– The fundamental nature of maritime operations is in transition. This represents a knowledge gap

By generating new knowledge related to remote control of autonomous ships, the post-doc project will hopefully contribute to make such activities safer and promote swifter adaptation. Additionally, it will lead to new modes of infrastructure related to shipping.

What attracted you to being a researcher and then to the SEAS programme?

I have always been a bit inclined towards academia. Early on in my career I realized that I am attracted to academic concepts and terms and wanted to dive deeper into how things work. Because of this, I wanted to go beyond my regular operational duties at my career as a seafarer in the merchant marine. After spending considerable time at sea, I decided to pursue higher education in Norway. I enrolled in a master’s program and subsequently in PhD. In the process, I also became a naturalized citizen of Norway. After completing my PhD, I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity via the SEAS post-doctoral program to continue working towards my natural interest in research and I think the SEAS program at UiB provided a perfect platform.

Can you give a description in general terms of your SEAS project?

My SEAS project is concerned with investigating the cognitive factors related to the remote control of ships. As the autonomous ships are being developed in the Scandinavian region and within the wider area of Europe, the fundamental nature of maritime operations are transitioning from controlling the ships while being onboard, to operating them remotely from shore. Such developments are presenting interesting avenues to how the navigation operations will evolve. This also represent a knowledge gap. My project will investigate the impact of psychosocial factors on the performance of the remote operators of autonomous shipping and try to further understand their information needs. Furthermore, I intend to experimentally evaluate the impact of various operational scenarios to the cognitive states of these operators. The larger aim is to further the knowledge related to remote operations and navigation of autonomous ships.

Are you about to see results that might also give you a way forward on your future research?

Yes, I think so. I have just wrapped up my first study in the project which was a systematic literature review investigating the present state-of-the-art in my area of research. The literature review presented with lots of insights and yielded directions of future research. I intended to follow up closely from these findings towards more empirical planned studies which I will pursue now.

What kind of field work have you had during the SEAS programme and how would you describe the experience?

Currently, I have managed to do some early field studies and pilot data collection related to my project. The SEAS programme has two types of post-doctoral fellows – incoming and outgoing. I am one of the few outgoing fellows who has actually travelled out of Norway, specifically to Sweden to pursue my research. I have worked with the Swedish Maritime Administration in their project regarding Navigation support from shore, where they are investigating the possibility of providing remote pilotage to a number of ports in Sweden. My experience has been quite positive as being the outgoing fellow has provided me with much needed scientific mobility to expand my horizons and collaborate with a greater number of peers.

My experience has been quite positive as being the outgoing fellow has provided me with much needed scientific mobility to expand my horizons and collaborate with a greater number of peers.

What have been the pros and cons of the SEAS programme in terms of resources, in terms of community, or in terms of cooperation with industry and society at large?

The SEAS program is quite ambitious and all-encompassing. I really admire the intention of the stakeholders to bring together a specialized yet diverse set of researchers working within the umbrella of marine sustainability. I think lots of resources have been poured into the program and the support being provided both in terms of monetary compensations as well as organization and networking activities is commendable. I do feel that the industry-academia divide could be narrowed a bit more with invited workshops, collaborations, and mentoring. However, this has been somewhat a long-standing issue in academia and might not be specific to SEAS program. The training provided to SEAS fellows in terms of scientific communication and training to create an impact has been impressive.

What has been your experience of being located in Bergen?   

Unfortunately, I have not spent too much time in Bergen in my project. I just managed to stay for few months before going for my [outgoing phase] in Gothenburg, Sweden. But from my limited time in Bergen, I can say that the city is one of the most beautiful in the world. It is small yet big enough to support wide-ranging activities. I could also say that it is an international town. Speaking more specifically about SEAS program, I enjoyed the few common events and workshops I managed to attend related to my faculty and the SEAS program.

In what ways have you found the interdisciplinary aspects of the SEAS project to be a contribution to your project?

The interdisciplinary aspects of the SEAS programme is it’s unique proposition. I think meaningful research can only be done if one has a “big picture view” of their domain of interest. The possibility of working together with more than 30 fellow post-docs, tackling together the research challenges related to marine sustainability has instilled a novel outlook towards how research is conducted, and changes are advanced in the field. I greatly enjoyed interacting with some of the brightest peers and researchers through the SEAS program and I have to admit that it was a good learning experience. By noticing how they conduct themselves and attempt to uphold professional standards was instrumental in developing my own vision of how the work should be conducted.

In what ways does your project connect to the UN sustainability goals, or otherwise connect to the topic of marine sustainability?

My project touches upon the UN SDGs such as – 8: Decent work and economic growth and 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure. By generating new knowledge related to remote control of autonomous ships, the post-doc project will hopefully contribute to make such activities safer and promote swifter adaptation. Additionally, it will lead to new modes of infrastructure related to shipping.

How do you spend your free time?

I like to spend my free time reading non-fiction books and hiking in nature. Fortunately, it is possible to easily pursue these interests both in Norway and Sweden.

Where do you see yourself in 5 – 10 years?

I see myself as an established researcher and continuing with pursuing the areas of my interests.