The Consortium
There are over 40 people working across the UK-MaRes Hub, including the Director, Co-Directors, Co-Investigators, Researchers, Technicians and Professional Service Staff, all passionate about driving forward the research and innovation needed to create meaningful change across the sector. See below to find out more about the people involved.
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Dr Serkan Turkmen
Lecturer in Marine Engineering at Newcastle University
Dr Serkan Turkmen is a Naval Architect, Marine Engineer and currently Newcastle University lecturer in Marine Engineering.
His research interests are experimental and computational fluid dynamics, ship propulsion, performance monitoring, marine systems, alternative fuels, Marine 4.0, and Society 5.0.
His current research includes the novel Gate Rudder system, hydrogen-battery powered retrofittable propulsion system, direct drive generator for wave energy converters and biofouling prevention using UVc light.
He has been PI and Co-PI several national and international projects and the chairperson of Hydro Testing Forum.
Dr Xiang Xie
NUAcT Fellow: Data and Digital at Newcastle University
Dr Xiang Xie is the Built Environment Fellow of the 1851 Royal Commission, and the Academic Track Fellow at the School of Engineering, Newcastle University. Before 2022, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, and the UK Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) since 2018.
Dr Xie’s research interests focus on data-driven asset management for smart infrastructure. He applied machine learning, knowledge graphs, and digital twins to facilitate the digital transformation of urban built environments and maritime domains. His work was awarded the Charles Manby Prize by ICE in 2024.
Professor Pengfei Liu
Professor of Marine Hydrodynamics at Newcastle University
Pengfei Liu is currently the Professor of Marine Hydrodynamics at Newcastle University, the Lead of Theme 4 of the Flagship UK National Clean Maritime Hub Project. He is a Fellow of American Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, a Fellow of Royal Institute of Naval Architects, and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.
Pengfei obtained a B.Eng. in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering at Wuhan University of Technology and M.Eng. and PhD degrees at Memorial University of Newfoundland, respectively. He served as Senior Research Officer for National Research Council Canada (NRC) for about 20 years.
Professor Zhiqiang Hu
Lloyds Prof of Offshore Engineering at Newcastle University
Prof. Zhiqiang Hu is the Lloyd’s Professor of Offshore Engineering and the Head of the Marine, Offshore, and Subsea Technology Group at the School of Engineering, Newcastle University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Ship Engineering, as well as his master’s and doctoral degrees in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Prof. Hu serves as Deputy Editor of the Journal of Ocean Engineering and is a member of the ISSC V.6 committee and the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA). His research focuses primarily on offshore renewable energy, offshore hydrodynamics, and the collision and grounding of ships and offshore structures.
