Biography
Emma completed her BSc in mathematics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2012. She then worked as a research assistant for a year at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Energy Systems, where she was introduced to wave energy. Emma completed her PhD at MIT in 2020, and her thesis, supervised by Professor Dick Yue, was titled ‘Optimization of the geometry of axisymmetric point absorber wave energy converters.’ She then held a part-time postdoctoral position at MIT with Professor Yue for a year.
She then completed a postdoctoral research fellowship from 2021-2023 at the University of Plymouth, working with Professor Deborah Greaves and Dr Martyn Hann, expanding her expertise to Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWTs) and physical modelling at one of the global hubs for offshore renewable energy research. From 2018-2022, in addition to her PhD and postdoctoral research, Emma competed as professional cyclist. In October 2023 she started as a Career Development Fellow in Engineering at St Peter's College, University of Oxford.
Research Interests
Emma's research interests are centered around offshore renewable energy. She has particular interests in wave-structure interaction of floating bodies, with applications to wave energy and floating offshore wind. Emma has a particular interest in the effect of geometry of a floating body on wave-structure interaction, and the resulting performance of offshore renewable energy devices. She is a fluid dynamists with research expertise in analytical, numerical and physical modelling.
Emma's PhD at MIT focused on semi-analytical research on floating Wave Energy Converters (WECs), optimising geometry to maximise power and minimise cost. She continues to work in this area today. She also works on multiple aspects of floating offshore wind: she performed a review of floating offshore wind platform designs, and she works in numerical and experimental modelling of floating offshore wind. She collaborates with colleagues at MIT and the University of Plymouth.
Research Groups
Recent Publications
Trends in floating offshore wind platforms: A review of early-stage devices
Edwards EC, Holcombe A, Brown S, Ransley E, Hann M et al. (2024), Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 193, 114271
BibTeX
@article{trendsinfloatin-2024/4,
title={Trends in floating offshore wind platforms: A review of early-stage devices},
author={Edwards EC, Holcombe A, Brown S, Ransley E, Hann M et al.},
journal={Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews},
volume={193},
pages={114271},
publisher={Elsevier},
year = "2024"
}
On the Use of Response Conditioned Focused Wave and Wind Events for the Prediction of Design Loads
Tosdevin T, Edwards E, Holcombe A, Brown S, Ransley E et al. (2023)
BibTeX
@inproceedings{ontheuseofrespo-2023/12,
title={On the Use of Response Conditioned Focused Wave and Wind Events for the Prediction of Design Loads},
author={Tosdevin T, Edwards E, Holcombe A, Brown S, Ransley E et al.},
booktitle={ASME 2023 5th International Offshore Wind Technical Conference},
year = "2023"
}
Evolution of floating offshore wind platforms: A review of at-sea devices
Edwards EC, Holcombe A, Brown S, Ransley E, Hann M et al. (2023), Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 183, 113416
BibTeX
@article{evolutionoffloa-2023/9,
title={Evolution of floating offshore wind platforms: A review of at-sea devices},
author={Edwards EC, Holcombe A, Brown S, Ransley E, Hann M et al.},
journal={Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews},
volume={183},
pages={113416},
publisher={Elsevier},
year = "2023"
}
Real-Time Hybrid Testing of a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Using a Surrogate-Based Aerodynamic Emulator
Ransley EJ, Brown SA, Edwards EC, Tosdevin T, Monk K et al. (2023), ASME Open Journal of Engineering, 2
BibTeX
@article{realtimehybridt-2023/1,
title={Real-Time Hybrid Testing of a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Using a Surrogate-Based Aerodynamic Emulator},
author={Ransley EJ, Brown SA, Edwards EC, Tosdevin T, Monk K et al.},
journal={ASME Open Journal of Engineering},
volume={2},
publisher={ASME International},
year = "2023"
}
Optimisation of the geometry of axisymmetric point-absorber wave energy converters
Edwards EC & Yue DK-P (2022), Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 933, a1
BibTeX
@article{optimisationoft-2022/2,
title={Optimisation of the geometry of axisymmetric point-absorber wave energy converters},
author={Edwards EC & Yue DK-P},
journal={Journal of Fluid Mechanics},
volume={933},
pages={a1},
publisher={Cambridge University Press (CUP)},
year = "2022"
}
DPhil Opportunities
I am looking for postgraduate students (DPhil or MSc) who are interested in hydrodynamics and/or offshore renewable energy, particularly wave energy and floating offshore wind.
