Our Team

Eric Davis

Eric Davis
Senior Technologist

Eric Davis, senior technologist with CTec, is a graduate of the Electrical Engineering Technology diploma program from the Institute of Fisheries and Marine Technology.

Prior to joining CTec, Eric worked with the Canadian Centre for Marine Communications for 14 years, initially as an engineering technologist and then as network administrator.

In 2006 Eric was named technical lead for the SmartBay project. In this capacity he is responsible for maintenance of offshore systems, sensor installations, wireless communication services and data/network services.

Eric also provides technical support for the Holyrood Marine Base. With over 20 years experience in the marine technology industry, Eric provides advice and guidance to colleagues and external clients.

Eric is a member of the Association of Engineering Technicians and Technologists of Newfoundland and Labrador Inc. (AETTNL) and currently sits as Co-Chair on the Marine Institute -Holyrood Marine Base Occupational Health and Safety Committee.

 

 

Scott Bruce Ocean Data Specialist

Scott Bruce
Ocean Data Specialist

Scott is an ocean data specialist with the Centre for Applied Ocean Technology (CTec) and is currently assigned to the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observation System (CIOOS) project.  Before joining CTec, Scott worked as a programmer/analyst with the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) department of the Marine Institute, where he held several roles including development support, application management, information security and server administration.

Prior to working with the Marine Institute, Scott was programmer/analyst with the Canadian Centre for Marine Communications (CCMC).  In that capacity he was responsible for creating and maintaining the SmartBay and Journal of Ocean Technology websites as well as other projects. 

Scott is a graduate of the College of the North Atlantic with a diploma in Programmer/Analyst co-op program.

Craig Bulger Project Engineer

Craig Bulger
Project Engineer

Craig Bulger is a project engineer with the Centre for Applied Ocean Technology at the Holyrood Marine Base.  His interests are in the area of autonomous surface vehicles, underwater acoustics, embedded system design, remote sensing and digital signal processing.  Craig has significant experience in the design, implementation and testing of multi-platform underwater acoustical systems and signal processing software. Over the years he has been involved in the testing, development and deployment of projects for the aquaculture, military, space and oil and gas sectors.

Craig holds a B.Sc (Hons) in Software Engineering and a B.Sc in Applied Mathematics and Physics.  He is currently working on his Bachelor or Education (Post-Secondary). 

Richard Kelly

Richard Kelly
Project Engineer

Richard Kelly has a specific interest in collaborating with industry partners to identify opportunities where computerized engineering solutions can be employed to improve marine activities. Ocean observation, sea-bed mapping, instrumentation, data communications and marine electronics are all within Richard's area of expertise.  In addition to being the technical lead on major projects including SmartAtlantic, SmartASS and ARIES, Richard also serves on two International Organization of Standards working groups, developing international standards for marine technology and underwater acoustics.

A Professional Engineer, Richard holds a Bachelor of Science (physics) from St. Francis Xavier University and a Bachelor of Engineering  (Electrical) from the University of New Brunswick.  Dedicated to continued learning, he is completing is Master of Engineering (Computer Engineering) at Memorial University.

Kevin O'Brien Electronic Technologist

Kevin O'Brien
Electronic Technologist

Kevin is an Electronic Technologist with CTec and has certifications in Industrial Electronics and Instrumentation Control Technician.  Since his graduation from the College of the North Atlantic in 1991, Kevin has travelled and worked internationally with high technology companies in marine and offshore industries, gaining considerable field experience and knowledge.  He has worked with the research and development of remote sensing technologies involving meteorological, oceanographic and geophysical data collection systems. Kevin is fully certified to work on offshore vessels and installations and has gained considerable marine electronic knowledge for both onshore and offshore field work.  Kevin previously worked as a research electronics technologist on research projects with OSSC of the Marine Institute.

Kevin likes to keep moving, continually learning and sharing ideas. He occasionally returns to the OSSC to assist in research field trials for data collection. 

Bethany Randell
Project Engineer

Bethany Randell has always been fascinated with the ocean. She is currently living her dream job as a project engineer with the Centre for Applied Ocean Technology at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University, where she also gets to serve as assistant editor for the Journal of Ocean Technology.

Bethany was first introduced to the world of ocean tech at age 14, through the FIRST Lego League robotics competition. The theme that year was the ocean, and she saw an opportunity to marry two passions: the ocean and solving problems. In high school, she continued with robotics by joining her school’s ROV team and earned the right to compete at the MATE international ROV competition. Firmly decided that she would be an engineer, Bethany was thrilled to get direct entry into Memorial University’s Faculty of Engineering. She immediately joined the world-renowned Eastern Edge ROV team and competed five times at the international level with the team, a highlight of which was seeing their ROV fly in NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston, Texas.

After graduating with her Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) in 2014, Bethany went to work at Kraken Robotics, where she turned her hobby of building underwater robots into a career. She worked on the first KATFISH – a synthetic aperture sonar tow vehicle – and was made lead electrical engineer of Kraken’s AUV program. While at Kraken, Bethany discovered the art of Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design, her favourite aspect of electrical engineering. Under the guidance of several of Kraken's talented engineers, Bethany achieved her Professional Engineer status in 2021.

After nearly eight years with Kraken, Bethany took on the role of project engineer at the Marine Institute (MI). Since starting at MI in November 2022, Bethany completed the first phase of the Remote Operation Centre at The Launch in Holyrood, from which she was able to fly ROVs in Norway. She operates and helps maintain MI’s various AUVs, ASVs, and ROVs; is involved with several projects related to marine autonomous vehicles and can let her love for writing and editing shine through her work on the Journal of Ocean Technology.

Kirk Regular

Kirk Regular
Marine Geomatics

As a spatial data analyst for more than 25 years, Kirk Regular has worked primarily in the natural resources sector.  Prior to starting with the Marine Institute, Kirk owned a spatial data consulting business where he was involved in a variety of projects in fisheries management, oil and gas and mineral exploration for both public and private industry clients. He also developed and delivered curriculum at both the college level and privately through a partnership with an international Global Information System (GIS) company.  Some career highlights include an expert witness during the prosecution of fisheries violations, a planning advisor to ECRC's oil spill response team, a board member to associations representing the geomatics industry and initial involvement in the first trans-Atlantic mapping survey under the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance. 

His career as a spatial analyst began during his education at Memorial University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Geography.  While attending Memorial, he worked on early GIS projects with the university as well as the initial GIS with the City of St. John's, and he had since been working in the geomatics sector.

Kirk's ocean mapping project development role within the Centre for Applied Ocean Technology (CTec) supports seabed mapping projects for fisheries and geoscience research locally as well as with the Government of Nunavut. 

Dawn Roche

Dawn Roche
Managing Editor, The Journal of Ocean Technology

Dawn Roche  entered the publishing industry in 2001 - first as Publisher/General Manager (fiction and non-fiction books) for a Newfoundland firm followed by a three-year stint in the Middle East (Qatar) where she worked as Editor on a monthly events and entertainment magazine.  Upon her return to Newfoundland, she served as Editor of the Memorial University alumni magazine.  Outside of the publishing industry, Dawn has worked in the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) film industry as well as economic and infrastructure development in rural NL.  Her current role is Managing Editor of The Journal of Ocean Technology

Dawn likes innovation - particularly "outside-of-the-box" thinking to solve problems.  She enjoys linking people together, sharing information and making connections.  She welcomes new ideas and working in collaboration with others to achieve success.  Sustainability of our earth and its oceans is important to her.  She holds a Master's Certificate in Project Management from York University.

 

Sarah Walsh
Geomatic Specialist

Sarah Walsh is a geomatic specialist with the Centre for Applied Ocean Technology (CTec) and is currently working as lead hydrographer for the Marine Conservation Areas project led by the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research (CFER). Additionally, she’s available as hydrographer for other projects carried out by the Marine Institute and is leading the work of Marine Institute’s partnership with the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project. Prior to joining CTec in 2022, Sarah worked as a multidisciplinary hydrographer with the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) in St. John’s for five years, as well as a hydrographer for IT International Telecom Inc. and the Ocean Exploration Trust.

Sarah is a graduate of the Ocean Mapping diploma program at the Marine Institute, which has received international recognition under the IHO/FIG/ICA International Board of Standards and Competence for Hydrographic Surveyors as a Category B Hydrographic Surveyor program. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor of Science (Marine Biology), a Bachelor of Technology, and a Technology Management (Engineering Technology and Applied Science) Master’s degree. Currently, she is working towards a Bachelor of Education in Post-Secondary, with the goal of teaching in the future.

Sarah enjoys teaching the public about the importance of keeping our oceans healthy and has worked with several organizations across the province as a marine interpreter while she was completing her studies in Ocean Mapping. She continues this work by volunteering for ocean education events through the Marine Institute, as well as other volunteer programs within the province and in northern communities in Canada. Sarah believes that education is key to keeping our oceans healthy for our future and wants to continue this work, either through volunteering or through post-secondary education.