Professor Alan J Murphy has a background as a professional sea-going Dual Officer in the Merchant Navy with a subsequent academic education in Naval Architecture and Experimental Hydrodynamics. He is the Head of the Maritime Engineering Group at the University of Southampton and also holds a number of external appointments including Editor-in-Chief of the Royal Institution of Naval Architect’s, International Journal of Maritime Engineering; he is the UK standing committee member for the International Symposium on the Practical Design of Ships and other Floating Structures (PRADS) and is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights. Alan specialises in Maritime Engineering focusing on sustainable and emission-free ships, ports and other maritime systems. This includes: Net zero maritime propulsion and energy systems; Ship emission reduction; Energy saving technologies in maritime systems; Real-world monitoring & data exploitation to improve the design and operation of ships & shipping, including ports; Autonomous systems in the maritime environment and; Indices, policy & regulation. As part of the founding team, Alan has been active with MarRI-UK since its inception.
As Chair of MarRI-UK’s Academic Group, Chris provides leadership for the group and facilitates essential coordination between MarRI-UK’s academic members and the Strategy Board.