Research group

Digital Oceans

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A collaborative platform for exploring advancements and exchanging expertise in digital technology within the marine and maritime space. We foster innovation and research.

About

Research areas

Marine solutions and economies are expanding along with increasing threats to the marine environment. Harnessing progress in digital oceans is essential for addressing global and local challenges.

Digital Oceans focuses on advances in marine digital technology, in areas such as:

  • artificial intelligence
  • data infrastructure and management
  • ocean mapping
  • simulation
  • visualisation such as digital twins

Digital Oceans is a special interest group that aims to establish a collaborative platform for researchers to engage in marine digital applications and methods. Their interest is in a deeper understating of our oceans and in data-driven insights that can inform sustainable practices. They use digital innovation to address practices and changes affecting our marine environments. 

Digital Oceans facilitates efficiency and accessibility. This is achieved through advances in artificial intelligence that improve data analysis and decision-making processes; the optimisation of data structures and management; and new frontiers in ocean mapping, simulation and visualisations.

Our ambition is to:

  • promote and champion Digital Oceans
  • increase awareness to marine digital technologies 
  • foster collaborations and the exchange of ideas 

The Digital Oceans group strives to bridge the gap between cutting-edge marine digital technologies and social and human sciences. 

Our vision is to promote environmental stewardship and help innovations to impact our oceans and the global community.  

To find out more about the Digital Oceans Special Interest Group and what we do, get in touch with group champions Alexandra Karamitrou, Crystal El Safadi, Philip Leadbitter and Hugo Putuhena.

Join the SMMI Community to sign up to this group and our other special interest groups.

People, projects and publications

People

Professor Tim Henstock

Professor of Geophysics

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Tim Minshull

Professor in Ocean & Earth Science

Research interests

  • Continental breakup and the onset of seafloor spreading
  • Methane hydrate beneath the seafloor and its role in the Earth system
  • Exploration geophysics: seismic and electromagnetic imaging

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Toby Tyrrell

Professor of Earth System Science

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Tom Bibby

Professor of Biological Oceanography

Research interests

  • (1) The role of photosynthetic microbes in global biogeochemical cycles(2) The use of photosynthetic microbes for sustainable products

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Tom Ezard

Associate Dean Education

Research interests

  • The bridge from micro- to macroevolution.
  • Scaling ecological dynamics across individuals, populations and ecosystems.
  • Demography for conservation and life history evolution.

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Toni Martinez Sykora

Professor

Research interests

  • Optimisation and Combinatorial Optimisation 
  • Cutting and packing problems
  • Transportation and vehicle routing problems

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Tony Kushner

James Parkes Professor of History

Research interests

  • Jewish migration history
  • Refugee studies
  • Representation and memory of the Holocaust
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Dr Vicky Dominguez Almela

Lecturer

Research interests

  • Her work has included the use of individual-based models (IBMs), geographical information systems (GIS) and stable isotopes to increase understandings of invasion patterns and evaluate invasive species eradication programmes. She also uses citizen science tools to co-produce knowledge with the general public and increase adaptation pathways to climatic risks.
  • Champion of the Nature-Based Solutions Special Interest Group at the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute.
  • Postgrad Rep and Social Media Lead of the British Ecological Society Invasion Science Group.

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Emeritus Professor Victor Humphrey

Research interests

  • Professor Humphrey has particular research interests in the areas of medical ultrasound and underwater acoustics. Common themes running through his research include the understanding and application of non-linear acoustics and the laboratory measurement of physical acoustic phenomena including scattering. His main research interests include: · Nonlinear propagation, streaming and imaging in medical ultrasonics; · Ultrasonic heating and propagation in biological media; · Parametric arrays and their application to acoustic measurements in the laboratory; · Acoustic transmission and reflection properties of isotropic and anisotropic materials; · Scattering from objects and methods of measuring and predicting the scattered field for regular and irregular bodies; · Numerical modelling of transducers and fields.
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Dr Wassim Dbouk

Research Fellow

Research interests

  • I am currently involved in a multi-disciplinary research project as part of the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC - https://www.linkedin.com/company/idricuk/), where I am researching the legal and regulatory aspects of the transport of CO2 to support the implementation of the UK Government's Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) plans.
  • My wider research interests include the policy aspects influencing the governance and sustainable management of our oceans and the simultaneous implementation of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their respective targets.
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Related research institutes, centres and groups

Related research institutes, centres and groups

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Enquiries

If you're interested in joining us or collaborating, get in touch with the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute.