Offshore wind turbines must survive storms and hundreds of millions of load cycles at sea. Bridges and buildings must last for generations while their carbon footprint shrinks. And all of it must be designed with uncertain loads, materials and models. This is where REACT-Lab works.
We develop reliable, sustainable and intelligent solutions for renewable energy and green infrastructure. Our research spans offshore wind turbines and their foundations, low-carbon and circular construction materials, and the digital methods that connect design to operation. We combine physics-based modelling, data-driven methods, uncertainty quantification and optimisation – and we test our ideas in the laboratory.
Key facts
- Department: Department of Process, Energy and Environmental Technology (PEM), Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences
- Campus: Porsgrunn
- Group leader: Hadi Amlashi
- Strategic areas: USN's Energy, Climate and Environment and Regional Value Creation
Our research
Our profile is captured by the SMART framework: Sustainability, Materials, Analytical methods, Reliability and Technologies. Every project combines at least two of these perspectives, and every model is checked against experiments, field data or independent analysis before we rely on it.
Robust digital design methods
Smart surrogate models and reliability analysis let us explore thousands of design alternatives and find the ones that stay safe when loads, materials and models are uncertain. We develop physics-informed and data-driven models, reduced-order models, uncertainty quantification and reliability-based design optimisation.
A question we ask: How light can an offshore wind foundation be and still meet its target reliability over its whole service life?
Renewable energy and offshore structures
We study bottom-fixed and floating wind turbines, energy islands and their support structures under wind, waves and decades of fatigue loading and we connect their structural performance to cost and climate footprint.
A question we ask: What governs the fatigue life of a floating wind turbine, and what does it mean for its life-cycle cost and emissions?
Circular materials and resilient infrastructure
We model and test concrete, asphalt, steel and composites, including low-carbon and waste-derived materials, for damage, fatigue and durability, and we explore hybrid materials and 3D-printed structural details for stronger and longer-lived structures.
A question we ask: Can hybrid materials and printed steel details extend the fatigue life of welded structures?
Intelligent systems and digital twins
Together with colleagues in cybernetics, we develop dynamic models, state estimation and digital twins that link the condition of a structure to the way it is operated.
A question we ask: Can a wind turbine adjust its own operation to protect its structure while keeping energy production high?
Research projects and activities
| Project | Period | Funding | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSTAIN-WIND. Data-driven sustainable material design for offshore wind | 2025– | USN SFO Energy, Climate and Environment | Hadi Amlashi |
| Laboratory investment – structural testing and robotic metal additive manufacturing | 2027–2029 | USN strategic funds (NOK 9.4 million) | Hadi Amlashi |
| REFFRACTEUR – digital framework for carbon-neutral and resilient industry in Europe | 2026–2029 | EU funded project | Mequanent M. Alamnie |
| COST Action MODENERLANDS – floating modular energy islands | 2022–2026 | COST network | Hadi Amlashi |
| PhD project – hybrid materials for fatigue improvement of steel structures | 2026–2029 | USN PhD fellowship | Hadi Amlashi |
For students
Are you looking for a bachelor's or master's thesis with real impact? REACT-Lab offers research-based topics in offshore wind, structural reliability, sustainable materials, fatigue testing, metal 3D printing, CFD and digital twins, often in collaboration with industry and international partners. Contact the group leader or one of our members to discuss ideas.
Partners and networks
We collaborate with universities, networks and industry in Norway and Europe, including:
- Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic
- Queen's University Belfast, United Kingdom
- Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Denmark
- Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland
- University of Rostock, Germany
- University of Agder, Norway
- Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), Norway
