Newcastle University, UK

Bio: Professor Pengfei Liu is a preeminent global expert in the field of ship propulsion hydrodynamics. He obtained his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering from Wuhan University of Technology in 1982, followed by a Master of Engineering and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in the same discipline from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, in 1991 and 1996, respectively. From 1999 to 2016, he served as a Senior Research Officer/Federal Government Scientist at the Institute for Ocean Technology, National Research Council (NRC) of Canada. Between 2016 and 2024, he held the position of Chair Professor of Hydrodynamics at Newcastle University, UK, and concurrently served as Director of the Emerson Cavitation Tunnel Laboratory (now retired).
Professor Liu was elected a Fellow of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) in 2019, an Academician of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2021, and a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) in 2022. He has held appointments as Visiting Professor/Researcher and Adjunct Professor at several internationally renowned institutions, including Memorial University of Newfoundland (2000–2019), Ocean University of China (2002–2005), Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2005–2008), Harbin Engineering University (2008–2010), Australian Maritime College (2012–2016), and Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai (2017–2022). Additionally, he has held key roles in prominent international academic organizations: member of the Board of Directors, Canadian Computational Fluid Dynamics Society (CFDSC, 2001–2007); member of the 23rd ITTC (International Towing Tank Conference) Committee on Azimuthing Pod Propulsors (2002–2005); member of the ISSC (International Ship and Offshore Structures Congress) Committee on Marine Renewable Energy (2006, 2009, 2015); member of the ISSC Committee on Dynamic Response (2012); member of the ISSC Committee on Marine Space Utilization (2018–2022); and member of the ITTC Advisory Committee (2021–2027).
Speech Title: Can the Propeller Be Reinvented?