He teaches on the Ship Science degree programme. His research activities concentrate mainly on the application of polymer composites in the maritime environment. Composite materials have been used in the marine industry for 50-60 years. This has been mainly driven by the sailing and motor yacht industry. However, the scale of construction is getting larger and larger. Vessels such as the Royal Navy Minehunters are made of composite materials and sailing yachts in excess of 70 metres have been build. However, there are many parts of the marine industry which have yet to embrace the potential benifits of composite materials, such as tidal energy extraction and commercial shipping. Stephen investigates both the barriers to the use of composite materials and potential avenues for exploitation of their favourable properties.