Staff profile

2022 - present: Professor, Department of Geography, Durham University

2016 - 2022: Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Durham University

2011 - 2016: Lecturer, Department of Geography, Durham University

2007 - 2011: Post-Doctoral Research Associate, School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow.

2003 - 2006: PhD, ‘Grain-scale approaches to modelling and measuring fluvial sedimentology and bedload transport’, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. Awarded October 2007.

Research Interests

My research interests are primarily in the area of fluvial geomorphology, with a particular focus on sediment transport. I use a combination of numerical modelling and field measurements to quantify sediment and flow processes. In both approaches I am interested in the application of new techniques, for example the use of Cellular Automaton models, CT scanning and Terrestrial Laser Scanning, and 3D printing. A key focus of my research is the way in which small scale processes upscale, for example the way in which the properties and interactions of sediment grains affect sediment flux at the reach scale. I am happy to be contacted about possible PhD projects in these areas.

• 2022: Gordon Warwick Medal: I was awarded the Gordon Warwick Medal by the British Society for Geomorphology for excellence in geomorphological research by someone within 15 years of being awarded their doctorate.

Chapter in book

• Hodge, R. (2017). Sediment processes in bedrock-alluvial rivers: Research since 2010 and modelling the impact of fluctuating sediment supply on sediment cover. In D. Tsutsumi, & J. Laronne (Eds.), Gravel-bed rivers : process and disasters (639-670). Wiley

Journal Article

• Chen, J., Hodge, R. A., Jamieson, S. S., & Stokes, C. R. (online). Distribution and Morphometry of Large Supraglacial Channels on Five Antarctic Ice Shelves. Journal of Glaciology, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2024.99
• Ferguson, R. I., Hardy, R. J., Hodge, R. A., Houseago, R. C., Yager, E. M., & Yamasaki, T. N. (online). Predicting flow resistance in rough‐bed rivers from topographic roughness: Review and open questions. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.6016
• Oliveira Guirro, M., Hodge, R., Clubb, F., & Turnbull, L. (2025). Network‐Scale Dynamics of Alluvial Cover in a Mixed Bedrock‐Alluvial River. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 130(3), Article e2024JF007968. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024jf007968
• Rhodes, E. J., Spano, T. M., Hodge, R. A., Sawakuchi, A. O., & Bertassoli, D. J. (2024). Single grain K-feldspar MET-IRSL sediment transport determination: bleaching patterns and rates. Quaternary Geochronology, 85, Article 101626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2024.101626
• Buckley, J., Hodge, R. A., & Slater, L. J. (2024). Bedrock rivers are steep but not narrow: Hydrological and lithological controls on river geometry across the USA. Geology, 52(7), 522–526. https://doi.org/10.1130/g51627.1
• Hodge, R. A., Voepel, H. E., Yager, E. M., Leyland, J., Johnson, J. P. L., Sear, D. A., & Ahmed, S. (2024). Improving predictions of critical shear stress in gravel bed rivers: Identifying the onset of sediment transport and quantifying sediment structure. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 49(8), 2517-2537. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5842
• Yager, E. M., Shim, J., Hodge, R., Monsalve, A., Tonina, D., Johnson, J. P. L., & Telfer, L. (2024). Pro+: Automated protrusion and critical shear stress estimates from 3D point clouds of gravel beds. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 49(7), 2155-2170. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5822
• Hodge, R., & Buechel, M. (2022). The influence of bedrock river morphology and alluvial cover on gravel entrainment: Part 2. Modelling critical shear stress. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 47(14), 3348-3360. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5462
• Buechel, M. E., Hodge, R. A., & Kenmare, S. (2022). The influence of bedrock river morphology and alluvial cover on gravel entrainment: Part 1. Pivot angles and surface roughness. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 47(14), 3361-3375. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5463
• Osborne, W. A., Hodge, R. A., Love, G. D., Hawkin, P., & Hawkin, R. E. (2022). The Influence of In‐Channel Obstacles on River Sound. Water Resources Research, 58(4), Article e2021WR031567. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021wr031567
• Osborne, W. A., Hodge, R. A., Love, G. D., Hawkin, P., & Hawkin, R. E. (2021). Babbling brook to thunderous torrent: Using sound to monitor river stage. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 46(13), 2656-2670. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5199
• Hodge, R., Voepel, H., Leyland, J., Sear, D., & Ahmed, S. (2020). X-ray computed tomography reveals that grain protrusion controls critical shear stress for entrainment in fluvial gravels. Geology, 48(2), 149-153. https://doi.org/10.1130/g46883.1
• Maniatis, G., Hoey, T., Hodge, R., Rickenmann, D., & Badoux, A. (2020). Inertial drag and lift forces for coarse grains on rough alluvial beds measured using in-grain accelerometers. Earth Surface Dynamics, 8, 1067-1099. https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-1067-2020
• Voepel, H., Leyland, J., Hodge, R., Ahmed, S., & Sear, D. (2019). Development of a vector-based 3D grain entrainment model with application to X-ray computed tomography (XCT) scanned riverbed sediment. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 44(15), 3057-3077. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4608
• Ferguson, R., Hardy, R., & Hodge, R. (2019). Flow resistance and hydraulic geometry in bedrock rivers with multiple roughness length scales. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 44(12), 2437-2449. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4673
• Turowski, J. M., & Hodge, R. (2017). A probabilistic framework for the cover effect in bedrock erosion. Earth Surface Dynamics, 5(2), 311-330. https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-311-2017
• Ferguson, R., Sharma, B., Hodge, R., Hardy, R., & Warburton, J. (2017). Bed load tracer mobility in a mixed bedrock/alluvial channel. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 122(4), 807-822. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016jf003946
• Maniatis, G., Hoey, T., Hassan, M., Sventek, J., Hodge, R., Drysdale, T., & Valyrakis, M. (2017). Calculating the explicit probability of entrainment based on inertial acceleration measurements. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 143(4), Article 04016097. https://doi.org/10.1061/%28asce%29hy.1943-7900.0001262
• Ferguson, R., Sharma, B., Hardy, R., Hodge, R., & Warburton, J. (2017). Flow resistance and hydraulic geometry in contrasting reaches of a bedrock channel. Water Resources Research, 53(3), 2278-2293. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016wr020233
• Hodge, R., & Hoey, T. (2016). A Froude-scaled model of a bedrock-alluvial channel reach: 2. Sediment cover. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 121(9), 1597-1618. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015jf003709
• Hodge, R., & Hoey, T. (2016). A Froude-scaled model of a bedrock-alluvial channel reach: 1. Hydraulics. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 121(9), 1578-1596. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015jf003706
• Hodge, R., Hoey, T., Maniatis, G., & Leprêtre, E. (2016). Formation and erosion of sediment cover in an experimental bedrock-alluvial channel. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 41(10), 1409-1420. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3924
• Hodge, R., Sear, D., & Leyland, J. (2013). Spatial variations in surface sediment structure in riffle-pool sequences: a preliminary test of the Differential Sediment Entrainment Hypothesis (DSEH). Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 38(5), 449-465. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3290
• Hodge, R., & Hoey, T. (2012). Upscaling from grain-scale processes to alluviation in bedrock channels using a cellular automaton model. Journal of Geophysical Research, 117, Article F101017. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011jf002145
• Hodge, R., Hoey, T., & Sklar, L. (2011). Bed load transport in bedrock rivers: The role of sediment cover in grain entrainment, translation and deposition. Journal of Geophysical Research, 116, Article F04028. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011jf002032
• Hodge, R. (2010). Using simulated Terrestrial Laser Scanning to analyse errors in high-resolution scan data of irregular surfaces. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 65(2), 227-240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2010.01.001
• Hodge, R., Brasington, J., & Richards, K. (2009). Analysing laser-scanned digital terrain models of gravel bed surfaces: linking morphology to sediment transport processes and hydraulics. Sedimentology, 56(7), 2024-2043. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3091.2009.01068.x
• Hodge, R., Brasington, J., & Richards, K. (2009). In situ characterization of grain-scale fluvial morphology using Terrestrial Laser Scanning. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 34(7), 954-968. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1780
• Hodge, R., Richards, K., & Brasington, J. (2007). A physically-based bedload transport model developed for 3-D reach-scale cellular modelling. Geomorphology, 90(3-4), 244-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.10.022
• Richards, K., Bithell, M., Dove, M., & Hodge, R. (2004). Discrete-element modelling: methods and applications in the environmental sciences. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 362(1822), 1797-1816. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2004.1429