中央大学研究開発機構教授
中央大学名誉教授

山田 正

Tadashi Yamada

Professor, Chuo University Research
and Development Organization
Professor Emeritus of Chuo University

 

工学博士
1951年兵庫県生まれ．中央大学大学院理工学研究科土木工学専攻修士課程修了後，東京工業大学助手,防衛大学校助教授，中央大学理工学部教授を経て2021年4月より現職．
専門分野は，土木工学，水文学，河川工学，水工水理学，防災工学，流体力学，気象学
水に関わる学問は全て研究領域という持論に基づき，物理過程を基礎とした洪水予測モデルの構築からその発展，レーダ雨量計の精度向上からその応用，水環境問題の改善，流域治水のあり方とその運用等，幅広い研究に取り組んでおり，河川計画に不確実性の概念導入の必要性を提案した第一人者でもある．
鬼怒川が決壊した2015年関東・東北豪雨時には、土木学会と地盤工学会の合同調査団団長を務め，2019年台風第19号時には，土木学会長以下で結成された総合調査団に参画し，今日に至るまでの水害対応に学識者として提言を発出し続けている．その結果，流域治水関連法制定の際には国会において参考人として招致され，当該法制定に尽力した。この他，国土交通省社会資本整備審議会・交通政策審議会臨時委員，国土交通省河川堤防の強化に関する技術検討会委員長，東京都豪雨対策検討会委員長，東京都気候変動を踏まえた河川施設のあり方検討委員会委員長をはじめとする国，全国の自治体の議論に数多く参画している．
また，国外での活動としては，アジア圏を中心とした洪水対策に関する研究に取り組むと共に，政府の防災計画立案を支援しており，タイにおける洪水対策計画の立案に際しては，海外有識者としてただ1人参画した．また，ベトナムにおいてはメコン河流域の問題や中部の洪水被害軽減策の検討に取り組んでおり，2022年9月にはハノイにおいて中央大学ハノイオフィス開設に尽力した．
土木学会論文賞 (1996年)，土木学会論文賞 (1997年)，中央大学学術研究奨励賞 (1998年)，平成23年度水文・水資源学会学術賞 (2011年)，第11回産学官連携功労表彰国土交通大臣賞 (高性能レーダ（ＸバンドＭＰレーダ）によるゲリラ豪雨のリアルタイム観測の実現／2013年)，土木学会功績賞 (2018年)，水文・水資源学会功績賞(2020年)，災害復旧及び災害防止事業功労者表彰（2023年）等，受賞．

Doctor of engineering
Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1951, Dr. Yamada completed his master's degree at the Department of Civil Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Chuo University. From there, he served as an assistant at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and as an assistant professor at the National Defense Academy. He held the post of professor at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University, before assuming his current position in April 2021.
His fields of specialization are civil engineering, hydrology, river engineering, hydraulics, disaster prevention engineering, fluid mechanics, and meteorology.
Based on his belief that all water-related studies are areas for research, Dr. Yamada has worked on a wide range subjects such building and developing flood prediction models based on physical processes, improving the accuracy of radar rain gauges and applying them, addressing water environment issues, and studying basin flood control and operating them. He is a leading authority on the need to introduce the concept of uncertainty into river planning.
During the heavy rains in the Kanto and Tohoku regions in 2015 when the Kinugawa River burst its banks, Dr. Yamada served as the head of a joint investigation team of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers and the Japan Geotechnical Society, and at the time of Typhoon No. 19 in 2019, he participated in a comprehensive investigation team formed by the president of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers. As an academic, he continues to issue recommendations for flood disaster response. As a result of his work, Dr. Yamada was invited to the National Diet as an expert for legislation related to the Act on Countermeasures against Flood Damage of Specified Rivers Running Across Cities and he advocated for its enactment. Dr. Yamada contributes to many national and local government discussions, serving in posts such as ad hoc member of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Council for Infrastructure/Council for Transport Policy, chairman of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Technical Review Committee on Strengthening River Embankments, chairman of the Tokyo Metropolitan Heavy Rain Countermeasures Review Committee, and chairman of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Review Committee on the Management of River Facilities in light of Climate Change.
As for overseas activities, Dr. Yamada conducts research on flood countermeasures mainly in Asia, and also supports governments in formulating disaster prevention plans. He was the only overseas expert who took part in the formulation of flood countermeasure plans in Thailand. In Vietnam, he is working on challenges facing the Mekong River basin and measures to reduce flood damage in the central region, and worked hard to open Chuo University’s Hanoi Office in September 2022.
Dr. Yamada is the recipient of many awards, including the Japan Society of Civil Engineers Best Paper Award (1996), Japan Society of Civil Engineers Best Paper Award (1997), Chuo University Academic Research Encouragement Award (1998), 2011 Japan Society of Hydrology and Water Resources Academic Award (2011), 11th Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award for Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration (Realization of real-time observation of “guerilla heavy rain” using high-performance radar (X-band MP radar), 2013), Japan Society of Civil Engineers Achievement Award (2018), Japan Society of Hydrology and Water Resources Achievement Award (2020), and Disaster Recovery and Disaster Prevention Business Distinguished Service Award (2023).