Fugro names geotechnics chair at University of Western Australia

Fraser Bransby has been appointed Fugro chair in geotechnics at the University of Western Australia’s Oceans Graduate School (OGS).

Fugro said on Thursday that Bransby worked across academia and industry, most recently at Fugro AG Pty Ltd.

After obtaining his PhD in soil mechanics from the University of Cambridge, he spent time in university geotechnical research and in industrial consultancy before joining Fugro.

Having established the Fugro chair in geotechnics in 2014, UWA and Fugro developed a sustainable research group that is significant to Fugro’s activities worldwide. By ensuring the group’s applied research is targeted to solving real-world problems, it also supports the wider geotechnical community, Fugro explained.

Regarding the appointment, Bransby said: “With my previous experience in seabed characterization, pipeline, and subsea foundation design, I think I have an excellent starting point. The aim will be to continue to develop the partnership between Fugro and the UWA, and identify and execute research which will make a real difference to design, construction, and asset management practice.”

Professor Ryan Lowe, acting head of school of the OGS added: “He has been at the forefront of subsea and pipeline structure foundation design that has been used to address the geotechnical engineering challenges of the oil and gas industry. He will help to sustain and develop UWA, in partnership with Fugro, as a center for world-class research and education in geotechnical engineering.”

The company said that the partnership would address key questions related to design and performance within the field of offshore geotechnics, reduce risk and enhance engineering design within the offshore sector.

It also provides funding for three PhD scholarships to facilitate the growth of high quality graduates in offshore geotechnics and engineering, with selected students offered the opportunity to work with Fugro.