had been approved, providing $675,000 plus access to satellites to monitor coastal erosion over time.

Kahl returned to UC Irvine as a doctoral student, and developed a new model to explain how sands shift at Southern California’s beaches, and used satellite imagery to validate it. Previously believed to always flow south, sand actually travels north in many locations, he found. His research appeared in a peer-reviewed journal, and then garnered publicity across the region, attracting the attention of municipal officials and policy makers.

“Daniel’s experience and impact underscores the synergies at UC Irvine emerging between graduate education, research, and partnerships with communities,” says Sanders. “Our collaborative approach is a recipe for research that matters, not to mention the production of highly trained people who are capable of delivering effective solutions to the complex climate challenges we face today.”

As coastal communities grapple with disappearing beaches, Kahl and his expertise promise to remain in high demand.

“I like to think that there’s a way we can better manage our beaches. We have tools in our toolbox, but we need data and information about the situation along the coast so that we implement the most sustainable, sensible strategy,” Kahl says. “I’ve built my entire life around preserving coastal natural resources, and I’m grateful that UCI has helped me develop a skill set to continue addressing these pressing issues.”