Rachel is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter investigating dynamic subsea power cables. She is a Chartered Engineer with extensive experience in the marine renewable energy and yacht design sectors. As a result, she is an author of many publications in international forums covering aspects of composite technology, offshore renewables and novel vessel design and the recipient of the IMarEST Marine Ambassador Award in 2016. She has considerable experience in project management, design and development of marine vessels and structures; not least superyachts, racing and cruising yachts, tidal turbines, wave energy devices, subsea cable stability and platforms for operation in extreme environments. She is the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, and a member of the Board of Directors of Cornwall Marine Network. She is also an active member of the Devon & Cornwall Joint Branch of RINA & IMarEST.
Rachel graduated from the University of Southampton with a Masters of Engineering in Ship Science (Yacht and Small Craft) in 2004. She worked as a naval architect for Dubois Naval Architects and Rogers Yacht Design (2004-2006), before returning to the University of Southampton in 2006 to complete a PhD in tidal energy. She worked as a Research Assistant at the University of Southampton (2008-2011) before becoming a Research Fellow at the University of Southampton in 2011. A core participant in the UK-NZ Marine Energy Mission in 2012, she then joined Mojo Maritime, a renewable energy consultancy, later that year. In 2015 Rachel founded a Naval Architecture Consultancy, Whiskerstay Ltd, which she ran for 5 years before joining the University of Exeter in 2020.
