Dr Jon Downes BEng, PhD, CEng, MRINA, SFHEA
Lecturer in Ship Science and Maritime Engineering

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Jon is a Lecturer in Ship Science and Maritime Engineering at the University of Southampton within Engineering and Physical Sciences, based on the Southampton Boldrewood Innovation Campus. Jon joined the University in early 2014 where he is a member of the Fluid Structure Interactions Group.
His current research interests are in the development of maritime autonomous systems, in particular the development of unmanned surface vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicles, investigating the overall system design, systems integration, and mission behaviours. He is the academic lead for the Maritime Robotics Laboratory.
His previous research has been in the area of structural response of marine structures under extreme loads and methods for the efficient inspection of marine structures which has led to the research interest in autonomous marine platforms.
Previous to joining the University of Southampton, Jon worked for Newcastle University on both their UK and Singapore Campuses. His last role was as Director of Operations for the School of Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle University International Singapore. He was based in in Newcastle, UK and then for nearly 3 years in Singapore.
He was previously a member of the International Ship and Offshore Structures Congress (ISSC) –Committee IV.I Design Principles and Criteria. He is a member of the Editorial Board for both the IMECHE Part M Journal of Engineering in the Maritime Environment and the International Shipbuilding Progress Journals.
He is the Employability and Industrial Liaison for the Ship Science degree courses.