Dr. Oceana Francis joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in August 2012. Oceanaʼs previous appointment was as a post-doc at the International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She has a civil engineers license, and has skills that range from oceanography to structural engineering. She has spent a lot of time in Alaska working with Alaska Indigenous groups to help them sustain local towns.

Oceana has organized four expeditions (2003, 2004, 2007, and 2009) in the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea and seven expeditions in the Hawaiʻi region (2014, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), as well as working with satellite sea wave observations, numerical modeling, and laboratory experiments, with the goal of studying local sea wave conditions and their impact on developed and undeveloped environments.

Areas of Specialty and Research Interest:
Storm-generated ocean waves
Meteorological and ocean processes on coastal infrastructure
Sustainable coastal infrastructure and utilities affected by shifting weather patterns and water shortages
Planning, design, and construction of coastal infrastructure
Numerical and physical modeling, field measurements, and statistical analysis of ocean surface waves

Some research projects include:
(i) Compounding Risk and Mitigation Options for Building Infrastructure Experiencing Coastal Flooding-Related Saltwater Deterioration and Seismic Hazard
(ii) Development of a Nonlinear Reduced Order Modeling Framework For Marine Structures Operating in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic Regions
(iii) Evaluation of Sandsavers for Reduction of Erosion Rate and Shoreline Stabilization in Hawaiʻi
(iv) Computation of Lateral Erosion Rates for Coastal Road Program
(v) Assessment of County of Maui Coastal Roads for Effects of Climate Change, Sea Level Rise, and Shoreline Erosion
(vi) Coastal Modeling and Hardening Testing
(vii) Statewide Highway Shoreline Protection Program Study
(viii) Broadening Participation of Native Hawaiians for Engineering Faculty Careers

Professional Registration:
Professional Engineer (Civil), License No. 15223, State of Hawai‘i
Professional Engineer (Civil), License No. 11226, State of Alaska
FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate

Courses Taught:
CEE 320: Fluid Mechanics Fundamentals
CEE 421: Engineering Hydraulics
CEE 440/SUST 440: Vulnerability and Adaptation on Coastal Infrastructure
CEE 489B: Surveying & AutoCAD
CEE 489C: Ethics
CEE 489: Senior Design Project & Ethics
CEE 490: Senior Design Project
CEE 621/ORE 621/SUST 621: Coastal Flood Mitigation
CEE 622: Fluid Mechanics
CEE 624/ORE 624/SUST 624: Coastal Modeling
CEE 691: Seminar in Civil Engineering