Our postdoctoral researcher Dr. Amiya Pandit received the Irish Research Council ‘Thomas Mitchell Medal of Excellence’ last week. He was awarded the medal for being the top-ranked postdoctoral researcher in the STEM category under highly competitive Government of Ireland funding scheme.
Commenting on what attracted him to his areas of specialism, Amiya said: “I grew up in India and spent a lot of the time in darkness because of scarcity of electric power supply in my hometown. Life without electricity impacts the survival of human beings. A growing population and inevitable energy demands also lead to a rise in electricity rates. But, renewable energy sources can be a popular choice and utilised particularly to meet the never-ending energy demand. Offshore wind turbines are the tallest rotating structures used to harvest wind energy and can produce clean green energy. However, installation and maintenance of these slender structures in harsh ocean environments is very challenging. There is enough evidence about how the excessive vibrations affect the stability and serviceability of these wind turbines. For the healthy functioning of the wind turbines, vibration calming equipment is crucial. So, following my early studies, driven by curiosity, I wanted to employ the low-cost hybrid dampers. Minimising the threat of excessive vibration in the offshore wind turbines extends the life of these structures and you can expect to receive a continuous power supply. So, society gets the benefit. My proposal would have not been what it is without the constant support and motivation I received from my mentor Dr. Abdollah Malekjafarian.”
The photo and news taken from the IRC website: https://research.ie/what-we-do/loveirishresearch/blog/top-ranked-irc-postgraduate-and-postdoctoral-researchers-win-2022-medals-of-excellence/