Prof. Fraser Bransby

Prof. Bransby holds the Fugro Chair in Geotechnics and is the Director of the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems (COFS).  He specialises in geotechnical engineering and soil mechanics (the management of the ground in engineering projects and the study of how soil behaves as a material) with an emphasis on offshore geotechnics.  Offshore geotechnics involves the development and application of knowledge required to support the design of infrastructure resting on or in the seabed and so is a key input to offshore energy developments.  Fraser’s current research therefore involves a mix of topics relevant to oil and gas infrastructure (e.g. offshore pipelines and subsea foundations), renewable energy generation (e.g. anchors and foundations for offshore wind turbines and wave energy converters) and both areas (e.g. characterisation of the seabed); all work aiming to ensure safe, yet cost-effective infrastructure is built and maintained offshore. Fraser has spent about thirty years undertaking geotechnical research and applying findings to practice at the universities of Cambridge, Western Australia and Dundee and at offshore geotechnical consultants Advanced Geomechanics and Fugro.  Although, a significant proportion of his research and consultancy activity has been focused on offshore geotechnics, his research portfolio is unusually broad spanning from plant root interaction in soil to the behaviour of structures in earthquakes. These topics have been studied using a combination of research techniques ranging from using large geotechnical centrifuges to using computer based approaches, with the techniques selected (or combined) to understand the processes occurring and provide data to help develop/validate design approach.