This summer, OFI team members Dr. Anya Waite (CEO and Scientific Director) and Tracey Woodhouse (Training and Early Career Development Program Manager) travelled to Scotland to solidify research commitments made as part of the Transforming Climate Action (TCA) research program and to build further collaborations with ocean research institutions in the United Kingdom.
Their first visit was with the Marine Alliance of Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) at the University of St Andrews. Additionally, OFI met with multiple research units from the university, including the Centre for Energy Ethics, Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, and the Sea Mammal Research Unit, to learn more about their goals and initiatives and identify common interests and potential areas for future collaboration.
Facilitating collaboration across the Atlantic
The following day, the OFI team met with representatives from the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). SAMS researchers primarily work in the North Atlantic and arctic regions. The organization consists of 35 principal investigators focused on three key research areas: ocean systems, dynamic coasts, and the blue economy.
During the meetings, Dr. Anya Waite provided an overview of OFI’s core research themes and more specifically the research objectives of the TCA program, noting how well they align with the research priorities of MASTS, the University of St Andrews, and the Scottish government. These discussions highlighted the potential for collaboration, and the importance of facilitating opportunities for our institutions to learn from one another’s strengths. Following a tour of the Scottish Oceans Institute, the OFI team concluded their time in St Andrews and travelled south to Edinburgh.
At Heriot-Watt University (HWU) in Edinburgh, OFI met with the HWU School of Energy, Geosciences, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS). Within HWU, there are four global research institutes: the Lyell Centre for Earth and Marine Sciences and Technologies, the National Robotarium, Net Zero and Beyond, and Health and Care Technologies, each with different interdisciplinary focuses around sustainability and ocean solutions. OFI had the opportunity to share more about our research focus, outlining the history of the institute key programs, and areas where we could collaborate.
Next steps
This successful visit helped to identify new research links and potential collaborations across the Atlantic. The institutions that OFI met with are well established in their individual research areas, providing an excellent opportunity for the institute to learn from their expertise and expand the research and success of our own research initiatives.
“We have continued the conversations since our visit and are looking forward to solidifying the next steps in what we all feel will be mutually beneficial research and institutional collaborations,”
says Tracey Woodhouse.
