UArctic/Lloyd’s Register Foundation Research Fellowships

Fellowship scheme to address current maritime safety challenges in the Arctic Ocean through the study of historical perspectives under three themes (ice histories; safely navigating new Arctic Sea routes; and cruise ships in the cold).

The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is an association of universities, colleges, research institutes and other organisations committed to higher education and research in the north. The Lloyd’s Register Foundation (LR Foundation) was set up in 2012 and is funded by the profits of the Lloyd’s Register Group Ltd. The Foundation aims to support engineering-related research, training and education that makes a real difference in improving the safety of the critical infrastructure modern society relies upon.

The Research Fellowships are part of a new partnership between UArctic and the LR Foundation. The aim is to support researchers to use historical perspectives and apply them to current safety challenges in the Arctic Ocean and among its communities. Research is supported under the brief: ‘Maritime safety: learning from the past to address challenges to the safety of peoples in the Arctic.’ Fellows may work in a variety of disciplines, including humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, and the scheme is open to all UArctic member organisations.

The Arctic is experiencing physical and geopolitical changes that have global significance. Rapid changes in the physical environment of the marine Arctic will push existing ecological, social and economic systems towards new structures. The purpose of this research programme is to be proactive in the changing Arctic Oceanic environment rather than responding to challenges when it is too late.

This first call for research highlights three interlinked topics:

• Ice histories – Gives researchers the opportunity to integrate different historic perspectives and insights into sea ice with the modern technologies and regulations that guide shipping in modern times.
• Safely navigating new Arctic Sea routes – Candidates will learn from experiences of opening up new sea routes in the Arctic in the past (eg the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage).
• Cruise ships in the cold – New maritime traffic in the Arctic raises not only opportunities but also safety concerns and challenges to local infrastructure and its capacity to respond to incidents.

The programme covers two academic years (2024-2026) and envisages several fellows working individually and collaboratively over the two year period. Fellows will benefit from co-ordination and research collaboration facilitated by the UArctic programme management and there will be the possibility to build relationships with the UArctic Chairs and relevant Thematic Networks within applicable fields, if required. Fellows are asked to produce an individual research paper or disseminate research outputs, and contribute to a collaborative paper with other fellows.