University of Tasmania PhD candidate Yi-Ting Tsou has been named the 2025 recipient of the Laurie Prandolini Research Fellowship (LPRF), awarded by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST).
The Fellowship supports early-career researchers in the maritime field across Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific, and recognises Yi-Ting’s outstanding contributions to the development of innovative underwater measurement technologies.
Yi-Ting’s research, based at the Australian Maritime College (AMC) and supervised by Dr Damon Howe, focuses on the design and validation of a Six Degree of Freedom Underwater Measurement System.
This cutting-edge system allows for precise tracking of submerged structures and supports safer and more reliable offshore operations - work that has broad implications for ocean renewable energy, offshore infrastructure and the blue economy including aquaculture.
“I’m honoured to receive the Fellowship,” Yi-Ting said.
“Understanding the motion of submerged structures is critical in many offshore engineering applications.
“For example, many underwater structures are moored, and uncontrolled rotation can lead to entanglement with their own mooring lines. In the case of submerged ocean renewable energy devices, aligning the structure’s natural frequency with wave frequencies can maximise energy capture,” she said.
“Receiving this Fellowship affirms that my work makes a meaningful contribution to the marine engineering field, and the financial support allows me to concentrate more fully on my research.”
The Fellowship provides up to $7,000 per year for two years and is named in honour of Laurie Prandolini, a pioneer in Australia’s maritime research community who was instrumental in founding what is now the largest international maritime conference in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Fellowship is IMarEST’s way of nurturing excellence in research that supports marine engineering, science and technology.
Chair of the LPRF Management Committee, Greg Hellessey, said Yi-Ting was selected based on her exceptional application and the potential of her research.
“Yi-Ting’s work promises to address significant gaps in the affordability and accuracy of current underwater tracking systems, which are essential for experimental testing of submerged platforms such as artificial reefs, underwater docking stations and autonomous marine vehicles,” Mr Hellessey said.
“This research has the potential to transform how we understand and interact with the underwater world.”
Yi-Ting's interest in maritime engineering began in high school, when she designed a boat that could collect marine debris. She completed her Honours degree in Maritime Engineering at AMC at the University of Tasmania and has since been driven by a desire to support sustainable ocean-based industries through the development of better technology.
“Although I don’t come from a maritime family, I grew up near a port and developed an appreciation for how closely our lives are connected to the ocean,” she said.
“The ocean is a harsh and dynamic environment, and it is essential that anything we design and deploy is both safe and capable of performing as intended.”
Looking ahead, Yi-Ting’s vision is to help build sustainable, robust ocean infrastructure in response to climate change, sea level rise and growing demand for ocean resources.
As part of the Fellowship, Yi-Ting hopes to present her findings at a joint IMarEST and Royal Institute of Naval Architects Technical Meeting in Sydney in 2026, continuing Laurie Prandolini’s legacy of rigorous research and global knowledge exchange.
