Vice Admiral Andrew Burns CB OBE (Geography, Hatfield College, 1989-92), Fleet Commander in the Royal Navy made a return visit to his alma mater.
On a visit to Durham, Vice Admiral Andrew Burns met and heard from students and researchers as well as senior staff at the University. We showcased some of our world-leading research through the visit and explored potential areas to work together on.
The Vice Admiral combined his visit to the University with meeting regional Naval officers as well as briefing sessions at NETPark meeting with University spinout companies, including leading developer of radiation and bio-detection technology solutions - Kromek.
Clean maritime research
One Durham researcher that Andrew met with was Professor Tony Roskilly, Chair of Energy Systems. They discussed our research to accelerate the decarbonising of the UK maritime sector. We are leading the UK National Clean Maritime Research Hub (UK-MaRes Hub) - a £21.3m Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council-funded initiative.
The Hub involves 13 universities as well as industry, policymakers, and the third sector to co-create solutions that are not only technically viable but also economically and socially sustainable. This collaborative effort is crucial in ensuring that the maritime sector can meet its decarbonisation targets and contribute to global efforts to combat climate change.
Meeting students
As well as having dinner with students at his old college, the Vice Admiral gave a talk at the School of Government and International Affairs on Challenges to UK Security and their Maritime Implications to an audience of students and staff as part of their Politics in Practice series.
The visit was combined with a meet with University Royal Navy Unit Northumbrian. Students at North East universities, including Durham, can join this dedicated unit where they can get paid to take on unique challenges and learn new skills.
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