Professor Gerasimos Theotokatos

Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering

Personal statement

I am the DNV Professor of Safety of Marine Systems at the Maritime Safety Research Centre (MSRC) of the Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Marine Engineering at the University of Strathclyde since June 2020. I am the Director of the MSRC, a world-class centre of excellence with a vision to shape the maritime safety, which was established as a significant Industry-University partnership involving the University of Strathclyde, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and DNV Classification Society. I graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) in 1994 and obtained a PhD degree, also from NTUA, in 2001 in the discipline of Marine Engineering. My research focuses on the development of scientific approaches to holistically capture the safety, energy and sustainability interplay of the complex marine systems including cyber-physical and autonomous systems. My research supports the development and use of advanced model-based methods and digital twin tools to address the design of safe, feasible and green alternatives to meet the demanding marine industry requirements, pursuing life-cycle risk and energy management, efficiency improvement, as well as safety and sustainability enhancement.

Expertise

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Prize And Awards

2020 Denny medal: Recipient; 31/3/2023
Safety 2020 Best Paper Award: Recipient; 21/6/2022
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Certificate of Excellence: Recipient; 6/1/2022
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Certificate of Excellence: Recipient; 22/9/2020
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Certificate of Excellence: Recipient; 22/9/2020

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Publications

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Publications

Numerical investigation of low-load performance improvement in a marine PFI hydrogen–diesel dual-fuel engine via elevated compression ratio and split injection: Gu Binteng, Karvounis Panagiotis, Zhou Peilin, Theotokatos Gerasimos, Chen Ning; Applied Thermal Engineering Vol 302 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2026.132067
Comparative thermodynamic assessment of renewable production pathways efficiency for methane, methanol and ammonia fuels: Karvounis Panagiotis, Theotokatos Gerasimos, Turan Osman; Journal of Energy Engineering (2026)
Moses 2023 special issue: modelling and optimisation of ship energy systems: Coraddu Andrea, Theotokatos Gerasimos; Journal of Marine Engineering & Technology Vol 25, pp. 1-3 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1080/20464177.2026.2633820
Numerical investigation of the effect of inhomogeneous hydrogen-air mixture on PFI marine dual-fuel engine performance and emissions: Gu Binteng, Karvounis Panagiotis, Zhou Peilin, Theotokatos Gerasimos, Chen Ning, Liu Yinhua; Fuel Vol 418 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2026.138739
Three-dimensional scanning-based retrofitting of ballast water treatment systems for enhanced marine environmental protection: Kanetaki Zoe, Athanasios Iason Giakouvakis, Karvounis Panagiotis, Theotokatos Gerasimos, Boulougouris Evangelos, Stergiou Constantinos; Journal of Marine Science and Engineering Vol 14 (2026); https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020154
Hydrogen–diesel dual-fuel combustion in marine medium-speed engines : knocking suppression by direct water injection at high hydrogen substitution ratios: Gu Binteng, Zhou Peilin, Chen Ning, Karvounis Panagiotis, Theotokatos Gerasimos, Yang Lin; International Journal of Hydrogen Energy Vol 197 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.152569

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Research

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Professional Activities

Autonomy and Decarbonisation for Sustainable Maritime Transportation in Indonesia: Keynote/plenary speaker; 11/2/2025
1st International Conference on the Stability and Safety of Ships and Ocean Vehicles (STAB&S) 2021: Chair; 7/6/2021
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part M: Journal of Engineering for the Maritime Environment (Journal): Editorial board member; 1/6/2020
2nd International Conference on Modelling and Optimisation of Ship Energy Systems (Event): Guest editor; 10/3/2020
2nd International Conference on Modelling and Optimisation of Ship Energy Systems: Organiser; 8/5/2019
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (Journal): Guest editor; 2019

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Projects

AI-Powered Digital Twin & XR Training for Safe Net-Zero Fuel Operations UK’s Green Shipping Corridors (PaiONEER): Theotokatos, Gerasimos (Principal Investigator) Karvounis, Panagiotis (Co-investigator); The transition to net-zero shipping is accelerating across the UK’s Green Shipping Corridors, with ports and vessel operators introducing hydrogen, methanol and other low-carbon fuels. While these fuels reduce emissions, they also introduce new operational risks and skills gaps for crew, port personnel and emergency responders. PaiONEER will develop and validate an AI-enabled, digital twin–driven extended reality (XR) training system that prepares maritime and shore-based staff for safe hydrogen and methanol fuels handling operations within port environments. The project will work with XR developers and regional partners to define operational requirements, model fuel systems and hazard scenarios, and create immersive training modules covering bunkering, routine operations and emergency response. Pilot deployments in port settings will evaluate safety performance, learning speed and decision-making effectiveness using measurable indicators. By improving workforce readiness and standardising competency assessment, PaiONEER will reduce operational risk, accelerate adoption of clean fuels and strengthen the UK’s leadership in safe, sustainable maritime transport.; 01-Jan-2026 - 31-Jan-2026
Feasibility of Small Modular Reactors for Zero-Emission Ships & Ports (NZCLEAR): Theotokatos, Gerasimos (Principal Investigator) Boulougouris, Evangelos (Co-investigator) Patelli, Edoardo (Co-investigator) Ward, Michael (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2026 - 31-Jan-2026
Feasibility of Small Modular Reactors for Zero-Emission Ships & Ports: Karvounis, Panagiotis (Principal Investigator) Theotokatos, Gerasimos (Co-investigator) Boulougouris, Evangelos (Co-investigator) Patelli, Edoardo (Co-investigator) Ward, Michael (Co-investigator); £39,964.61; 01-Jan-2026 - 31-Jan-2027
Technology Innovation for Defence-platform Energy-efficiency-phase2: Turan, Osman (Principal Investigator) Atlar, Mehmet (Co-investigator) Boulougouris, Evangelos (Co-investigator) Kurt, Rafet (Co-investigator) Theotokatos, Gerasimos (Co-investigator) Koksal, Cagatay (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2026 - 31-Jan-2028
Shallow Water Propulsion Analysis: Aung, Myo Zin (Principal Investigator) Theotokatos, Gerasimos (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2025 - 28-Jan-2027
Co-creation of the safe decarbonisation Journey for the maritime sector through collaborative research strategies to address the gaps: Turan, Osman (Principal Investigator) Atlar, Mehmet (Co-investigator) Gunbeyaz, Sefer Anil (Co-investigator) Koksal, Cagatay (Co-investigator) Kurt, Rafet (Co-investigator) Theotokatos, Gerasimos (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2027