Infrastructure Group

The Infrastructure Research Group focuses on the sustainability and resilience of civil engineering infrastructure, to address societal needs in energy, mobility and the built environment. 

We have expertise across structural and geotechnical engineering, and we work on projects and technologies on land and in the ocean. We are a group of around 15 academics, working with a team of Research Fellows and PhD students and a network of collaborators across industry, government and other stakeholders. 

We are based at Boldrewood Innovation Campus in the National Infrastructure Laboratory (NIL), which is equipped with modern facilities for data-rich structural testing at large and small scale, as well as accelerated small scale geotechnical testing using a centrifuge. 

Most of our activities fit 3 main themes: 

• Offshore renewable energy: Our work supports the growth of offshore wind, wave and tidal energy as well as the emergence of the green hydrogen economy. We have a particular strength in offshore geotechnics and host the Intelligent & Resilient Ocean Engineering (IROE) RAEng Chair in Emerging Technology.
• Low carbon transport: We have world-leading expertise in the geomechanics of linear infrastructure, built on long-standing collaborations with the railway industry, including the UK’s Network Rail and through the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN).
• Resilient buildings and infrastructure: We have wide-ranging expertise in structural materials and system performance, spanning concrete, steel and timber, and targeting higher performance for lower carbon. We also specialise in resilience against natural and man-made hazards, including earthquakes, tsunamis and blast.

We engage strongly with transdisciplinary initiatives, to broaden the reach of our activity. Examples include the Southampton Marine & Maritime Institute and the International Blast Injury Research Network.