Ocean engineering
About us
The Ocean Engineering Centre focuses its research across the disciplines of ocean and coastal engineering, oceanography, marine meteorology, air-sea interactions, including the extreme weather conditions, remote sensing of the ocean and climate studies. Geographically, our research spans from the Southern Ocean through tropical cyclones to waves in the Arctic.
The Centre conducts analytical and experimental research, statistical analysis and probability methods, numerical modelling, field observations, remote sensing of the ocean, and develops technology and instrumentation:
- our suite of models for water waves and wind-wave interactions is unique
- leading international wave-forecast models employ our observation-based physics
- our oceanographic and climate studies have revealed new features and phenomena in the Earth’s systems
Our priority areas cover ocean wave dynamics and wave-coupled impacts in the atmospheric boundary layer and the upper ocean. This includes large-scale effects in the context of weather, ocean circulation and climate. We also investigate environmental extremes such as rogue waves, tropical cyclones and storm surges.
We have developed unique non-linear models of three-dimensional waves. These are used to analyse wave interaction with wind, wave breaking and dissipation, oceanic turbulence and other phenomena.
We have developed new version of major wave-forecasting engineering and meteorological spectral models. These models employ physics based on observation, host a set of new physical features and phenomena, which are implemented internationally.
Education
We offer excellent supervision for both research and coursework training. A significant number of PhD and Master research projects in ocean engineering and oceanography have completed or are in progress.
Contact us
People
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Professor Alexander Babanin
Professor, Ocean Engineering
Email: a.babanin@unimelb.edu.au
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Associate Professor Alessandro Toffoli
Associate Professor, Ocean Engineering
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Dr Shuo Li
Research Fellow
Email: shuo.li6@unimelb.edu.au
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Dr Alberto Meucci
Research Fellow
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Dr Joey Voermans
Research Fellow
Email: jvoermans@unimelb.edu.au
Honorary staff
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Professor Ian Young
Honorary (Professorial Fellow)
Email: ian.young@unimelb.edu.au
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Dr Vadim Anokhin
Honorary (Fellow), Ocean Engineering
Email: vadim.anokhin@shell.com
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Dr Jean Bidlot
Honorary (Fellow), Ocean Engineering
Email: jean.bidlot@ecmwf.int
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Professor Dmitry Chalikov
Honorary (Professorial Fellow), Ocean Engineering
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Professor Kevin Ewans
Honorary (Professorial Fellow), Ocean Engineering
Email: kevin.ewans@unimelb.edu.au
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Dr Qingxiang Liu
Honorary (Fellow), Ocean Engineering
Email: qingxiang.liu@unimelb.edu.au
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Dr Joanna Staneva
Honorary (Fellow), Ocean Engineering
Email: joanna.staneva@hzg.de
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Dr Cagil Kirezci
Honorary (Fellow), Ocean Engineering
Email: cagil.kirezci@unimelb.edu.au
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Dr Huy Quang Tran
Honorary Fellow (Ocean Engineering)
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Dr Xingkun Xu
Honorary Fellow (Ocean Engineering)
Research
Projects
Satellite measurements of ocean wave breaking
Leader: Alex Babanin
Coupling tropical cyclone and climate physics with ocean waves
Leader: Alex Babanin
Development and application of a global satellite database of wind and wave conditions
Leader: Ian Young
Global trends in wind speed and wave height
Leader: Ian Young
Novel approached to the determination of extreme wind speed and wave height
Leader: Ian Young
Project partners
Universities (Australia)
Swinburne University of Technology
The University of Adelaide
Universities (international)
University of Washington, USA
University of Rhode Island, USA
Ocean University of China, China
Far Eastern Federal University, Russia
University of Torino, Italy
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
University of Cape Town, South Africa
Industry/Government (Australia)
Bureau of Meteorology
CSIRO
DSTG
Woodside Energy Ltd
Industry/Government (international)
US Naval Research Laboratory
US NOAA
First Institute of Oceanography, China
Shell Corporation, The Netherlands