Professor Rob Brander
Professor, School of BEES, UNSW Sydney
Rob is a Professor in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES) at UNSW Sydney. While his background is in coastal geomorphology, his research interests and focus have moved into the field of beach safety. He has done considerable research on topics related to the rip current hazard and beachgoer knowledge and behaviour in relation to beach safety practice and hazards. Rob has been heavily involved in community beach safety education through his popular Science of the Surf (SOS) program, which has gained significant media attention and given him the nickname ‘Dr Rip’. He is the author of ‘Dr Rip’s Essential Beach Book’ and was a previous winner of an Australian Museum Science Eureka Prize for promoting community understanding of science. In January 2023, he was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to beach safety education and research. Rob is a member of the International Drowning Researchers Alliance (IDRA).
Research Interests:
Rip current hazard on beaches
Public understanding and awareness of coastal hazards
Beach safety education and prevention
Science communication and public outreach
Recent Beach Safety Related Publications (last 5 years):
Pastore, O.P., Blunden, A.W., Peden, A.E., Lawes, J.C., Brander, R.W. (2025). Evaluating public awareness and perceptions of emergency response beacons on beaches of New South Wales, Australia. Ocean & Coastal Management, 262: 107553 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2025.107553
Cook, B.R., Kamstra, P., Harrigan, N., Lawes, J., Brander, R.W., Bond, J., Kompas, T. (2024). Normative learning generates behaviour change: the case of drowning prevention. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 114: 104942. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104942
Cornell, S., Brander, R.W., Peden, A.E., (2024). Should land managers be doing more to avert social media-related injuries and fatalities at tourism hotspots? Current Issues in Tourism, 27(6): 833-837. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2023.2248349
Dehez, J., Castelle, B., Carayon, D., Peden, A.E., Brander, R.W. (2024). The role of surfers in beach safety management: insights from French respondents to a global surfer survey. Ocean & Coastal Management, 248: 106973 http://doi.org/10.1016/ocecoaman.2023.106973
Peden, A.E., Brander, R.W. (2024). Is further investment in shark management in New South Wales worthwhile? Surfer views on coastal public health issues. Injury Prevention, 48(3):100116 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anzjph.2023.100116
Shibata, M., Peden, A.E., Lawes, J.C., Wong, T.K., Brander, R.W. (2024). What is a shore dump? Exploring Australian university students’ beach safety knowledge and their perceptions of Australian beach safety signage. Safety Science, 170: 106366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2023.106366
Castelle, B., Dehez, J., Savy, J-P., Marieu, V., Lyser, S., Bujan, S., Carayon, D., Brander, R.W. (2023). Environmental controls on lifeguard-estimated surf-zone hazards, beach crowds, and resulting life risk at a high-energy sandy beach in southwest France. Natural Hazards, 120: 1557-1576 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-023-06250-0
Cornell, S., Brander, R.W., Roberts, A., Koon, W., Peden, A., Lawes, J.C. (2023). “I actually thought that I was going to die”: lessons on the rip current hazard from survivor experiences. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.785
Kamstra, P., Cook, B.R., Brander, R.W., Lawes, J.C., Calverley, H., Strugnell, G., Kiss, B., Bond, J., Daw, S. (2023). Evaluating the impact of skill development for drowning prevention: a relationship-building approach to community engagement. Injury Prevention, https://doi.org/10.1136/ip-2023-044921
Koon, W., Peden, A.E., Brander, R.W. (2023). Impact of a surfer rescue training program in Australia and New Zealand: a mixed methods evaluation. BMC Public Health, 23: 2193. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17057-2
Koon, W., Peden, A.E., Lawes, J.C., Brander, R.W. (2023). Mortality trends and the impact of exposure on Australian coastal drowning deaths, 2004-2021. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 47(2), 100034. https://doi.org/10.10.16/j.anzph.2023.100034
Koon, W., Brander, R.W., Alonzo, D., Peden, A.E. (2023). Lessons learned from co-designing a high school beach safety education program with lifeguards and students. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 34(1): 222-231. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.664
Koon, W., Brander, R.W., Dusek, G., Castelle, B., Lawes, J.C. (2023). Relationships between the tide and fatal drowning at surf beaches in New South Wales, Australia: implications for coastal safety management and practice. Ocean and Coastal Management, 238:106584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2023.106584
Willcox-Pidgeon, S., Miller, Ll, Leggat, P.A., Peden, A., Brander, R.W., Wilks, J., Franklin, R.C. (2023). The characteristics of drowning among different types of international visitors to Australia and how this contributes to their drowning risk. Australia New Zealand Journal of Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anzph.2023.100050
Brander, R.W., Williamson, A., Dunn, N., Hatfield, J., Sherker, S., Hayen, A. (2022). Evaluating the effectiveness of a science-based community beach safety intervention: the Science of the Surf (SOS) presentation. Continental Shelf Research, 241:104722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2022.104722
Kamstra, P., Cook, B., Brander, R.W., Lawes, J., Matthews, B., Calverly, H., Imperiale, A., Hooper, B. (2022). Awareness without learning: a preliminary study exploring the effects of beachgoers’ experiences on risk taking behaviours. Heliyon, e12186 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12186
Uebelhoer, L., Koon, W., Harley, M.D., Lawes, J.C., Brander, R.W. (2022). Characteristics and beach safety knowledge of beachgoers on unpatrolled surf beaches in Australia. Natural Hazards and Earth Systems Sciences, 22:909-926. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-909-2022
Woods, M., Koon, W., Brander, R.W. (2022). Identifying risk factors for beach drowning prevention amongst an Australian multicultural community. PLoS One, 17(1): e0262175 . https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0262175
Koon, W., Peden, A., Lawes, J.C., Brander, R.W. (2021). Coastal drownings: A scoping review of burden, risk factors, and prevention strategies. PLoS One, 16(2): e0246034 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246034
Lawes, J.C., Uebelhoer, L., Koon, W., Strasiotto, L., Anne, F., Daw, S., Brander, R.W., Mulcahy, N., Peden, A.E. (2021). Understanding a population: a methodology for a population-based coastal safety survey. PLoS ONE, 16(8): e0256202 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256202
Pitman, S.J., Thompson, K., Hart, D.E., Moran, K., Gallop, S.L., Brander, R.W., Wooler, A. (2021). Beachgoers’ ability to identify rip currents at a beach in situ. Natural Hazards and Earth Systems Sciences, 21:115-128. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-115-2021
Szpilman, D., Palacios Aguilar, J., Querioga, A.C.,…Brander, R.W., et al. (2021). Drowning and aquatic injuries dictionary. Resuscitation Plus, 5 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resplu.2020.100072
