SMMI BULLETIN - FEBRUARY 2021
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The Leverhulme Trust awards SMMI £1.35m to support Intelligent Oceans Doctoral Scholarships
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The Leverhulme Trust has awarded the Southampton Marine & Maritime Institute (SMMI) £1.35m to support 15 PhD positions under the overarching theme of ‘Intelligent Oceans’ over the next 6 years. The scholarships are funded for up-to 4 years at UKRI levels (including fees, stipend and additional funds to support research), with the first set of students due to enrol in Autumn 2021. Intelligent Oceans Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholars (LTDS) will be drawn from a range of academic disciplines; from Archaeology to Engineering – Ocean and Earth Science to Computing. They will address some of the greatest challenges our species has seen in its 300,000 year history; exceeding planetary capacity, anthropogenic climate change, increasing levels of inequality and tension within and between populations. Read more here.
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SMMI experts provide response to Governments' call for evidence on ‘Driving the Growth of Low Carbon Hydrogen'
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Reducing global GHG emissions through novel Evolutionary Computation
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Shipping is an efficient form of transport. However, it is still responsible for approximately 1100 Million tonnes of CO2 (MtCO2) equivalent per year, contributing ~2.5% of world emissions. With more than 80,000 commercial vessels operating in our oceans it is imperative to improve their efficiency and to reduce their impact on our planet. To support the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions there is increasing legislative pressure from IMO, which in combination with the increase in the cost of compliant fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen, has led to a demand for solutions to reduce the fuel consumption of commercial vessels. One solution is voyage optimisation software, which have been shown to reduce fuel costs and Green House Gas emissions by up to 10-15%, or 143.2 Million tonnes of CO2, which is equivalent to that produced by Belgium. Read here how SMMI experts Dr Adam Sobey and Dr Przemyslaw Grudniewski have partnered with Theyr ltd to create an efficient voyage optimisation solution for commercial vessels.
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SMMI Deputy Director Susan Gourvenec, in conversation with Professor Raffaella Ocone OBE FREng FRSE, as part of the Academy CAFÉ series hosted by the Royal Academy of Engineering
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The Royal Academy of Engineering has launched a new online series to provide engagement for research awardees and alumni. The platform will ensure they can still benefit from the expertise and experience within the Academy’s network, as well as allowing them to share ideas, challenges and best practice in the current period and beyond. SMMI Deputy Director Susan Gourvenec, talked with Professor Raffaella Ocone about the EngineeringX Safer End of Engineering Life Programme, a global collaboration founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation. Susan is a member of the Programme Board and Leader of the initial theme of Safer Decommissioning of Offshore Structures and Ships. Read more here.
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Southampton's Wolfson Unit experts assist pioneering British company Windship Technology to tackle CO2 emissions of the shipping industry
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A British company with a whole-ship solution to tackle the CO2 emissions of the shipping industry has unveiled its designs. The pioneering company Windship Technology developed and tested at the renowned Wolfson Unit MTIA in Southampton the company’s patented high performance, highly efficient triple-wing rig. The technical team further developed a new diesel electric ship drive system that eliminates CO2, NOX, SOX and particulate matter to True Zero whilst also incorporating large solar arrays, carbon capture, optimised hull shapes and specialised weather routing software into the overall design package.
The Wolfson Unit MTIA brought its experience to this project in the use of experimental and computation aerodynamic and hydrodynamic tools to assist the company in assessing their technologies. SMMI member Philip Wilson, Emeritus Professor of Ship Dynamics at the University of Southampton is convinced by Windship Technology’s solution saying: “The holistic approach demonstrated in this solution whereby wind power, solar power and the reduction of harmful exhaust emissions to effectively zero, are all brought together, means that at last there is a design solution that the International Maritime Organisation can champion to achieve its requirements for ‘at least’ zero carbon shipping.” Read more here.
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Round-the-world sailing success for Southampton graduate
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After 28,268 nautical miles and more than 80 days of racing, University of Southampton graduate Charlie Dalin was first to finish the 2021 Vendée Globe, the world’s most challenging single-handed, round-the-world yacht race. Charlie who graduated from Southampton in 2006 with a Master of Engineering degree in Ship Science (Yacht & Small Craft), was amongst the leaders throughout the race which began last November. His yacht, the IMOCA Apivia, was designed by another Southampton graduate, Guillaume Verdier, who completed the MSc in Maritime Engineering Science in 1995. Dr Joe Banks, Lecturer in Ship Science/Maritime Engineering in the School of Engineering at Southampton and graduate of the same degree as Charlie, congratulated the yachtsman on his accomplishment. “The Ship Science academic staff have been following the race avidly and are so proud of Charlie’s achievements,” said Dr Banks “Our students learn to apply a wide range of technical tools in both research and design projects which is great training for managing the technical challenges of a Vendée Globe campaign.” Read more here.
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Geological phenomenon widening the Atlantic Ocean
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An upsurge of matter from deep beneath the Earth’s crust could be pushing the continents of North and South America further apart from Europe and Africa, new research has found. The plates attached to the Americas are moving apart from those attached to Europe and Africa by four centimetres per year. In between these continents lies the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a site where new plates are formed and a dividing line between plates moving to the west and those moving to the east; beneath this ridge, material rises to replace the space left by the plates as they move apart. Dr Kate Rychert and Dr Nick Harmon from the University of Southampton and Professor Mike Kendall from the University of Oxford led the experiment and were the chief scientists on the cruises. Read more here.
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Using computational models to understand the reaction kinetics of methanol synthesis.
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Comparison of different species mass fractions using different kinetic models.
Second year PhD student Stylianos Kyrimis, supervised by Dr Lindsay-Marie Armstrong from Mechanical Engineering, and Professor Robert Raja and Dr Matthew Potter, both from Chemistry; has had his first journal paper accepted by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). In addition to this the publication, entitled: ‘Understanding catalytic CO2 and CO conversion into methanol using computational fluid dynamics’, it will also feature as one of the presentations at the upcoming prestigious RSC Faraday Discussions conference. The full paper can be downloaded here: Faraday Discussions, 2021, (DOI: 10.1039/D0FD00136H).
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Endangered Thames eels to benefit from the latest science
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Critically endangered eels in the Thames will benefit from cutting-edge new work that sheds light on how the creatures swim up the river’s estuary. A traditional London delicacy, the creatures now face even more pressing problems than fishing threats. However, scientists from University of Southampton, HR Wallingford and the University of Nottingham working with ZSL (Zoological Society of London) hope their new study, published in the journal Ecological Modelling, will help conservation efforts. SMMI expert Professor Paul Kemp of the University of Southampton, and the principal investigator on the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded project "Vaccinating the Nexus" under which this research was conducted said: “It is really great that this interdisciplinary research, which involves engineers, mathematicians and biologists, is providing the information needed to help protect this species of high cultural and ecological value.” Read more here.
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Big Ideas Competition 2021
Each faculty has 5 prizes of £100, and a grand prize of £500 to allocate to the best ideas! Not only that, if you would like to develop your idea further, the Student Enterprise team will take you through the practical next steps to take it forward and make a difference. We would love to see applications from all students (undergraduates and postgraduates) and from all subjects of study. Deadline for applications: 14 March 2021. Read more here.
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NOTE: CALLS COMING SOON AND WITH NO DEADLINE, TOWARDS THE END OF THIS SECTION.
NERC - Collaborative Antarctic science scheme - DEADLINE: 15 MARCH 2021
This enables UK researchers to access NERC-BAS Antarctic research stations and marine science cruises for the purpose of conducting small-scale, fieldwork-based science projects that do not require logistic resources additional to those already allocated to the Antarctic field programme supported by BAS. Projects should enhance existing funded research that has secured BAS logistic support, or they should explore new ideas or test hypotheses in preparation for a funding bid to NERC. Further details here.
EPSRC Vacation Internships scheme - DEADLINE 31 MARCH 2021
The Doctoral College is now inviting applications for the EPSRC Vacation Internships scheme, supported through the University’s EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership award. The scheme provides funding for the most able undergraduate students to gain first-hand experience of research. Recipients of the EPSRC Vacation Internship may receive up to 11 weeks of funding for salary at National Living Wage, as well as support for research consumables. Further details here.
UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems programme: responsibility - DEADLINE 13 MAY 2021
This opportunity is part of the UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems (TAS) programme which supports research on the technical, social and ethical challenges surrounding trustworthy autonomous systems. Apply for funding to support novel and creative multidisciplinary research on responsibility for autonomous systems. Your proposed project should integrate researchers from different disciplines, particularly from social sciences, arts and humanities. Further details here.
NO DEADLINE CALLS:
EPSRC Postdoctoral Fellowship - NO DEADLINE
Apply for a fellowship focusing on either: Energy or Mathematical Sciences. You must have either a PhD or at least four years’ experience in a relevant field by the start of your fellowship. An eligible UK research organisation must host and support you during your fellowship. Your fellowship can be up to three years long. This is prorated for part-time fellows, at a minimum of 50% FTE. The project can use one or a combination of discovery science, innovation, instrumentation and technique development or software engineering. Further details here.
NERC - International ocean discovery programme – workshop funding support scheme - NO DEADLINE
This supports UK scientists in the organisation of, or participation in, IODP-related workshops, sandpits, training, outreach or other events. Eligible workshops must make use of IODP samples, data or results, or involve planning for the collection of such materials. Further details here.
Overseas Development Assistance Global Challenges Research Fund (ODA-GCRF) - Strategic Development fund - APPLY NOW - NO DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
This fund is a key element of our University’s ODA-GCRF strategy and is made up from a ring-fenced part of our GCRF-Quality Research (QR) allocation, augmented by funds secured from UKRI and other sources. The SDF supports activities that further our University’s ODA-GCRF ambitions and priorities, and that are ODA-compliant. Applications are invited from academic colleagues who are engaged in, or are interested in, getting involved in ODA activities. The application form and guidance can be found here. Enquiries here.
NERC-NSF joint funding - NO DEADLINE
This enables UK and US environmental scientists to collaborate on discovery science projects and tackle global environmental challenges. Proposals must be an integrated UK-US effort to address a research topic of interest to both NERC and a relevant NSF division that would benefit from a collaborative approach. Further details here.
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15 March 2021 - The Geological Society virtual meeting on “Plastics in the Environment”
This one-day meeting will bring together researchers from a diverse range of disciplines (e.g. hydrology, sedimentology, geochemistry, Earth science, biology) to discuss the fate of plastics in terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. Any enquiries please contact the primary convenor Gordon Inglis (University of Southampton). Read more here.
17 March 2021 - Catapult Connected Places: Delivering the Transition to Smart UK Ports - online Conference
The use cases provide practical and feasible innovative solutions to challenges faced by ports in the UK and around the world, building on the decarbonisation and digitalisation themes. It will bring together expert representatives from the five ports along with Government and Trade bodies to discuss the implementation routes for the developed use cases and how they link to other ports and to the Government strategic perspectives. Read more here.
17-21 May 2021 - COP26 Universities Network virtual conference - Climate Exp0
Six months prior to the COP26 meeting in November 2021, the COP26 Universities Network is hosting a virtual conference - Climate Exp0 - to showcase UK and international research on aspects of climate change and climate mitigation in the run-up to COP26. The conference is taking place virtually between the 17th and 21st May 2021, with each day dedicated to one of five conference themes: Green Recovery; Mitigation Solutions; Adaptation & Resilience; Finance; and Nature & Nature-based Solutions. Please complete the sign up form. The organising committee will then be in touch in the following weeks.
15-17 June 2021 - Seawork International - Southampton
Seawork is Europe’s leading commercial marine and workboat exhibition, providing businesses the opportunity to showcase their products and services to an international audience. Read more here.
21-25 June 2021 - 13th ACM Web Science Conference - Delivered online
The 13th International ACM Conference on Web Science in 2021 (WebSci’21) is an interdisciplinary conference where a multitude of research disciplines converge with the purpose of creating a greater insight into a complex global Web than the sum of their individual parts. We invite participation from diverse fields including computer and information sciences, communication, economics, informatics, law, linguistics, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology. Read more here.
22-24 June 2021 - Autonomous Ship Technology Symposium - The Netherlands
The symposium brings together ship designers, fleet owners, naval architects, classification societies, equipment manufacturers and maritime research organizations. Leading experts from around the world will present their views and current findings, leading to a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and network with this pioneering community of maritime engineers. Read more here.
13-17 September 2021 - London International Shipping Week - London
LISW21 will be the ‘must attend’ event of 2021, offering up to 250 industry functions and unique networking opportunities for leaders across all sectors of the international shipping industry. The sell-out one-day LISW21 Conference and Gala Dinner will attract the very highest-level government and shipping industry leaders from the UK and around the world to crown what promises to be another amazing week. Read more here.
12-14 October 2021 - Ocean Business - NOC Southampton
Postponed from April 2021 due to COVID-19. Read more here.
22-24 February 2022 - Subsea Expo - Aberdeen
Subsea Expo will celebrate its 16th anniversary next year and already has over 40% of the exhibition space booked. The theme for the event will still be Oceans of Opportunity – harnessing the Blue Economy, and will explore how the UK’s underwater engineering industry can capitalise on the global blue economy, estimated to be worth $3 trillion by 2030. Read more here.
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