Flinders University will collaborate with the Florida Institute of Technology in the USA on research for naval shipbuilding. This collaboration comes after South Australia's preparations for naval shipbuilding projects under the AUKUS agreement.
“The work will contribute to the longevity and effectiveness of naval vessels, reducing the need for more frequent operational maintenance,” the Director of the ARC Training Centre for Biofilm Research and Innovation, Professor Sophie Leterme said.
Dr. Tamar Jamieson, who completed her PhD at Flinders University’s College of Science and Engineering in 2022, has been one of the first South Australians selected for a new SA Defence, Space & Cyber Scholarship from the American Australian Association (AAA) under its specialty field program.
“It is an opportunity for me to gain valuable experience and knowledge of complementary work being undertaken on biofouling by AUKUS partners, and for our team at Flinders to gain invaluable insights and practical experience to advance our capabilities in this field," Jamieson stated.
In line with her role at the ARC Training Centre for Biofilm Research and Innovation at Flinders, Jamieson will leave Adelaide this week to work with experts at the Florida Institute of Technology Center of Corrosion and Biofouling Control. Both research groups will focus on understanding and improving the design of corrosion and biofouling control system. This is due to biofilm build-up on naval and other large carrier and cargo ships linked to 40% higher fuel consumption and the spread of exotic pests on marine vessels travelling between international ports.