Professor Chris Smith is Director of the Centre for Future Clean Mobility, Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He has focussed on simulation methods for industrial applications for the past 25 years, notable partners including Rolls-Royce, Ecomar Propulsion, SC Group, Babcock, Quattro Group, BMT, Atlas Elektronik and OS Energy. He has over 100 publications in leading journals and conferences, an hi Index of 33, spanning several disciplines. He has a long track record of PhD and postdoc supervision (30+). Current focus for Professor Smith is research and innovation in clean powertrains, especially for maritime, defence, rail, off-highway, and work vehicle sectors, spanning TRLs 1-7.
Chris has a wide array of leadership positions including i) commercial organisations (Chief Technical Officer and Director of Ecomar Propulsion Ltd, Chief Technical Advisor for Quattro Group), ii) in representative trade bodies (vice chair of Maritime UK and Society of Maritime Industries Hydrogen Fuels Group, Chair of ‘Vessels of the Future’ group for Sea Fish), iii) in regional bodies (Chair of Net Zero group in Great Western 4 universities partnership, Chair of maritime group within Hydrogen South West), and iv) in national governmental bodies (member of Clean Maritime Council for DfT, Connected Places Catapult clean maritime group).
As Chair of MarRI-UK’s Academic Group, Ian facilitites vital coordination between MarRI-UK’s academic members and the Core Team as well as providing leadership at the quarterly MarRI-UK Academic Group meetings.