Leah Ewart

Principal Engineer

Leah is a chartered civil engineer with over 15 years of experience combining maritime civil and structural engineering and offshore renewables.

About Leah Ewart

Leah has a wide range of structural design experience in the offshore environment, covering all phases of the project lifecycle.

Early career and Education

After graduating from Imperial College London with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Leah worked for nearly a decade as a maritime and coastal civil engineering consultant, firstly with Peter Fraenkel and Partners (now part of NIRAS) and latterly with Black and Veatch.

During this time, Leah gained experience in all aspects of maritime and offshore structural design across the whole design life cycle. Working on the primary steelwork design for the MCT tidal turbine deployed in Strangford Loch sparked a passion for renewable energy, which Leah decided to pursue further in 2013 by returning to university to embark on an Engineering Doctorate in Offshore Renewable Energy.

Leah’s research investigated the use of reinforced concrete for floating wave energy converters, with a focus on dynamic connections between concrete and steel components, and a consideration of the potential for advanced concrete mixes and manufacturing methods. During her EngD Leah worked with two different wave energy developers (Pelamis and Albatern) applying her research to their devices.

Professional Experience

Since completing her EngD in 2018 Leah has worked as a structural engineer on the design and analysis of a variety of offshore renewable projects covering wave, wind and tidal devices. Prior to joining Empire, Leah worked in the offshore team at RES in an engineering capacity and as project manager, working on a number of different of fixed and floating wind projects.

Why offshore wind?

“I developed a passion for renewable energy very early in my career, and have worked on a variety of offshore projects, covering wave, wind and tidal energy devices – however it’s offshore wind which excites me most. I think the industry is at a pivotal moment, with hundreds of GWs due to be deployed worldwide over the next decade, bringing a number engineering and logistical challenges as turbines and foundations get bigger and are deployed in ever deeper water. I am thrilled to be part of it.”