Keith Delaney (he/him)

Keith Delaney is an associate professor, teaching stream in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. His philosophy of teaching involves engaging, inspiring and facilitating lifelong learning for all Earth and Environmental students. He shows a strong passion for the Earth and Environmental Sciences as well as the importance of geospatial and systems analysis, establishing a positive, fun and productive classroom or lab environment for students of all backgrounds and interests. Delaney encourages students to think critically about geologic and environmental data and encourages students to value communication about the natural world around them with their peers and community. He is also a leader in the quantification and geospatial analysis of natural hazards, specialising in landslides and geohazards research, utilizing a combination of computer simulation, modelling, remote sensing and geographical information systems.

Delaney’s research involves a multidisciplinary approach across geomatics, remote sensing, geomorphology, geology and hydrology, with a focus on their connections to natural hazards, evolving urban landscape and climate change impacts. His work includes using GIS and remote sensing techniques to analyze, model and quantify the geospatial impacts of both natural and human environments of large-scale catastrophic natural hazards (e.g., landslides, earthquakes, outburst floods) and their secondary processes (e.g., tsunamis, river damming). He also specializes in urban damage detection in disaster and conflict zones advanced training in GIS and remote sensing software packages and 2D and 3D modeling of landslides and outburst floods.

By investigating geohazards and focusing on how landslides develop and move, Delaney’s research provides insights that help communities assess future risks. His work supports safer planning for future infrastructure and contributes to building and land‑use guidelines that protect lives and property. Alongside this, his teaching fosters public awareness of environmental challenges, encouraging students to think critically about issues like climate change and sustainability.

• Geospatial data

• Geohazards

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

• Remote sensing

• Geomorphological modelling

• Climate change impacts

• 2016, PostDoc, Detection of rock slope displacement in glacial environments by interferometry: measurement of a high-mountain geotechnical response in climate change in NW North America (British Columbia, Yukon, and Alaska). Funded by: Canadian Space Agency

• 2015, PostDoc, Characterisation of urban battlespace: implications for combat, building damage, and civilian casualties in hybrid wars. Funded by: Department of National Defense

• 2014, PostDoc, Canadians at risk – tsunami hazard and risk assessment on Canada’s Pacific coast using geospatial modeling and high-resolution RADARSAT-2 data. Funded by: Canadian Space Agency

• 2014, Doctorate, Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, Canada

• 2006, Masters, Geography, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada

• 2003, Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Geography, University of Guelph, Canada

• 2023, Distinguished Teaching Award, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo

• 2023, Outstanding Performance Award, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo

• 2022, Excellence in Science Teaching Award, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo

• 2021, Jane Lang Teaching Excellence Award, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo

• 2020, Outstanding Performance Award, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo

• 2015, W.B. Pearson Medal, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo

• 2012, Amit & Meena Chakma Award for Exceptional Teaching by a Student, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo

• 2023 – Present, Earth and Environmental Sciences FAUW Representative

• 2018 – Present, Leader of first-year Orientation Field Trip to the Elora Gorge

• 2018 – 2021, Teaching Fellow for the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department

• 2023 – Present, EES FAUW Representative

• 2021 – 2025, Financial Director for the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences

• 2015 – Present, Editor for Springer Journal "Landslides"

• CIVE 153 - Earth Engineering
  • Taught in 2025
• EARTH 121L - Introductory Earth Sciences Laboratory
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• EARTH 122 - Introductory Environmental Sciences
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
• EARTH 122L - Introductory Environmental Sciences Laboratory
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023
• EARTH 123 - Introductory Hydrology
  • Taught in 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025
• EARTH 438 - Engineering Geology
  • Taught in 2022, 2025, 2026
• EARTH 638 - Advanced Engineering Geology
  • Taught in 2022, 2025, 2026
• ENVE 153 - Earth Engineering
  • Taught in 2025
• GEOE 153 - Earth Engineering
  • Taught in 2025

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

• For the full list of Keith Delaney's publications, please see Google Scholar.

• Rana N.M., Delaney, K.B., Evans, S.G., Deane, E., Small, A., Adria, D.A.M., McDougall, S., Ghahramani, N., and Take, W.A. 2024. Application of Sentinel-1 InSAR to monitor tailings dams and predict geotechnical instability: practical considerations based on case study insights. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, 83, 204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-024-03680-3

• Evans, S.G., Delaney, K.B. 2018. The V1 (Flying Bomb) attack on London (1944 – 1945); the applied geography of early cruise accuracy. Journal of Applied Geography, 99, 44 – 53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2018.07.019

• Delaney, K.B., Evans, S.G. 2017. The evolution (2010-2015) and engineering mitigation of a rockslide-dammed lake (Hunza River, Pakistan); characterisation by analytical remote sensing. Engineering Geology, 220, 65 – 75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2017.01.003

• Delaney, K.B., Evans, S.G. 2015. The 2000 Yigong landslide (Tibetan Plateau), rockslide-dammed lake and outburst flood: review, remote sensing analysis, and process modeling. Geomorphology, 246, 377 – 393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.06.020

• Delaney, K.B. and Evans, S.G., 2014. The 1997 Mount Munday Landslide, British Columbia; behaviour of a rock avalanche on a glacier surface. Landslides, 11, 1019 – 1036. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-013-0456-7