Bernard Twomey

PhD Researcher, University of York

Bernard has over 12 years of experience in the Merchant Navy and holds a BEng (Hons) in Electro-Mechanical Power Engineering from Loughborough University of Technology.

He is currently pursuing a PhD in the Department of Computer Science at the University of York and is a member of the Centre for Assuring Autonomy (CfAA) at the same institution. His academic engagements also include:

• Visiting Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Strathclyde.
• Visiting Fellow at the Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law (IIISTL) at Swansea University.Bernard has extensive industry experience in maritime safety, classification, and regulatory development. He joined Lloyd’s Register of Shipping in 1993, where he served as the Global Head of Electrotechnical Systems until 2016. In 2017, he transitioned to Rolls-Royce Marine, leading Regulatory Development activities for the Maritime Autonomous Infrastructure.

He is actively involved in several research and special interest groups and serves on the Technical Committees of two leading Classification Societies and two International Committees. Additionally, he acts as an advisor to the Danish Maritime Association at the IMO.

Bernard is a passionate technical rebreather diver, specialising in deep wreck diving to depths of 100m. He is also a BSAC and PADI instructor. When not underwater, he claims to be particularly bad at gardening.