Professor Mark Randolph, Fellow of the Royal Society (UK), has been appointed to the recently announced ‘Fugro Chair in Geotechnics’ at the University of Western Australia’s Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems (COFS).
The announcement was made at a ceremony held at the university. Professor Randolph has been the recipient of many science and industry awards over a long career, including being named as Western Australia’s Scientist of the Year in 2014.
By establishing the Fugro Chair in Geotechnics, Fugro and COFS aim to develop a sustainable research group, which will be significant in Fugro’s activities worldwide and will support the wider geotechnical community. The group will address key research questions related to cost-effective design and performance in the field of offshore geotechnics, reducing risk and enhancing engineering design within the sector. The arrangement will further strengthen collaboration between Fugro and COFS, which stems from the synergistic development between UWA and Fugro Advanced Geomechanics over almost twenty years.
“This is a richly deserved honour for Mark, who has led the way in the development of many aspects of geotechnics, especially those associated with offshore engineering,” says Dr Phil Watson, Director of Fugro Advanced Geomechanics, Perth and Fugro’s Global Service Line Manager GeoConsulting.
While geotechnics may be regarded as one of the less well recognised sciences it has underpinned some of the largest projects in the world. Professor Randolph has been central to offshore geotechnical engineering, having been a key figure in the development of methods used to design foundation for the many varied types of offshore structure, from the Gulf of Mexico to offshore Australia.
“The centre of excellence at the University of Western Australia has gone through several iterations to become the world-renowned COFS and we are delighted that someone of Mark’s industry-leading calibre and experience has been appointed to this new position,” adds Dr Watson. “We look forward to further strengthening the collaboration between UWA and Fugro via his appointment.”
By also funding three PhD scholarships, Fugro will facilitate the growth of high quality graduates in the field of offshore geotechnics and engineering, with the selected students being provided with enhanced educational opportunities by working with the world’s leading geotechnical engineering company.