Oxford Statutory Professor of Civil Engineering inaugurated as IMarEST President

Professor Deborah Greaves OBE succeeds Professor Stephen de Mora as IMarEST President and will serve in this role for one year, with Claudene Sharp-Patel appointed as the President-Elect and Deputy for the year. The presidential handover took place following the IMarEST Annual General Meeting (AGM) this week.

Professor Greaves joined the Department of Engineering Science in February 2026. She is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the IMarEST. Deborah is internationally recognised for her pioneering research into hydrodynamics, helping to improve the resilience of offshore wind farms.

She says, “I aim to use my presidency to help strengthen the connections of early career researchers and students with the IMarEST, enhance strategies for diversity, equity and inclusion, and grow multidisciplinary research and engagement with skills development for Net-Zero, the blue economy and biodiversity challenges.”

Professor Greaves shared insights into the future of renewable energy in her first technical lecture as the newly inaugurated president as part of IMarEST Week, an annual gathering of the Institute's members in London for the Institute's AGM.

She highlighted her experiences from the UK’s world-leading fixed‑bottom offshore wind industry, as well as explaining the growing importance of floating wind, tidal and wave energy. Discussing the scale of the Net-Zero challenge, she emphasised that meeting future targets will require greater capacity, faster delivery, and a larger, well‑skilled workforce.

During the lecture, she also set out her key priorities as president, including maximising impact on climate change mitigation, increasing student engagement, encouraging multidisciplinary working, and strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion across the industry.