Gulliver Van Essche

Hello I’m Gulliver,

I graduated in 2022 with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Bruface programme, a joint initiative between the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). In 2023, I completed a specialised master’s in Data Science at ULB. 

Since November 2023, I’ve been a PhD student at VUB in the Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics (FLOW) research group, part of the Brussels Institute for Thermal-fluid systems and clean Energy (BRITE) – a joint ULB/VUB venture. Under the supervision of Prof. Mark Runacres, I’m developing a data-driven framework for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWTs). These cutting-edge systems are still in their early days, so the goal is to build tools that provide design insights, help with fatigue and load monitoring, and support early-stage validation. We’re also exploring whether these models can make their way into control loops – either at the turbine level or for the whole farm.

In November 2023, I was awarded a Strategic Basic Research PhD Fellowship from the prestigious Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO) – a nice boost of confidence in the disruptive potential of my work.