Director of Research at Marlan, Dr Cai Bird was awarded the ‘Rising Star’ category at the recent Mersey Maritime Industry Awards 2020. Cai had been shortlisted as one of three finalists for the category, with the team having won the Mersey Maritime Innovation Award back in 2018. The prestigious awards event took place on Friday 6 March at the spectacular St George’s Hall in Liverpool and included awards for various categories across the maritime sector.  

Cai has been working with the Marlan team for over 7 years following funding of his PhD at the University of Liverpool, developing a new method of coastal monitoring using marine radar. Cai has published numerous academic papers contributing to the knowledge and application of remote sensing within the coastal management sector. Together with the rest of the team, including the National Oceanography Centre and the University of Liverpool, he has designed an array of software and data analysis techniques to deepen our understanding of coastal dynamics. 

Commodore Phil Waterhouse presented the Rising Star Award to Dr Cai Bird

The awards ceremony demonstrates the vital contributions made to the maritime industry from the many companies and organisations within Merseyside. In addition to Marlan’s award, colleagues from the University of Liverpool and LJMU won the ‘Environmental Impact’ category for their collaboration on the LCEI (Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory) PhD program. 

The Marlan team would like to congratulate the other award winners of the evening. It was truly a special night and a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the achievements of fellow colleagues across the maritime industry. Well done everyone!