Captain Zakirul Bhuiyan has over 30 years of maritime industry experience and his time at sea was mainly spent in world-wide trade, which gave him a wide range of experience of navigation, operation of vessels and management of multicultural and multinational crews.

Zakirul has been working as Senior Lecturer and Course Leader, Bridge Simulation at School of Maritime Science and Engineering of Southampton Solent University, since 2006. He has been involved in lecturing on various bespoke and bridge simulation courses to the students and clients at all levels starting from cadets to experienced masters, from beginners to highly skilled delegates. He is also working as a ‘Research and Innovation Coordinator’ for the section.  He is the unit leader of MSc Maritime Transport and Operations.

As a ‘Principal Investigator’, Zakirul had been leading the EU funded ‘STM’ (Sea Traffic Management), ‘MariEMS’ (Maritime Energy Management Training Strategic Partnership) and Innovate UK’s unmanned ship Project ‘MAXCMAS’ (MAchine eXecutable Collision regulations at sea for Marine Autonomous System). He contributed to both the HORIZON and MARTHA projects on seafarer fatigue.

Captain Bhuiyan’s most recent achievements include representing Solent University at various professional venues. He has been invited as a speaker for numerous international conferences, and his articles on ECDIS, e-Navigation, Autonomous Ships and Simulation Training have been published in a number of international journals and publications. He has been invited to join the UK delegation to the IMO HTW (Human Element, Training and Watch keeping) sub-committee sessions as a member of several Drafting and Working groups. He sits on a number of industry working groups such as a member of UK MASRWG (Marine Autonomous Systems Regulatory Working Group), MNTB and Society of Maritime Industries, UK. Being a ‘Senior Fellow’ of the UK Higher Education Academy and ‘Fellow’ of the Nautical Institute and Royal Institute of Navigation, he has established good networks in the wider maritime community.