Dongfang Liang graduated in hydraulic engineering from Tsinghua University in China (BEng in 1998 and PhD in 2003). His PhD project involved the developed of large-scale PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) and PLIF (Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence) techniques for shallow flow measurements. When working as a research associate, first in the University of Western Australia and then in Cardiff University, he widened his research by concentrating on numerical modelling of local scour phenomena and flash floods in urban environments. He became a University Lecturer in Civil Engineering Fluid Mechanics at Cambridge since 2006. He is also a Fellow and Director of Studies of Churchill College.