November 27, 2024 – North Vancouver, BC – The University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Faculty of Applied Science and Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) are pleased to announce a new faculty chair position at UBC with a focus on marine innovation in robotics and autonomy, further enhancing its commitment to advancing Canadian shipbuilding and supporting technological innovation in the marine sector.
This position is jointly held between UBC’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Department of Mechanical Engineering, and reflects the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of mobile robotic platforms in both research and industry applications.
The Seaspan Chair in Robotics for Marine Vessels at UBC, the third chair to be funded by Seaspan, will be filled by Dr. Adrien Desjardins, who has an extensive background in sensing and robotics. His interdisciplinary research is focused on the development of novel sensing methods, machine learning, and autonomous robotic platforms for navigating complex environments, with marine, ocean science, and biomedical applications.
Dr. Desjardins will perform research and teach in emerging areas such as adaptive sensing and imaging, autonomous navigation, underwater inspection, monitoring of natural environments, and collaborative swarms. Seaspan will be investing $1M over five years, continuing our long-standing partnership with UBC, which is further matched by UBC’s President’s Academic Excellence Initiative, for a total of $2M over five years.
Robotics for Marine Vessels offers benefits with regard to efficient and sustainable vessel operations through vessel life. With interest in autonomous systems, collaborative robotics, and integrated sensing in the marine sector exploding internationally, developing Canadian expertise and applications opens the door to an important export market.
UBC Applied Science is committed to addressing emerging areas of research to reduce the impacts of climate change, while fostering local and global collaboration. Through its cross appointment, this new chair is expected to address complex research topics facing use of drones and other autonomous systems for a variety of tasks including inspection, environmental impact measurement, and vessel performance monitoring. The chair will bring together a wide range of academic and industrial expertise in robotics, advanced sensing, data analytics and AI to develop new solutions for autonomously inspecting marine vessels and monitoring natural environments.
Seaspan’s $1M investment is part of the company’s broader commitment to supporting innovation, sustainability, and skills development under Canada’s value proposition program within the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Through partnerships like this one, Seaspan is helping to cultivate the next generation of engineers and researchers to drive the future of Canada’s marine industry.
QUOTES
“The appointment of Dr. Desjardins as the Seaspan Chair in Robotics for Marine Vessels at UBC represents a positive step towards a sustainable and innovative future in shipbuilding. This partnership embodies Seaspan’s commitment to harnessing Canadian expertise in robotics and autonomy, ensuring that they meet the challenges of today and pave the way for the next generation of engineers and researchers. This will help build a resilient, forward-thinking marine industry that prioritizes efficiency and environmental stewardship.”
- François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
“We are proud to continue and strengthen our partnership with Seaspan in driving forward innovative teaching and research within our local and Canadian marine communities. Strategic partnerships like this play a critical role in building BC’s economy, fulfilling our commitment to protecting our environment, and attracting and training talented students to this important sector.”
- James Olson, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC
“The collaboration has huge potential to have a transformative impact on marine engineering innovation in Canada within a short time. I am excited to develop new paradigms for rapidly accessing and navigating underwater environments. With interdisciplinary teams that include collaboration between UBC and Seaspan, we will move quickly from ideation to solutions that are successfully deployed in the ocean.”
- Adrien Desjardins, Professor, UBC Engineering and Seaspan Chair in Robotics for Marine Vessels
“We are excited to build on our existing relationship with UBC and further invest in the future of Canadian marine technology. Dr. Desjardins will lead important research that advances novel sensing and robotic systems that support high-functioning fleets and sustainable ship operations. At Seaspan, we believe this kind of forward-thinking collaboration is essential to ensuring Canada’s shipbuilding industry remains competitive on the global stage.”
- Dave Hargreaves, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Business Development and Communications, Seaspan Shipyards
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ABOUT SEASPAN
Seaspan is a leader in Canada’s ship design, engineering, building and ship repair industry. With modern facilities and a dedicated workforce of approximately 4,000 in North Vancouver and Victoria, the company has proven itself to be a trusted and strategic partner on a range of complex projects for both the government and private sector.
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