Luke Myers

Dr. Luke Myers is an Associate Professor in the Energy and Climate Change Division at the University of Southampton, balancing his career between education, research, and enterprise. His primary research focuses on offshore renewable energy, particularly free-stream tidal turbines that function analogously to wind turbines but underwater. As an educator, he leads the first-year Thermofluids module across multiple international campuses and serves as an undergraduate lead and exchange coordinator for Civil Engineering.

• Education Background: PhD in Renewable Energy Systems

Myers' research explores critical aspects of tidal energy technologies, including:

• Blade winglet design optimization
• Turbulence effects on turbine performance
• Array positioning strategies in marine environments
• Fluid-structure interaction in submerged turbines
• Micro-renewables applications like micro-wind turbines

His publications demonstrate expertise in marine energy systems, with recent works analyzing turbulence manipulation in testing facilities and tidal turbine array optimization. His research has been supported by EPSRC, Royal Society, and Highways England.

Scientific achievements include:

• 2008 keynote presentation on tidal turbine wake dynamics
• Contributions to international marine energy standards
• Development of turbulence control devices for hydrodynamic testing

As an academic leader, he:

• Served as Director of Programmes for Civil Engineering (2014-2018)
• Led successful re-accreditation of Civil Engineering degree programmes
• Mentors PhD students like Vaishnavi Thavarajah
• Collaborates with institutions including Harbin University (China)

Myers remains actively engaged in research groups like the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute and Nature-Based Ocean Solutions, advancing maritime decarbonization through tidal energy innovations.