FutureWind & Marine 2025

Ben Pepper received the M.Sci. degree in physics from Imperial College London in 2020. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in electronic and electrical engineering within the Wind and Marine Energy Systems CDT at the University of Strathclyde.

Harry graduated with an MEng in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford in 2021. His Master’s thesis focused on assessing the impact of waves on offshore wind turbines. During his degree, he completed a research internship at the University of Western Australia and gained industry experience with Ward and Burke Construction. Harry is now undertaking a DPhil in the WAMESS CDT at Oxford University, sponsored by RWE Renewables, where he continues to advance his research related to structural health monitoring for offshore wind turbines.

Kuba is a final year PhD student at the Wind and Marine Energy Systems and Structures CDT at the University of Edinburgh, which he joined after completing an MSc in Renewable Energy at Cardiff University and a BSc in Physics at Swansea University, where he ranked first for the graduating class of 2020.

Miguel is a Civil Engineer with a master’s degree in Sustainable Energy Systems and professional experience in project management for water and sanitation developments. Currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Edinburgh, Miguel specialises in composite materials, solid mechanics, finite element modelling, and digital image correlation (DIC). Obtained the William Gardner Award for best paper in the BINDT 2023 conference. Passionate about teaching, full-stack development, music, and squash

Shanay holds a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Renewable Energy Engineering from Heriot-Watt University. During her PhD, she completed a six-month Research Assistant role at the University of Strathclyde. Her accomplishments include receiving the award for Best Presentation at MEEPS 2023.

Dashty Samal Rashid is a PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh, specializing in structural health monitoring and data-driven approaches to structural dynamics. He holds an MSc in Advanced Structural Engineering, with his thesis focusing on fatigue analysis of bolted connections in wind turbines, and a BEng in Civil Engineering. His expertise spans finite element modeling, vibration analysis, and damage detection techniques, with a strong focus on bolted connections and structural dynamics. In addition to his academic work, Dashty is experienced in student mentoring and creating educational content

Huw is currently a PhD student in the WAMSS CDT based at the University of Oxford. Before joining the CDT in 2021, he gained a MEng in General Engineering from Durham University after completing a research project investigating a passive method of suppressing vortex-induced vibrations.

Martina Lomele is pursuing a PhD in Fluid Dynamics applied to Renewable Energy Systems at the University of Oxford, where she focuses on the Fluid-Structure Interaction of Offshore Wind and Tidal Turbine Blades within the Wind & Marine Energy Systems and Structures (WAMESS) CDT. She graduated with a BSc in Aerospace Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Turin and earned an MSc in Turbomachinery and Aeromechanics from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and the University of Liège. For her Master’s thesis project, she was a visiting student at Duke University. Prior to starting her doctoral project, she worked as an R&D Design Engineer at Baker Hughes. Since January 2023, she has also served as Secretary & Event Manager for the Women in Engineering Network committee at the University of Oxford.

Orla completed her bachelor's degree in Physics at the University of Dundee before joining the WAMSS CDT. Her research focuses on advancing the next generation of operations and maintenance strategies for offshore wind farms, with a particular emphasis on modeling the evolving landscape of offshore wind maintenance practices.

Fergus Hall received his MEng degree in mechanical engineering with distinction from The University of Strathclyde in 2020. In 2022 he joined the Institute for Energy Systems within the School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh as a member of the Centre for Doctoral Training in Wind and Marine Energy Systems and Structures (CDT WAMSS). He is currently working towards a Ph.D. degree and his research is centered around multimegawatt scale direct-drive generators for renewable energy applications.

Jane brings industrial experience in offshore oil and gas drilling operations, along with a strong interest in subsea applications, and with a background in Mechanical Engineering (BEng Hons) and a Master’s in Project Management. Joining WAMSS for an EngD marked her transition toward offshore renewables, where she is now focusing on technological innovation in wave energy devices.

Mathew transitioned directly from a master’s in Physics at Newcastle University to a Ph.D. program, earning the “Gerard McCartan Memorial Prize” for an outstanding MPhys project during his studies.

Selina Brinkmann is a Rhodes Scholar and final-year DPhil candidate at the University of Oxford, specializing in tidal energy systems. She completed her B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Siegen, Germany, where she focused on passive noise reduction for small-scale wind turbines, using serrations and microphone arrays to analyze noise source changes. Selina then pursued her Master’s in Mechanical Engineering at UC Merced, California, concentrating on sustainable water management in agriculture, where she designed a test rig and heat transfer model to reclaim freshwater from greenhouse wastewater.