Talks and shows

The secret superpowers of the seabed

Discover what lies at the bottom of the ocean and whether wind might take us to net zero.

Nicholas Doherty via Unsplash

Help us celebrate International Women in Engineering Day.

Offshore wind turbines provide us with clean electricity, powering our homes, vehicles and lifestyles. They can help to decarbonise our society and economy to slow climate change. But how do we design and scale up what's required to meet net zero targets?

Join geotechnical engineer, Susan Gourvenec, as she explores the secret superpowers of the seabed, and how their evolution impacts the integrity of infrastructures built in the sea. From the microscale of seabed sediments to the individual foundations placed to support the turbines, discover what it takes to build windfarms at the scale the world needs.

In this talk, Susan will unearth these seabed superpowers that engineers can tap into to achieve these ambitions, as well as the latest emerging technologies that will enable us to design and build offshore wind farms at a scale, pace and accuracy that is currently impossible.

The Royal Academy of Engineering are making tickets to this event free for London schools and community groups. To access these tickets, please email events@ri.ac.uk with the name of the school and number of tickets you wish to apply for. This will be on a first come, first served basis. 

Event type

This is a theatre only event where the speakers and audience are together in our Theatre.

By booking to attend events at the Royal Institution, you confirm that you have read and accept the Ri's event terms and conditions. You also agree to abide by our code of conduct, and help to create a great experience for yourself and your fellow participants. Please note that Eventbrite adds a small booking fee to the amount paid for each ticket option.

For any queries regarding this event please get in touch by phone 020 7409 2992 or email events@ri.ac.uk.

About Susan Gourvenec

A picture of a woman smiling at the camera. She has long brown hair.
University of Southampton

Susan Gourvenec FREng is Professor of Offshore Geotechnical Engineering and Deputy Director of the multi-disciplinary Southampton Marine & Maritime Institute at the University of Southampton, UK. Since 2019, Susan has held a Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies in Intelligent & Resilient Ocean Engineering and leads the Centre of Excellence for Intelligent & Resilient Ocean Engineering.

Susan’s research in geotechnical engineering involves the study of soil mechanics and its application to infrastructure built on or in the ground, and developing new ways to achieve safe and efficient design of offshore infrastructure, such as offshore wind turbines.

Susan’s interdisciplinary research interests involve exploration of philosophies of how we engage with the oceans, intersections with ecology, heritage, governance and justice of ocean interventions, and how to responsibly manage end of engineered life of offshore infrastructure.

With thanks to the Royal Academy of Engineering for their generous support in making tickets to this event free to London schools.

Timing

Doors to the theatre will open at 6.45pm and the talk will begin at 7.00pm.

Accessibility

The event will take place on the first floor and there is step-free access from the street via lift.

The closest underground station is Green Park, which is step-free.

There is space at floor level in the theatre for wheelchair users.

Seating is usually unreserved for our events. If you and your group require seating reservations, please do let us know by emailing us at events@ri.ac.uk, and we’ll be more than happy to help.

Carers can receive a free ticket to an event by emailing events@ri.ac.uk.

Our theatre is equipped with an Audio Induction Loop. 

Covid guidelines

Face masks are no longer mandatory and wearing one in our Theatre and at other Ri events is at your discretion, however please do not attend the Ri if you are displaying Covid symptoms or, if you have tested, the result remains positive. Thank you for respecting other people and their choices, and for helping us keep all of our visitors and staff safe and well.

Event terms and conditions