Chris Thornton
Director of the Engineering Center and Hydraulics Laboratory
Colorado State University
Chris is the Director of the Engineering Center and Hydraulics Laboratory at Colorado State University. He received his PhD in Hydraulics at Colorado State University and is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Colorado. He has over 20 years of experience in conducting hydraulic model studies and has specialized in steep slope, high energy, supercritical flow conditions and performing prototype performance tests on protective techniques. Chris and his team have recently developed tools to permit the interpretation and evaluation of overtopping hydraulics and protection systems associated with spillway and stilling basin design. Dr. Thornton teaches the Senior Design series for the graduating Civil and Environmental Engineering students and has authored and co-authored numerous papers and reports in the area of open channel hydraulics.