Academics

Colm works on a wide range of research, mainly with industry partners. Some notable projects he’s enjoyed with COFS include subsea pipeline restraint using pipe clamping mattresses (PCMs) and rock berms, drag anchor-berm interactions, suction caisson performance, riser-seabed interactions with fibre optic sensing, and spudcan-seabed impact studies.

Vikram has a Master of Technology degree in geotechnical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and a Doctoral degree in geotechnical engineering from The University of Western Australia. His current research interests are on improving the economics of anchors for floating offshore wind turbines, through the use of numerical analysis, centrifuge modelling and field testing to improve geotechnical design approaches.

As Director of UWA’s Ocean Institute, Christophe works across disciplines and with a broad range of stakeholders to support the development of offshore renewable energy, including offshore wind, wave and tidal energy. He has a versatile geotechnical engineering background, but a close interest in anchoring systems for floating renewables.

Director of the Centre and the Fugro Chair in geotechnics, Fraser specialises in geotechnical engineering and soil mechanics and works mostly in the area of offshore geotechnics with particular interests in seabed characterisation, foundation and anchor design, and pipeline/cable geotechnics.

Britta specialises in offshore geotechnical engineering – with current research interests focused on challenges related to foundations for offshore wind turbines.

Director of the National Geotechnical Centrifuge Facility, Conleth has over 20 years of research and industry experience, specialising in geotechnical aspects of offshore energy developments. His main research focus is on anchoring systems for floating offshore wind developments.

The founding Director of the Centre, Mark is an Emeritus Professor and Honorary Fellow in the Oceans Graduate School at UWA. He is an internationally recognised geotechnical engineer who was named Western Australian Scientist of the Year in November 2013.

Shazzad is an offshore geotechnical engineering and a core member of ISO 19905-1 –  currently focusing on developing innovative anchoring solutions (developed the fish anchor), collection and removal of plastics from rivers and oceans, and decommissioning and repurposing of offshore infrastructure.