Manuel Herrera

Manuel Herrera is a Lecturer in Hydrology at Newcastle University, working at the intersection of urban water systems, infrastructure network modelling, and data-driven decision support. His research develops interpretable, physics-informed, and uncertainty-aware AI approaches to improve the resilience and reliability of critical infrastructure, with applications in flooding, asset degradation, and system performance. 

As a DAFNI Fellow, Manuel will advance trustworthy AI for infrastructure through a focused programme centred on a flooding case study demonstrator. Using DAFNI datasets, he will develop reproducible workflows for uncertainty quantification, model interpretability, and scenario-based analysis, designed to support the adoption of AI in operational decision-making. To this end, Manuel will produce hands-on tutorials from these workflows to strengthen capacity in the DAFNI community. A central component will be a dedicated workshop on “Trustworthy AI for Infrastructure Asset Management under Climate Risk”, bringing together researchers, infrastructure operators, and policymakers to interrogate model outputs, identify trust requirements, and produce practical guidance. These activities will generate reusable, well-documented tools and reinforce DAFNI as a collaborative platform for national infrastructure resilience.