Eric Gubesch Email & Phone Number

Eric’s primary objective is to become an engineer and researcher with impact in sustainable offshore systems that are powered by renewable energy.Eric is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Australian Maritime College (AMC), a specialist institute of the University of Tasmania (UTAS). He obtained his PhD in Maritime Engineering (2022) and his Bachelor of Ocean Engineering (2018) at AMC. He also has a Bachelor of Education from the Queensland University of Technology (2005) and combined 14 years’ experience in the Government and University Education sectors.Eric is currently employed as a postdoctoral researcher on the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) project titled ‘Developing production systems for offshore kelp mariculture’. The objective of the project is to develop and test pilot scale production systems for offshore kelp that are scalable, economically viable, environmentally sustainable, likely to attract strong social licence, and supportable by policy and regulatory measures. Previously, Eric conducted research for the Australia-China Joint Research Centre on Offshore Wind and Wave Energy Harnessing. This project investigated hydrodynamic interactions between a co-located offshore wind turbine and wave energy converter.Eric’s PhD thesis investigated the effect of mooring systems on the operational performance and survivability characteristics of a floating offshore wave energy converter. He was awarded with the following accolades during his PhD: 1) an international research fellowship from the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) (‘2020 Laurie Prandolini Research Fellowship’), 2) an industry-based scholarship from the Society of Underwater Technology and Aurora Offshore Engineering (‘2021 Marine Renewable Energy Scholarship’), and 3) the 2022 Rob Lewis Medal - Highly Commended Award for excellence in post-graduate research at AMC. His research findings have been published in highly regarded international journals including ‘Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews’ (Impact Factor: 16.8) and ‘Applied Energy’ (Impact Factor: 11.4). Eric has also delivered a technical presentation for Engineers Australia, IMarEST, and the Royal Institute of Naval Architects regarding the effect of mooring systems on floating wave energy converters.Eric is a motivated educator. He is a current lecturer at the Australian Maritime College and has supervised several engineering Honours research projects. Previous to Eric’s ocean engineering career, he was a teacher and school principal for Education Queensland.