Prestigious leadership roles for Chalmers researchers at global ship and offshore congress

At the closing of the ISSC 2025 congress in Wuxi, China, the new chairpersons for the 16 committees of the next ISSC cycle were announced. Both Jonas Ringsberg and Wengang Mao, from the Department of Mechanics and Maritime Sciences, will take on leading roles: Jonas Ringsberg as Chairperson of Committee of “Arctic Technology”, and Wengang Mao as Chairperson of Committee of “Offshore Renewable Energy”.

“A technically rigorous and forward-looking report”

Professor Wengang Mao will gather global experts to assess developments in structural design, fatigue, and sustainability of floating wind, wave, and hybrid energy systems.

“We will review and benchmark progress in structural design, dynamic load analysis, fatigue, reliability, and sustainability of those energy systems,” he says. “Our overarching goal is to produce a technically rigorous, balanced, and forward-looking report that serves both academia and industry.”

Wengang Mao aims for the 2028 committee’s report to serve as a benchmark reference for academia and industry alike, identifying research gaps and future directions for offshore renewables. He highlights the importance of well-defined case studies, reliable experimental data, and stronger collaboration between committees on related topics such as loads, fatigue, and ocean space utilization.

Looking ahead, Wengang Mao anticipates significant advances in digital twin frameworks, AI-driven lifecycle management, and hybrid renewable systems that integrate wind, wave, tidal, and solar energy.

“The offshore renewable energy field embodies the transformation of the maritime and offshore sectors toward sustainability,” he says.

Safety and sustainability in Arctic regions

Professor Jonas Ringsberg will chair the Arctic Technology Committee, leading an international team of experts from academia and industry working on safe and sustainable operations in ice-covered and polar waters.

“After three years of work, we will present a report that addresses advances in Arctic Technology during the period 2025–2028, in an era of climate change, as particularly relevant for the safe and sustainable operations of ships and offshore structures in Polar regions and ice-covered waters”, he says.

Jonas Ringsberg has been active in the ISSC community for a long time, serving on several committees since 2009 and currently acting as Sweden’s national correspondent. At ISSC 2025, he chaired the Ultimate Strength committee.

“I presented the report and discussed it with an opponent called ‘official discusser’, and finally, I answered questions from the audience. This is a standard procedure at the congress for all ISSC committees, and I almost felt like a PhD student again, presenting my thesis,” he says.

According to him, the 2025 congress reflected two strong research trends: growing interest in AI and machine learning models, and the continued focus on uncertainty analysis in simulations and design. He also notes that the Arctic Technology Committee, which had concluded its work in 2018 according to plan after three congresses, was restarted at the 2025 congress due to the increasing human activity in ice-covered regions.

“Sweden is strong in this research area, and we are delighted to be a member of the committee and also to chair it during the next three to six years,” he says.

Inspires new generations

For Jonas Ringsberg, ISSC is not only a key professional forum but also an important source of inspiration for students and young researchers.

“At every congress, I learn and develop myself. The knowledge is shared with my students, both undergraduate and graduate. I have, in fact, used a few benchmark studies in my classes as assignments, which have inspired the students,” he says.

The ISSC 2028 congress will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, bringing together leading experts in ship and offshore structural engineering. With Wengang Mao and Jonas Ringsberg at the helm of their respective committees, Chalmers continues to strengthen its international profile in marine technology and sustainable ocean engineering.