Newcastle University

Roles and Responsibilities

Head of the School of Marine Science and Technology 

Qualifications

PhD Newcastle 1994
BEng Newcastle 1991
CEng (1996)
FRINA
MSNAME

Research Interests

Design methodologies applied in the marine environment
Design of small craft, including working craft (such as tugs and fishing vessels), high speed craft and recreational craft
Ecologically sustainable recreatinal craft
Design for safety applied in the marine environment
Design and production of traditional working craft in developing economies
Stability of marine vehicles

Background: Richard Birmingham was involved in all aspects of the small craft sector of the marine industry, including building, operating, designing, and regulating small craft, before joining the School in 1994.

Postgraduate Supervision

Probabilistic damage stability regulations
Safety of high speed craft
Stabilisation of fishing vessels
Ecologically sustainable recreational craft
Safety of escort towing operations
Optimised surface generation procedures
Distributed production of traditional working craft in Indonesia

Esteem Indicators

Bronze medal awarded for paper in Transactions of Royal Institute of Naval Archtecture: 'The Application of Artificial Intelligence to Roll Stabilisation for a Range of Loading and Operating Conditions.' International Journal of Maritime Engineering, 2003, 145(A4).

Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Archcitects
National Committee participation:
Chairman of the RINA Small Craft Committee
Member of the RINA Publications Committee
Member of the RINA Executive Committee
Member of the RINA Council

International Committees:
Member of Technical Committee IV.1 (Design Principles and Criteria) of ISSC (International Ship Structures)
Member of International Co-ordinating Committee of PRADS (Practical Design of Ships and Offshore Structures Conference)
Coordinator of International Working Group on student Friendly Software in Marine Design
Corresponding member of the SNAME Working Group on Stability Criteria for Fishing Vessels

Editor: Internatinal Journal of Small Craft Technology (Part B of Proceedings of Royal Insitution of Naval Architects)

Editorial Board Membership:
Indonesian Journal of Marine Technology Research
International Journal of Maritime Engineering

Recent Participation in Conference Organisation:
Coordinator: SURV V (2000, RINA, Southampton)
Coordinator: Safety of Small Craft (2001, RINA, London)
Coordinator: Sail Training and Other Commercial Sailing Vessels (2002, RINA, London)
Organising Committee: HISWA Symposium on Yacht Design (2002, Amsterdam)
Coordinator: International Conference on Fishing Vessels, Fishing Technology and Fisheries (2005, RINA, Newcastle)

Particiapant in collaborative research programms funded by the EC:
Harder, Safety at Speed, Intellistab, Intermodeship, ERASTAR.

Spinout Company: Intellistab

Projects

• Bernicia Replacement Project
  Project Leader(s): Professor Mehmet Atlar
  Keywords: Research Vessel; design; propulsion; hydrodynamics; catamaran; deep-v
• Low Carbon Shipping - A Systems Approach
  Project Leader(s): Professor John Mangan
  Keywords: Marine transport; logistics; low carbon; fuel; ship emissions; carbon dioxide; marine fuel; marine engines

Undergraduate Teaching

Group Project and Report (MAR499)
Small Craft Design (MAR304)
Stability of Marine Vehicles (MAR330)
Surface Generation and Fairing (MAR333)
Naval Architecture II (MAR208)
Naval Architecture I (MAR103)

Postgraduate Teaching

MAR801 and 871: Research Methods
MTEC C15: Design of Working Craft
MAR891: Ship Design and Construction

• Webster BN, Birmingham RW, Jones EB, Roskilly AP. The Application of Artificial Intelligence to Roll Stabilisation for a Range of Loading and Operating Conditions. International Journal of Maritime Engineering 2003, 145(A4), 277-288.
• Landamore M, Birmingham R, Downie M. Establishing the economic and environmental life-cycle costs of marine systems: A case study from the recreational craft sector. Marine Technology 2007, 44(2), 106-117.
• Goran O, Danisman DB, Atlar M, Birmingham RW. Forebody optimisation of a conventioanl fishing vessel operating at F_N=0.36. Transactions of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects Part B: International Journal of Small Craft Technology 2004, 146(B1), 33-52.
• Cain CF, Sen P, Birmingham RW. Methods for Modelling the Confidence in Probabilistic Failure Estimates. The Journal of the Safety and Reliability Society 2001, 21(2), 107-123.
• Landamore MJ, Birmingham RW, Downie MJ, Wright PNH. Sustainable technologies for inland leisure craft. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part M: Journal of Engineering for the Maritime Environment 2007, 221(3), 97-114.
• Cho K-N, Birmingham RW, other Members of ISSC Committee IV.1. Design Principles and Criteria. In: 16th International Ship and Offshore Structures Congress (ISSC). 2006, Southampton, UK: University of Southampton.
• Landamore MJ, Birmingham RW, Downie MJ. Establishing the Economic and Environmental Life Cycle Costs of Marine Systems: A Case Study from the Recretional Craft Sector. In: International Conference on Ship and Shipping Research (NAV). 2006, Genoa, Italy.
• Birmingham RW, Landamore MJ, Wright PNG, Downie MJ. Investigation of Sustainable Technologies for the Design, Construction, Operation and Decommissioning of Recreational Craft. In: HISWA - International Symposium on Yacht Design and Construction. 2006, Amsterdam: HISWA and Delft University.
• Landamore MJ, Wright PNH, Birmingham RW, Downie MJ. Investigation of sustainable technologies in the leisure craft sector. Transactions of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects Part B: International Journal of Small Craft Technology 2006, 148(B2), 41-54.
• Landamore MJ, Birmingham RW, Downie MJ, Mesbahi E, Jackson S. Life Cycle Analysis and Cost Benefit Analysis of Selected Technologies for Sustainable Inland Boating. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Newcastle University, 2006.
• Alzahrani AS, Birmingham RW. Shallow Water Bathymetry Derived from VHR Satellite (IKONOS) Remote Sensing (Red Sea Saudi Arabia). In: Melaha. 2006, Luxor, Egypt: Arab Institute of Naviagation.
• Wright PNH, Birmingham RW. Towards Student Friendly Ship Design Software. In: 9th International Marine Design Conference. 2006, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
• Birmingham R. Boat Building Techniques Illustrated. London: Adlard Coles Nautical, 2005.
• Webster BN, Jones EB, Dannenberg J, Traenkmann I, Birmingham RW, Roskilly AP. Development and implementation of an adaptive roll stabilisation system for use on fishing vessels. In: Royal Institution of Naval Architects International Conference on Fishing Vessels, Fishing Technology and Fisheries. 2005, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Royal Institution of Naval Architects.
• Birmingham RW, McGregor J, Besse P, Delautre S. Creating a Framework for Risk Based Design. In: Proceedings of 2nd International Conference on Design for Safety. 2004, Sakai, Japan: Osaka University, Osaka Prefecture University, and ship and Ocean Foundation.
• Birmingham RW. Design for Stability and Instability – Finding the Right Balance for Small Craft. In: Proceedings of 18th International HISWA Symposium on Yacht Design and Yacht Construction. 2004, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• Birmingham RW, McGregor J, Delautre S, Astrugue JA. Risk Evaluation at the Preliminary Design Stage of High Speed Craft. Journal of Ship Production and Design 2004, 20(3), 183-187.
• Delautre S, McGregor J, Birmingham R, Astrugue J-C. Application of Risk Based Methodology to the Preliminary Design Phase of High Speed Craft. In: 7th International Conference on Fast Sea Transportation (FAST). 2003, Naples, Italy.
• Webster B, Birmingham RW, Jones E, Roskilly AP. Developing an artificially intelligent roll stabilisation system for use on fishing vessels. In: 8th International Conference on the stability of ships and Ocean Vehicles (STAB). 2003, Madrid, Spain: Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Navales.
• Birmingham R, McGregor J, Astrugue J-C. Development of a Safety Based Design Tool for High Speed Craft. In: International Marine Design Conference (IMDC). 2003, Athens, Greece.
• Jones EB, Webster BN, Birmingham RW, Roskilly AP. Development of an Adaptive Roll Stabilisation System for Fishing Vessels. In: World Maritime Conference. 2003, San Francisco, California, USA: Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.
• Smith J, Birmingham RW. Creating the Virtual Tug , Bilbao, Spain, 13 -17 May, 2002. In: Proceedings of the 17th International Tug and Salvage Convention. 2002, Bilbao, Spain: ABR.
• Birmingham RW, Webster B, Roskilly T, Jones E. The Application of Artificial Intelligence to Roll Stabilisation fo a Range of Loading and Operating Conditions. In: 17th International Symposium on Yacht Design and Construction. 2002, Amsterdam: HISWA and Delft University of Technology.
• Birmingham R, Samodra S, Widjaja S. Development of traditional Indonesian boatyards: the simulation of collaborative working with a large shipbuilding facility. Journal of Ship and Ocean Technology 2001, 5(1), 1-14.
• Birmingham R, Sampson R. Fishing Vessel Design in a Regulation Driven Environment Proceedings of 5th International Workshop on Stability and Operational Safety of Ships. In: Proceedings of 5th International Workshop on Stability and Operational Safety of Ships. 2001, Trieste, Italy: University of Trieste.
• Birmingham RW, Sampson R. Safety and stability in the fishing industry – a design conflict?. In: Proceedings of International Conference on Small Craft Safety. 2001, London: Royal Institute of Naval Architects.
• Birmingham R, Cleland G, Maffin D, Driver R. Understanding Engineering Design - Context, Theory and Practice. London: Pearson Education, 2001.
• Birmingham R. Exploring the possibility of stability assessment without reference to hydrostatic data. In: Vassalos, D., Hamamoto, M., Papanikolaou, A., Molyneux D, ed. Contemporary Ideas on Ship Stability. London: Elsevier, 2000, pp.597.
• Birmingham RW, Samodra S, Widjaja S. Development of traditional Indonesian boatyards: the simulation of collaborative working with a large shipyard. In: Proceedings of 7th International Marine Design Conference (IMDC). 2000, Kyongju, Korea: The Society of Naval Architects of Korea.
• Birmingham RW, Smith J. Establishing safety limits for escort tug operations and so reducing the risks of pollution incidents. In: Proceedings of ENSUS 2000: Marine Science and Technology for Environmental Sustainability. 2000, Newcastle upon Tyne: Newcastle University: Departments of Marine Technology and of Marine Science.
• Birmingham RW, Molyneux D, Smith J. Modelling the stability behaviour of excort tugs in transient conditions. In: Proceedings of STAB 2000, the 7th International Conference on Stability of Ships and Ocean Vehicles. 2000, Launceston, Australia: Australian Maritime Engineering.
• Birmingham RW, Cain C, Sen P, Cripps RM. A practical formal safety assessment system for the marine design environment. Marine Technology 1999, 36(4), 183-193.
• Birmingham RW, Grimwade J. Tanker stopping distances and the performance of escort tugs. Transactions of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects 1999, 142(C), 198-216.
• Birmingham RW. Wooden boatbuilding: practice and prospects. In: Boatbuilding: Practice and Prospects in the New Indonesia. 1999, Surabaya, Indonesia: ITS Surabaya.
• Sen, P., Birmingham, R.W. (Editors). IMDC'97; 6th International Marine Design Conference: Vol 1, Proceedings. Vol. 2, State of the Art Reports. Vol. 3, Discussion, Replies, Seminar - Alternatives for the Royal Yacht. Newcastle: Department of Marine Technology, Newcastle University, 1997.
• Birmingham RW, Hall S, Kattan MR. Shipyard technology development strategies. Journal of Ship Production (Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, New Jersey) 1997, 13(4), 290-300.
• Birmingham, R.W., Chandler, H.W., Wilcox, J.A.D., Marshall, A.L. A graphical model for compression struts that integrates material and form in structural design. Journal of Engineering Design 1994, 5(3), 227-241.
• Birmingham, R.W., Wilcox, J.A.D. Charting the links between material selection and elemental form in structural design. Journal of Engineering Design 1993, 4(2), 127-140.
• Enshaie H, Birmingham R. Monitoring of Dynamic Stability via Ship’s Motion Responses. In: 11th International Conference on the Stability of Ships and Ocean Vehicles (STAB). 2012, Athens, Greece.
• Enshaei H, Birmingham R. The application of signal processing techniques for real-time monitoring of the dynamic stability of a ship via its motion responses. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part M: Journal of Engineering for the Maritime Environment 2013, 227(2), 114-124.
• Landamore M, Cabezas-Basurko O, Wright P, Birmingham R, Reichel M, Kremer E. Create3S: An outline of the concept and overview of possible solution routes for the hull form. Journal of Maritime Research 2009, 6(1), 3-14.
• Roskilly AP, Jones E, Webster B, Birmingham RW. Adaptive Roll Stabilisation of Fishing Vessels. In: World Maritime Technology Conference. 2003, San Francisco, California, USA.
• Birmingham R. Some Developments in Marine Technology Education in the United Kingdom. Journal of Ship Production 2001, 17(4), 183-190.
• Birmingham RWB, Sampson R. Sustainability and Survivability in the UK Fishing Fleet, a design Conflict?. In: RINA International Conference on Small Craft Safety. 2001, London: RINA.
• Birmingham RW, Cain C, Sen P, Cripps RM. Development and implementation of a design for safety procedure for search and rescue craft. Journal of Engineering Design 2000, 11(1), 55-78.
• Birmingham R, Sen P, Cain C, Cripps RM. Development and implementation of a design for safety procedure for search and rescue craft. Journal of Engineering Design 2000, 11(1), 55-78.
• Cain CF, Birmingham RW, Sen P, Cripps RM. A practical formal safety assessment system for the marine design environment. (mt) Marine Technology 1999, 36(4), 183-193.
• Brunner E, Birmingham RW, Committee IVi. Design Principles and Criteria. In: 18th International Ship and Offshore Structures Congress. 2012, Rostock, Germany: University of Rostock.
• Enshaei H, Birmingham R, Mesbahi E. Identification of influential parameters in a ship's motion responses: A route to monitoring dynamic stability. Transactions of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, Part A: International Journal of Maritime Engineering 2012, 154, A43-A51.
• Birmingham R, Utama K, Zaky M, Enshaei H. Marine safety in Indonesian waters and some insights gained from the European experience. In: ICSOT: Develpments in Ship Design & Construction. 2012, Ambon, Indonesia: The Royal Institution of Naval Architecture.
• Enshaei H, Birmingham R. Monitoring of Dynamic Stability via Ship's Motion Responses. In: 11th International Conference on Stability of Ships and Ocean Vehicles (STAB). 2012, Athens, Greece.