Professor Ekaterina Pavlovskaia, from the University of Aberdeen's School of Engineering, has been appointed Director of the Global Subsea University Alliance.
The appointment was made as the Alliance met last week at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston.
Professor Pavlovskaia will hold the Directorship for the next two years. Her appointment means the University will become the host organisation for the Alliance during that period.
In addition to Aberdeen, Alliance members include the University of Houston, Curtin University in Australia, the National University of Singapore, the Federal University of Rio De Janeiro, and Bergen University College in Norway.
Commenting on her appointment, Professor Pavlovskaia said: “The Global Subsea University Alliance aims to promote and enhance the education of subsea engineers around the globe and to utilise the complimentary research capabilities of the Universities involved in order to bring innovation and new technology to the subsea industry.
“I am very honoured to be asked to lead the Alliance for the next two years, and I am looking forward to exploring new opportunities with members and facilitating productive collaboration.”
Mrs Kathryn Fowler, Deputy Executive Director of the University’s Aberdeen Institute of Energy, said: "Ekaterina is an excellent choice for this role, which will see the University of Aberdeen take a prominent role in the work of the Global Subsea University Alliance.
"Subsea engineering at the University of Aberdeen has a unique relationship with the subsea industry both locally and internationally, and our accredited Subsea Engineering programmes are renowned as producing high-calibre graduates who fulfil the need for key skills in the industry."
Professor Igor Guz, Head of the University’s School of Engineering, commented: “I am delighted with Ekaterina's appointment, which is yet another confirmation of the leading role played by the School in global subsea education. I wish her every success in her new role, and look forward to welcoming members of the Alliance to Aberdeen in future."
Professor Matthew Franchek, from the University of Houston, is the founding Director of the Alliance, and led the Alliance over the last two years. He said: “The inspiration for the Alliance was to create a global subsea engineering discipline and to meet the educational demands of a global workforce.
“This global presence would allow the Alliance to be collocated with our customer base. As a global team, we have now created the most comprehensive offshore energy education involving courses from the world's key energy universities."