K Murali

Prof. K. Murali is a distinguished academic and researcher in the field of Ocean Engineering. He completed his B.Eng. in Civil Engineering from the University of Madras (1986–1990) and went on to earn his M.Tech. and Ph.D. in Ocean Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. His doctoral research focused on the hydrodynamics of floating breakwaters.

With an illustrious career spanning academia and industry, Prof. Murali has held several key positions, including a postdoctoral fellowship at the National University of Singapore and a senior research engineering role at the Institute of High-Performance Computing, Singapore. He joined IIT Madras as an Assistant Professor in 2003 and currently serves as a Professor in the Department of Ocean Engineering.

Research Contributions:

Prof. Murali’s research interests include: Coastal and ocean hydrodynamics, Hydro-elasticity and fluid-structure interaction, Multiphase flow simulations, Free-surface flows.

He has guided numerous Ph.D., M.S., and dual-degree students, contributing to critical advancements in areas like tsunami modeling, vortex-induced vibration, and hydrodynamic analysis of marine structures.

Awards and Achievements:

• -- Postdoctoral Research Award, Ministry of Education, Singapore (1997–1999)


• -- Gold Medalist, IBM Blue Challenge for excellence in supercomputing (2002)


• -- Best Paper Award at the APD-IAHR Congress (2006)


• -- Endeavour Research Fellowship, Australia (2008)

Prof. Murali has also been actively involved in post-tsunami surveys along the Indian coastline and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, contributing to disaster mitigation and resilience efforts. He has coordinated several international conferences and is an esteemed member of various professional organizations, including RINA (UK) and IAHR.

In addition to his academic endeavors, he has held administrative roles such as Head of the Department, Professor In-Charge of NTCPWC, and Chairman of the Engineering Unit Madras. DEAN Faculty Affairs, at IIT Madras.

https://doe.iitm.ac.in/murali/

Lei Zuo

Lei Zuo joined the University of Michigan as an endowed professor at the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering in August 2022. He previously was the Robert E. Hord Jr. Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech and served as the Director of NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems (CEHMS), a consortium with sites at Virginia Tech, Columbia University, and Penn State University. Lei Zuo completed his his BS in Automotive Engineering from Tsinghua University (07/1997), two MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering from MIT (02/2002), and his PhD from MIT (02/2005). He worked in industry for four years before returning to academia.

Prof. Lei Zuo’s research interests include marine renewables (ocean waves, tidal currents, offshore wind), energy harvesting, vibration and control, mechatronics design, automotive engineering, and advanced manufacturing. His research has been funded with over 90 projects of USD $28M by various funding agencies and industries, with $18M for personal share. He has authored about 360 papers including 15 with the best paper awards. He has supervised 70 Ph.D. and master students to completion of their degrees, mentored 16 postdocs, and advised about 200 undergraduates in senior designs or research. Lei Zuo was the sole recipient of the 2017 ASME Leonardo da Vinci Award and the 2015 ASME Thar Energy Design Award. He received R&D 100 Awards twice (2015 and 2011) and the 2014 SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award.

https://ies.engin.umich.edu/profile/zuo-lei/

Jiahn-Horng Chen

Jiahn-Horng Chen, Ph.D., is a distinguished professor at National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU), specializing in computational fluid dynamics, marine energy, and propeller cavitation and noise. With a doctorate in Aeronautical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, USA, Professor Chen combines expertise in fluid dynamics with innovative research to address critical challenges in marine and naval architecture.

A distinguished scholar, Professor Chen’s work focuses on areas such as wave energy and ocean current energy development, coastal engineering, and ocean resource management. His extensive research portfolio includes groundbreaking studies that address critical issues in ocean sustainability, climate change impact on marine ecosystems, and the development of innovative technologies for ocean exploration and conservation.

As president of National Academy of Marine Research in Taiwan, he led several milestone projects, including ocean energy development, ocean literacy program, marine baseline survey around Taiwan waters, and design/construction of research vessels and seakeeping/manoeuvring basin.

https://se.ntou.edu.tw/p/412-1058-7643.php?Lang=en

Ibrahim Hoteit

Ibrahim Hoteit is a Professor of Earth Science and Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He currently serves as the Director of the Climate Change Center, a national initiative funded by the Saudi Ministry of Environment, as well as the Director of the Aramco Marine Environment Center at KAUST. Prior to joining KAUST in 2009, he was a Research Scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Hoteit holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics and specializes in numerical modeling, data assimilation, and uncertainty quantification for large-scale applications. His research focuses on developing integrated data-driven modeling systems to study and predict the atmospheric and oceanic circulation and climate of the Arabian Peninsula, with a keen interest in their impacts on ecosystems. Prof. Hoteit co-authored more than 300 scientific papers and was awarded the prestigious Kuwait Prize in Basic sciences. He earned his Ph.D. in 2002 in applied mathematics from the University of Joseph Fourier, France.

Balaji Ramakrishnan

Prof. Balaji Ramakrishnan assumed the role of Director of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, on September 6, 2024. He has been a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Bombay since 2011 and previously served as a Senior Coastal and Port Engineer at Sogreah Consultants in Dubai. Prof. Ramakrishnan specializes in the design and development of ports, harbors, marinas, and coastal infrastructure, and has contributed to major waterfront projects across India, the Middle East, and other parts of Asia. He completed his Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Madurai Kamarajar University, followed by his Master's and Ph.D. in Ocean Engineering from IIT Madras. Over his career, he has published 3 monographs, 75 peer-reviewed journal articles, and 82 conference papers. Prof. Ramakrishnan has received several prestigious awards, including the 'Professor S.P. Sukhatme Excellence in Teaching Award' (2024), 'Distinguished Alumni Award' (2022), and the 'Marine Engineering Prize' from the Institution of Engineers India (2018, 2022). He is actively involved in government-funded research projects with ministries such as the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Earth Sciences. He also provides consultancy services to major ports, maritime boards, and private companies, playing a key role in numerous coastal and marine infrastructure developments.

https://www.niot.res.in/niot_staffprofile.php

Georg Herborg

Georg Herborg holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Aarhus within the field of experimental atomic-scale studies of metal oxide surfaces. Since then, Georg worked approximately 10 years in the wind industry for the Wind Energy Leader Vestas. Here he ultimately held the position as Global Director of Tooling for wind turbine blade manufacturing, responsible for development, design, and support of all wind turbine blade manufacturing across all blade manufacturing sites.

Since 2017, Georg has held the role as Director of Innovation in Danfoss High Pressure Pumps. The function he leads holds cradle to grave accountability for all products in the portfolio. Including Technology.

Scouting and Maturation, R&D activities, New Product Developments and internal / external Product Validation Testing. The mission of HPP Innovation is to create new step changing technologies for the water industry, especially within membrane processes such as Desalination. Enabling new and innovative ways of producing fresh water to people and industries with the highest possible energy efficiency and operational flexibility.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgherborg/

Preetha Roselyn

Dr. J. Preetha Roselyn is working as Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering in SRM Institute of Science and Technology. She completed her B.E (EEE) from Madras University in the year 2002, M.S(By Research) from Anna University in the year 2007 and Ph.D from SRM University in the year 2015. The total professional experience is 20 years. She has established the NI ACADEMY AND RESEARCH CENTRE in SRM Institute of Science and Technology. Her areas of specialization are Voltage stability, machine learning, Artificial Intelligence, Grid integration issues of renewable energy, Building automation and microgrid. She has published 55 international publications and 1 book “GA based placement of FACTS devices for voltage stability Enhancement- GA based coding”, Lambert academic publishing, UK. She has published patents in the area of building automation and underwater AUVs. She has received DST funded project in the topic “Optimal energy management system in shipboard power system with solar PV for the period, MODROB funded project from AICTE in the area of microgrid, Two MOES funded projects in the area of Digital twin and Image processing, Co-PI of 4 SATU projects and 3 internally funded projects. She has completed PhD for 5 research scholars and currently 6 scholars are doing their PhD under her guidance. The research interests include model-based development, digital twin, grid integration issues of PV, Wind, Energy management system in microgrid, building management systems and zero downtime approach in industries. She is currently the Chairman of MTS India Section and is the faculty mentor of SRM Marine Technology Society student chapter, which received the best student chapter award for the year 2019. She received the IEEE publication award; John P Craven mentor international award and Honorary Rosalind member of London Journals Press.

https://www.srmist.edu.in/faculty/dr-j-preetha-roselyn/

Roksana Jahan

Dr. Roksana Jahan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She holds a Ph.D. in Marine Science and Biological Engineering from Inha University, Korea, and an MSc from Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU). Dr. Jahan has gained post-doctoral research experience at Sun Yat-sen University in China and Pukyung National University in Korea. Her research focuses on the long-term datasets of phytoplankton phenology and community structure, examining their relationships to climate change and eutrophication. She has conducted extensive research in various aquatic environments, including freshwater systems in Bangladesh, Gyeonggi Bay in Korea, and Tolo Harbour in China. Dr. Jahan's work significantly contributes to the understanding of marine ecosystems and their responses to environmental changes.

https://sau.edu.bd/teacher/331

Geert H. Keetels

Dr.ir. Geert H. Keetels is an Associate Professor at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands, specializing in fluid dynamics, sediment transport, and advanced modeling of water-related processes. His research integrates theoretical analysis, computational simulations, and innovative experimental techniques to address complex challenges in hydraulic engineering, dredging, and offshore operations.Dr. Keetels’ expertise spans sediment erosion and transport, slurry flows, turbidity generation, and fluid–structure interactions near mud–water interfaces. He is known for developing and applying high-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models alongside carefully designed experiments to improve understanding and prediction of natural and engineered water systems.He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading international journals, contributing new insights into cohesive soil erosion, dredging processes, ship hydrodynamics, and sustainable marine operations. His research is characterized by close collaboration with interdisciplinary teams, industry partners, and public stakeholders.In 2021, Dr. Keetels and his colleagues were recognized with the prestigious NWO Science Team Award, which honors exceptional collaborative research that combines strengths from multiple scientific fields to tackle complex societal and environmental challenges.With a commitment to bridging science and practice, Dr. Keetels’ work continues to support sustainable and efficient solutions for coastal and offshore engineering worldwide.

Santiram Chatterjee

Dr. Santiram Chatterjee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. His research focuses on offshore geotechnical engineering, pipeline geotechnics and soil characterization. Dr. Chatterjee has extensive academic and industry experience, having served as an Assistant Professor at IIT Roorkee and IIT Bombay before his current role. Internationally, he has contributed as a Research Associate at the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems, University of Western Australia, and worked as a Geotechnical Engineer at Advanced Geomechanics, Australia. Dr. Chatterjee’s work combines physical and numerical modeling with practical solutions for offshore geotechnics. He actively collaborates with industry and academia to address challenges related to geotechncial aspects of offshore engineering.

Anulekha Majumdar

Anulekha Majumdar has been working as a scientist at the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai, India, since 2015. She is involved in designing and developing mechanical components required to produce fresh water and electricity from the ocean, such as turbines, flash chambers and condensers. She is also involved in designing the long cold water pipe responsible for carrying deepsea cold water to the shore-based open cycle Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) plant in Kavaratti, India, which is one of its kind. She has a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering. She is pursuing her PhD from IIT Madras on wave energy converter arrays.

https://www.niot.res.in/niot_staffprofile.php

Vijaya Lakshmi Thiagarajan

Vijaya Lakshmi Thiagarajan is a PhD scholar in the Department of Ocean Engineering at IIT Madras, specializing in marine current turbines and scientific deep learning. She is a recipient of the prestigious Prime Minister Research Fellowship. She currently serves as the Chair of the IEEE Student Branch at IIT Madras and is an active member of IEEE, IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society (OES), and the Marine Technology Society, contributing to various volunteering initiatives. Her research paper, India’s Tidal Energy Sustainability, was recognized as the Best Paper at the World Ocean Science Congress 2024.

https://sites.google.com/view/vijayalakshmi-iitm/