Dr Domenico Bau

School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering

Senior Lecturer

CIV Domenico Bau
Profile picture of CIV Domenico Bau
d.bau@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 0253
Room F115, Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)

Full contact details

Dr Domenico Bau
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Room F115
Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
Profile

My research helps to prevent water pollution and protect us from contaminants

Dr Domenico Bau

Domenico’s research explores computational methods of modelling the movement of fluids in the subsurface, such as groundwater, oil and gas, contaminant transport (including chemicals within fluids), and the mechanics of soil and fluid formations.

By understanding the characterisation of the area below the surface of the earth, its structure and how it behaves, his work can help prevent water pollution, protect us from contaminants, and reduce uncertainty and risk in the subsurface management.

Domenico has an undergraduate degree in Structural Engineering from the University of Padua, Italy, and a PhD in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University, USA. For his undergraduate and graduate studies, he developed numerical models to assess the environmental impact associated with the development of gas reservoirs and aquifers, and he designed remediation systems for the cleanup of contaminated groundwater plumes.

In his academic career, he has led research projects focusing on the design of systems for carbon geological storage, management of water supply from integrated aquifer-catchment systems, and characterisation of geomechanical parameters of gas reservoirs using land-surface deformation data.

Domenico joined the Department in 2014. His current research concentrates on subsurface hydrology, with a particular focus on: the development and use of computer models to simulate groundwater flow and reactive contaminant transport, as well as deformation in geologic formations due to fluid extraction.

He also focuses on the development of computational methods for characterising hydrogeological properties using field observations.

Publications

Books

  • (2016) . Springer International Publishing.
  • Bahrawi J, Fontane DG & Bau D (2010) Stochastic Analysis of the Impacts of Rainfall on Groundwater Recharge. VDM Verlag.

Journal articles

  • Sahoo M, Baù D & Thornton SF (2025) . Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 32(38), 22226-22237.
  • Mustafa O, Thornton SF, Bau D & Mahmmud R (2025) . Environmental Earth Sciences, 84(9).
  • Sahoo M, Bentley P, Smith A, Blackbourn P, Howarth K, Bau D & Thornton S (2025) . Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 32(9), 5293-5301.
  • Geranmehr M, Bau D, Mayer AS & Yu W (2025) . Groundwater, 63(2), 205-219.
  • Yu W, Baù D, Mayer AS & Geranmehr M (2024) . Advances in Geosciences, 64, 23-26.
  • Baù D (2024) . Journal of Hydrology, 642.
  • Yu W, Bau D, Mayer A, Mancewicz L & Geranmehr M (2023) . Water Resources Research, 59(10).
  • Kesserwani G, Ayog JL, Sharifian MK & Baú D (2023) . Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 149(5).
  • Baù D (2022) . Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 32.
  • Ayog JL, Kesserwani G, Shaw J, Sharifian MK & Bau D (2021) . Journal of Hydrology, 594.
  • Kesserwani G, Shaw J, Sharifian M, Bau D, Keylock C, Bates P & Ryan J (2019) . Advances in Water Resources, 129, 31-55.
  • Kesserwani G, Ayog J & Bau D (2018) . Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 342, 710-741.
  • González-Nicolás A, Bau D & Cody BM (2018) . Mathematical Geosciences, 50(5), 525-547.
  • Bekbauov B, Berdyshev A, Baishemirov Z & Bau D (2017) . Open Engineering, 7(1), 416-427.
  • Alzraiee AH, Bailey R & Bau D (2017) . Hydrological Processes, 31(7), 1527-1538.
  • Zoccarato C, Baù D, Bottazzi F, Ferronato M, Gambolati G, Mantica S & Teatini P (2016) . Geophysical Journal International, 207(1), 47-58.
  • Zoccarato C, Baù D, Ferronato M, Gambolati G, Alzraiee A & Teatini P (2016) . Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 121(3), 1441-1461.
  • Bau D, Alzraiee A, Zoccarato C, Gambolati G, Ferronato M, Bottazzi F, Mantica S & Teatini P (2015) . Environmental Geotechnics.
  • González-Nicolás A, Baù D & Alzraiee A (2015) . Advances in Water Resources, 86, 366-384.
  • Zoccarato C, Baù D, Bottazzi F, Ferronato M, Gambolati G, Mantica S & Teatini P (2015) . Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, 372, 351-356.
  • Cody BM, Baù D & González-Nicolás A (2015) . Hydrogeology Journal, 23(6), 1229-1245.
  • Bau D (2015) . International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 37, 99-214.
  • Baù D, Cody BM & González-Nicolás A (2015) . Computational Geosciences, 19(4), 781-789.
  • Baù D, Ferronato M, Gambolati G, Teatini P & Alzraiee A (2015) . International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, 39, 207-228.
  • Alzraiee AH, Baú D & Elhaddad A (2014) . Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions, 11(4), 4163-4208.
  • Alzraiee AH, Baù D & Elhaddad A (2014) . Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 18, 3207-3223.
  • Alzraiee AH, Bau DA & Garcia LA (2013) . Water Resources Research, 49(6), 3670-3684.
  • Crestani E, Camporese M, Baú D & Salandin P (2013) . Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 17(4), 1517-1531.
  • Crestani E, Camporese M, Baú D & Salandin P (2012) .
  • Bailey RT, Baù DA & Gates TK (2012) . Journal of Hydrology, 468-469, 188-202.
  • Baú DA (2012) . Water Resources Management, 26(9), 2513-2536.
  • Bailey RT & Bau D (2012) . Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions, 16(2), 287-304.
  • Baú DA & Lee J (2011) Multi-objective optimization for the design of groundwater supply systems under uncertain parameter distribution. Pacific Journal of Optimization, 7(3), 407-424.
  • Bailey RT & Baù D (2011) . Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 122(1-4), 104-121.
  • Bailey R & Baù D (2010) . Water Resources Research, 46(12).
  • Teatini P, Ferronato M, Gambolati G, Baù D & Putti M (2010) . Water Resources Research, 46(11).
  • Baú DA & Mayer AS (2008) . Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 100(1-2), 30-46.
  • Baú DA & Mayer AS (2007) . Advances in Water Resources, 30(8), 1815-1830.
  • Baú DA & Mayer AS (2006) . Advances in Water Resources, 29(12), 1901-1917.
  • Ferronato M, Gambolati G, Teatini P & Baù D (2006) . International Journal of Solids and Structures, 43(11-12), 3324-3336.
  • Baú D, Ferronato M, Gambolati G & Teatini P (2004) . Groundwater, 42(4), 516-525.
  • Baú D & Mayer AS (2004) , 1159-1170.
  • Ferronato M, Gambolati G, Teatini P & Baù D (2004) . International Journal of Geomechanics, 4(2), 79-92.
  • Ferronato M, Gambolati G, Teatini P & Baù D (2003) . SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, 6(06), 401-411.
  • Baú D, Ferronato M, Gambolati G & Teatini P (2002) . ³Òé´Ç³Ù±ð³¦³ó²Ô¾±±ç³Ü±ð, 52(8), 605-616.
  • Ferronato M, Gambolati G, Teatini P & Baù D (2001) . International Journal of Solids and Structures, 38(46-47), 8155-8169.
  • Baú D, Ferronato M, Gambolati G & Teatini P (2001) . International Journal of Geomechanics, 1(4), 459-475.
  • Baú D, Gambolati G & Teatini P (2000) . Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 81(22), 245-249.
  • Gambolati G, Teatini P, Baú D & Ferronato M (2000) . Water Resources Research, 36(9), 2443-2459.
  • Teatini P, Baú D & Gambolati G (2000) . Hydrogeology Journal, 8(5), 462-479.
  • Bau D, Gambolati G & Teatini P (2000) .
  • BAU D, GAMBOLATI G & TEATINI P (1999) . Environmental & Engineering Geoscience, V(4), 389-405.
  • Baú D, Gambolati G & Teatini P (1999) Residual land subsidence over depleted gas fields in the northern adriatic basin. ENVIRONMENTAL & ENGINEERING GEOSCIENCE, 5(4), 389-405.
  • Brown LM, Thornton SF & Baú D () . Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

Book chapters

  • Baù D & Hassan ASE-D (2016) , Advances in Water Resources Management (pp. 111-246). Springer International Publishing

Conference proceedings

  • Geranmehr M & Bau D (2024) . 15th International Conference on Hydroinformatics (pp 473-475), 27 May 2024 - 30 May 2024.
  • Geranmehr M, Baù D, Mayer AS, Mancewicz L & Yu W (2023)
  • Zoccarato C, Ferronato M, Gambolati G, Teatini P & Baù D (2016) . Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering: From the Past to the Future (pp 1171-1176)
  • Zoccarato C, Ferronato M, Gambolati G, Teatini P & Baù D (2016) Ensemble smoothing of land displacements and deep compaction for the geomechanical characterization of hydrocarbon reservoirs. ISRM International Symposium Eurock 2016 (pp 1171-1176)
  • Zoccarato C, Ferronato M, Gambolati G, Janna C, Teatini P, Alzraiee A & Baù D (2014) (pp 1229-1234)
  • Zoccarato C, Alzraiee A, Baù D, Ferronato M, Gambolati G, Janna C & Teatini P (2014) . Proceedings, 22 April 2014 - 24 April 2014.
  • Bailey RT & Bau DA (2010) INVERSE MODELLING OF HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY DISTRIBUTION BY ASSIMILATION OF RETURN FLOW DATA. PROCEEDINGS OF THE XVIII INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTATIONAL METHODS IN WATER RESOURCES (CMWR 2010) (pp 879-886)
  • Teatini P, Ferronato M, Gambolati G, Bau D & Putti M (2010) STOCHASTIC ANALYSIS OF THE VENICE UPLIFT DUE TO SEAWATER INJECTION INTO DEEP AQUIFERS. PROCEEDINGS OF THE XVIII INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTATIONAL METHODS IN WATER RESOURCES (CMWR 2010) (pp 534-541)
  • Bau D, Gambolati G & Teatini P (2000) Under-relaxed iterations for coupled finite element solution to gas and water dynamics in depleted reservoirs. Computational Methods in Water Resources Volume 1 Computational Methods for Subsurface Flow and Transport (pp 195-200)

Other

  • Sahoo M, Thornton S & Baú D (2025) .
  • Yu W, Baù D, Christelis V & Geranmehr M (2025) .
  • Geranmehr M, Bau D, Mayer A, Mancewicz L & Yu W (2025) .
  • Bau D, Yu W, Mayer A & Geranmehr M (2025) .
  • Williams G, Bowman E, Bau D & Banks V (2023) .

Preprints

  • Kesserwani G, Ayog JL, Sharifian MK & Bau D (2022) , arXiv.
  • Ayog JL, Kesserwani G, Shaw J, Sharifian MK & Bau D (2020) , arXiv.
Research group

Geotechnical Engineering

Groundwater Protection and Restoration

Grants

Efficient Surrogate Modelling for Sustainable Management of Complex Seawater Intrusion-Impacted Aquifers

This project is a collaboration between the Universities of Sheffield (UK), Texas at El Paso (USA), and South Florida (USA), and addresses the sustainable management of water resources in coastal regions with diverse geological, hydro-technical and governance settings under treats of climate change, sea level rise (SLR) and seawater intrusion (SWI).

PhD opportunities

Developing Efficient Model Surrogates For Water Resources And Subsurface Contaminant Management

The goal of this project is to investigate the use of model emulators (surrogates), that is, reduced versions of the full numerical model that require a fraction of its computational cost. Once developed, surrogates can be used to narrow down uncertainties affecting the full model response and derive better calibrated models in relation to the limited knowledge available.

Geomechanical Inverse Modelling And Uncertainty Quantification

The aim of this project is is to develop novel model surrogate techniques within data assimilation frameworks for estimation of the parameters of geomechanical simulators. The focus will be on data-driven surrogates, such as Gaussian process estimators, where the dimension of the parameter space is reduced by projecting it into a smaller subspace using principal component methods, such as the Karhunen-Loeve expansion.

Understanding And Quantifying The Risk Associated With Subsurface Fluid Injection

In this project, the students will learn to use either analytical or semi-analytical flow models, developed to simulate the spatio-temporal distribution of fluid ovepressure induced by CGS and the fluid leakage.

If you're interested in one of these projects, or would like to self-propose a project, please contact Domenico at the above email. Current PhD opportunities in the department can be viewed here.

Links

Water Engineering Discipline