Host Facilities for Marine Energy Fellowship Program

Host facilities for this program may include government research facilities or labs, industry sites (such as technology developers), or other locations approved by H2O. Fellows and mentors are responsible for coordinating appointment start and end dates which typically last 12 months and may be conducted virtually or onsite. As part of the application process, fellows will collaborate with their mentor to develop a research plan that must be submitted at the time of application.

While this list serves as a helpful starting point for identifying suitable facilities, applicants are not limited to the options provided. Applicants are encouraged to directly contact host facility representatives listed on this page if they are interested in collaborating with them.

Questions? Contact us at DOE-MEF@orise.orau.gov.

Army Research Laboratory

Department: Spectrum Dominance Team
Mentor: Andre Slonopas; andrew.slonopas2.civ@army.mil
Area of Expertise: Advanced functional materials.
Primary Research Area(s): Semiconductors that can be leveraged for energy harvesting.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: Remote
Location: No preference

Blackfish Engineering

Department: N/A
Mentor: Marcus Oliver Gay; marcus.gay@blackfishengineering.com
Area of Expertise: Innovation, new product development, and engineering design of tidal and wave energy devices.
Primary Research Area(s): Blackfish Engineering works on behalf of many ocean renewable energy technology developers to develop, design and test devices at full-machine, system, and sub-system scales. The company has led the design and manufacture of ocean renewable energy machines ranging from 20 kilowatts to 1 megawatt.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: Remote
Location: No preference but open to domestic and international travel supporting U.S., UK, and EU projects.
Open to post-graduate fellows

CalWave

Department: N/A
Mentor: Marcus Lehmann; marcus@calwave.energy
Area of Expertise: Systems engineering, original equipment manufacturer of wave energy converters
Primary Research Area(s): Techno economics; systems engineering; design tradeoffs informed by end-user interviews and market research; and market entry strategies including end-user engagement with Tribal nations, corporations, project developers, microgrid and offshore wind project developers and operators, utilities, cooperatives, and others.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: No preference
Location: Alameda, California
Open to post-graduate fellows

Department: N/A
Mentor: Thomas Boerner, PhD; thomas@calwave.energy
Area of Expertise: Control methods, system identification, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, time domain simulations, feedback systems.
Primary Research Area(s): Implementation of reinforcement learning methods into ocean wave energy converter control. Application of machine learning methods for ocean wave prediction for applications in wave energy converter control.
Fellow Start Date: Spring (May–June)
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: Remote
Location: N/A
Open to post-graduate fellows

Cardinal Engineering

Department: Systems Engineering Group
Mentor: Douglas Algera; dalgera@cardinaleng.com
Area of Expertise: Marine Energy Converter (MEC) design and development
Primary Research Area(s): Power Take Off (PTO) systems design and integration, HM&E system design and integration
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: Hybrid
Location: Washington, DC; Corvallis, OR

Deep Anchor Solutions Inc.

Department: Marine Anchor Systems Division
Mentor: Junho Lee; jlee@deepanchorsolutions.com
Area of Expertise: Expertise in designing and optimizing marine anchor systems for floating marine energy platforms under extreme conditions.
Primary Research Area(s): We develop and optimize marine anchor systems for floating marine energy platforms, covering concept design to commercialization. Our research includes numerical modeling (FE or CFD), laboratory testing, and field experiments to evaluate anchor performance in various soil types and severe loading conditions. A fellow can specialize in areas such as modeling, field testing, or techno-economic analysis based on fellow's interests, with guidance from experienced mentors. There are opportunities for professional networking, industry collaboration, and contributing to research publications or presentations, providing a fellow with a well-rounded and industry-relevant experience.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid or Remote: No Preference
Location: Houston, TX

Idaho National Laboratory

Department: Energy and Environment Science & Technology (EES&T)
Mentor: Mucun Sun; mucun.sun@inl.gov
Area of Expertise: Reliability Analysis, Energy Forecasting, Techno-economic Assessment
Primary Research Area(s): Reliability Analysis, Energy Forecasting, Techno-economic Assessment
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid or Remote: In Person
Location: Idaho Falls, ID

Integral Consulting

Department: N/A
Mentor: Samuel McWilliams; smcwilliams@integral-corp.com
Area of Expertise: Research on marine energy projects and their environment.
Primary Research Area(s): Integral Consulting focuses on multiple stages of marine energy project research from resource characterization, marine spatial planning, environmental impacts due to the presence of a device or array, and environmental monitoring of devices. The company utilizes numerical modeling tools and a range of field instrumentation, including acoustic doppler current profilers (ADCPs) and hydro-acoustic sensors, to conduct research in support of marine energy projects.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: No preference
Location: No preference. If the fellow prefers in person, facilities in Santa Cruz, California, focus on marine energy projects.
Open to post-graduate fellows

Kelson Marine Co.

Mentor: Tobias Dewhurst; Toby@KelsonMarine.com
Area of Expertise: Ocean engineering, including hydrodynamics, system integration, and design optimization of wave and current energy technologies.
Primary Research Area(s): Kelson Marine's mission is to help humans use the ocean for good. The company aims to bring advanced, model-based ocean engineering research and development to low-margin blue economy industries like ocean renewable energy. Current and recent projects include the control co-design and testing (including wave tank and field tests) of a multibody wave energy converter, the development of a modular, low-cost hydrokinetic turbine system, and enhancement of open-source software packages for ocean energy arrays.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid or Remote: In person
Location: Portland, Maine
Open to post-graduate fellows

Mentor: Douglas Slocum; d.slocum@kelsonmarine.com
Area of Expertise: Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Systems Prototyping
Primary Research Area(s): Marine Renewable Energy, Wave Energy, Tidal Energy, Structural Modeling, Systems Integration
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid or Remote: In person
Location: Portland, Maine

Mentor: Samuel Rickerich; s.rickerich@kelsonmarine.com
Area of Expertise: physical oceanography, ocean and wave numerical modeling, marine renewable energy resource assessment
Primary Research Area(s): (1) High resolution mapping of ocean current and wave parameter operational and extreme value statistics, (2) multi-variate design loadcase specification
Fellow Start Date: Summer (May-August)
In Person, Hybrid or Remote: Hybrid
Location: Portland, Maine

Littoral Power Systems, Inc.

Department: N/A
Mentor: David Duquette; dduquette@littoralpower.com
Area of Expertise: Current energy conversion and wave energy conversion.
Primary Research Area(s): In-current hydrokinetics. Littoral Power Systems, Inc. is developing two different current energy converter devices—one for deployment in mid-water column, non-reversing-current sites and one with a surface expression for prosecuting tidal sites. The company is also developing a processing code for rapid characterization of potential sites. For wave energy, the company is developing an artificial intelligence-informed control technology for wave energy converters with the goal of enhancing their efficiency in diverse sea states.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: No preference
Location: New Bedford, Massachusetts
Open to post-graduate fellows

MarineSitu

Department: N/A
Mentor: James Joslin; james@marinesitu.com
Area of Expertise: Environmental monitoring using integrated instrumentation systems and artificial intelligence data analysis.
Primary Research Area(s): MarineSitu provides environmental monitoring technology and services for marine energy deployments. This includes customized hardware developed for long-term, continuous monitoring in harsh marine environments, software for data collection, and automated data processing using custom-trained machine learning models. The company is currently developing new, lower-cost hardware systems and providing data management services for several marine energy system deployments.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: Hybrid
Location: Seattle, Washington
Open to post-graduate fellows

MITRE

Department: BlueTech Lab – Advanced Maritime Technologies
Mentor: Nicholas Rotker; nrotker@mitre.org
Area of Expertise: Resilient energy systems.
Primary Research Area(s): MITRE engages in research across the spectrum of maritime technology prototypes. This includes developing novel solutions for sensing, autonomy, and energy systems in the marine environment.
Fellow Start Date: Spring (May–June)
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: In person
Location: Bedford, Massachusetts
Open to post-graduate fellows

National Laboratory of the Rockies

Department: Marine Energy R&D: Techno-Economic Analysis
Mentor: Elena Baca; elena.baca@nlr.gov
Area of Expertise: Evaluating the performance and economic potential of marine energy systems through techno-economic analysis.
Primary Research Area(s): Tool/code development, power performance modeling, cost modeling, and metrics development.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: Hybrid
Location: Flatirons Campus, Arvada, Colorado
Open to post-graduate fellows

Department: Water Power R&D group and Applied Research for Communities in Extreme Environment (ARCEE)
Mentor: Michael Lawson; Michael.Lawson@nlr.gov
Area of Expertise: Michael Lawson leads the National Laboratory of the Rockies marine energy team, focusing on wave and water current energy research and development.
Primary Research Area(s): Michael Lawson, a senior research scientist at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), leads the water power group, focusing on advancing marine energy technologies. Since joining NLR in 2010, his research has emphasized numerical modeling and system design for marine and wind energy applications. Lawson has contributed to the development of the WEC-Sim (Wave Energy Converter SIMulator) tool, which models the dynamics and performance of wave energy converters. His work also includes assessing marine energy resources across the United States, aiding in the identification of opportunities for harnessing wave, tidal, and ocean current energies.
Fellow Start Date: Fall (July – September)
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: No preference
Location: N/A
Open to post-graduate fellows

Department: Manufacturing and Characterization
Mentor: Robynne Murray; robynne.murray@nlr.gov
Area of Expertise: Manufacturing, testing, structures, composites
Primary Research Area(s): Manufacturing, testing, structures, composites
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: No preference
Location: Boulder, Co

Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific

Mentor: Yolanda Meriah Arias-Thode; Yolanda.m.arias-thode.civ@us.navy.mil
Area of Expertise: The use of microbial fuel cells to extract power from mud to power sensors underwater.
Primary Research Area(s): The Benthic Enabled Autonomous Collaboration Operations Notification System (BEACONS) Lab focuses on extracting energy from mud to power sensors underwater. This requires electrical engineers to optimize extracting electrons from 0.4 volts and stepping up the voltage to 12 volts. Mechanical engineers aim to increase surface area and develop form factors that can be easily deployed. Environmental microbiologists, chemists, and material scientists help understand the mechanistic processes, improve power density, and model current and future power generation.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: In person
Location: Point Loma, San Diego, California

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Department: Energy Systems Development Group, Advanced Reactor Engineering and Development Section, Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division
Mentor: Thien D. Nguyen; nguyend@ornl.gov
Area of Expertise: Experimental and computational thermal-hydraulics.
Primary Research Area(s): Dr. Nguyen's research centers on thermal-fluid dynamics, combining experimental measurements and numerical modeling for applications in mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical, and nuclear engineering. With extensive experience in advanced instrumentation and innovative measurement techniques such as LDV, LIF, PIV, high-speed thermography, shadowgraphy, and Schlieren imaging, Dr. Nguyen also has a strong background in computational fluid dynamics (RANS and LES). Their work focuses on investigating safety-related phenomena, systems, and component designs in nuclear, mechanical, and aerospace engineering, including studies of various flow types and conditions. Dr. Nguyen is also an expert in turbulent flow analysis using mode decomposition, validation and verification, and uncertainty quantification.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: No preference
Location: Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Department: Materials Science and Technology Division
Mentor: Jun Qu; qujn@ornl.gov
Area of Expertise: Tribology and lubrication of marine turbomachinery.
Primary Research Area(s): Development of environmentally acceptable lubricants for marine turbines
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: In person
Location: Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Department: Water Resources Science Engineering, Environmental Science Division
Mentor: Jiyong Lee; leej6@ornl.gov
Area of Expertise: Experimental and computational hydrodynamics of marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) energy systems, including turbine wake and array dynamics, device-sediment-bed interaction, and tidal energy resource characterization.
Primary Research Area(s): Hydrodynamics and performance of axial-and cross-flow hydrokinetic turbines and arrays, studied through flume experiments (ADV and bed scanning) and Computational Fluid Dynamic model; turbine-sediment-bed interaction, scour, and morphodynamics around MHK devices and mooring systems, and resource characterization for riverine, tidal, and estuarine sites under changing flow, sediment, and salinity conditions.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: Remote
Location: Oakland, California

Ocergy, Inc

Department: OCG-Data
Mentor: Nathan Tom; ntom@ocergy.com
Area of Expertise: Marine hydrodynmatics, numerical simulation, data analysis
Primary Research Area(s): Simulation of dynamics platforms at sea
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: Hybrid
Location: Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.
Open to post-graduate fellows

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Department: Coastal Sciences Division
Mentor: Christopher Rumple; chris.rumple@pnnl.gov
Area of Expertise: Experimental Fluid Mechanics, Structures, Automation, and Mechanical Design.
Primary Research Area(s): Research Areas include small scale power-take-off methods for tidal turbines, form-factor design space exploration of axial flow turbines and cross-flow turbines using additive manufacturing and robotic sensing systems.
Fellow Start Date: Fall (September-December)
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: No preference
Location: Sequim, Washington

Department: Coastal Sciences Division
Mentor: Ruth Branch; ruth.branch@pnnl.gov
Area of Expertise: I have technical expertise in the area of co-locating tidal energy and wave energy conversion devices with aquaculture.
Primary Research Area(s): The fellow would assist with a feasibility study on the use of small-scale turbines or WECS to provide power for the New England shellfish industry. They would compare permitted shellfish farming locations to new high-resolution numerical models for resource assessment. Spatial analysis techniques would be used to identify potential sites for co-located marine energy and shellfish farming installations. The fellow would also conduct a significant amount of stakeholder engagement to learn about current and future shellfish farming power needs and gauge the local interest in marine energy projects.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: Remote, New England
Location: New England

Department: Coastal Sciences Division
Mentor: Karthik Balaguru; Karthik.Balaguru@pnnl.gov
Area of Expertise: Physical Oceanography
Primary Research Area(s): Coastal hazards, Infrastructure and Energy Resilience to Extreme Weather
Fellow Start Date: Fall (September-December)
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: No preference
Location: Seattle, Washington

Department: Coastal Sciences Division, Triton Team
Mentor: Kevin Duffy; kevin.duffy@pnnl.gov
Area of Expertise: social science, risk communication
Primary Research Area(s): public and industry perceptions and priorities related to innovative technology development, including the role of science communication and interdisciplinary collaboration in risk management and decision-making
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: Remote
Location: Bellingham, WA

Department: Sequim
Mentor: Lenaig Hemery; lenaig.hemery@pnnl.gov
Area of Expertise: Environmental and ecological effects of marine energy, as well as stakeholder engagement.
Primary Research Area(s): Multidisciplinary approach to study the potential environmental and ecological effects of marine energy, leveraging knowledge syntheses, laboratory experiment, and field monitoring (e.g., underwater imagery, environmental DNA), as well as to share the information through the creation of educational materials and engaging with stakeholders.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: No preference
Location: Sequim, WA

Mentor: Yao Qiao; yao.qiao@pnnl.gov
Area of Expertise: My expertise is in fiber-reinforced polymer composites and bonded structures, with emphasis on surfaces and interfaces under marine environments.
Primary Research Area(s): My current research is directed toward designing fiber-reinforced polymer composites with durable structural integrity for marine and hydropower applications. For example, I develop surface modification methods to improve the performance of bonded hybrid structures in high-humidity and submerged environments. I also investigate damage and fracture behavior of fiber-reinforced composites under marine conditions and advance polymer composites with enhanced anti-biofouling capabilities. My work integrates analytical methods, experiments, multi-physics computational modeling, and machine learning.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: No preference
Location: Richland, WA

Sandia National Lab

Department: Semiconductor Material and Device Science
Mentor: Todd Monson; tmonson@sandia.gov
Area of Expertise: Magnetic materials for marine energy.
Primary Research Area(s): Monson works on the synthesis and fabrication of new soft and hard (permanent) magnets. These materials can be used in different electric generator topologies to create energy in marine environments.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: In person but willing to consider hybrid and remote options
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Department: Water Power Technologies
Mentor: Carlos Michelen; cmichel@sandia.gov
Area of Expertise: Computational modeling and design optimization of wave energy converters (WEC), computational marine hydrodynamics, and open-source code development.
Primary Research Area(s): My research focuses on developing methods and software for computational modeling and optimization of WECs, and using these techniques to drive design. I use modern modeling and optimization techniques, including control co-design, multi-disciplinary optimization, and scientific machine learning, which rely on differentiable programming. To enable these techniques our domain-specific scientific models must be differentiable, and a large part of my work is on developing differentiable hydrodynamic solvers, including an ongoing effort to develop an open-source boundary element code.
Fellow Start Date: No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: No preference
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Sitkana

Department: Semiconductor Material and Device Science
Mentor: Lance McMullan; lance@sitkana.com
Area of Expertise: Renewable energy operations, marine energy technology development, mechanical engineering, hydrokinetic systems, and field testing
Primary Research Area(s): Sitkana is developing modular tidal energy systems to provide predictable renewable power for remote coastal communities and marine applications. Our work spans hydrokinetic turbine design, power generation and control, mechanical and structural design, and marine deployment. Current R&D is focused on full-system testing, performance characterization, reliability, and preparing our technology for commercial deployment.
Fellow Start Date:No preference
In Person, Hybrid, or Remote: In person
Location: Juneau, AK

Host Facilities for Marine Energy Fellowship Program

Additional Information