Making WAVEs: How UWF is shaping the future of maritime engineering

Northwest Florida has long been defined by its connection to the water. Home to Naval Air Station Pensacola, the Port of Pensacola and a growing network of marine manufacturers, defense contractors and emerging technology companies, the region is becoming an increasingly important center for maritime innovation. As Northwest Florida’s maritime industry continues to grow, the University of West Florida is helping shape its future through research, workforce development and industry collaboration with its Watercraft and Vessel Engineering, or WAVE, Program.

Established in 2025 through a $3.3 million Triumph Gulf Coast grant, WAVE brings together UWF faculty, students and industry partners to advance maritime engineering while preparing graduates for careers in one of the region’s most rapidly growing industries. Housed within the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the program operates from the Port of Pensacola, serving as a connection point between university expertise, industry needs and regional maritime innovation to solve real-world engineering challenges.

Yet moving new engineering ideas from the classroom to real-world application requires more than research alone. Unlike a traditional academic program focused primarily on classroom instruction, WAVE was created to bridge the gap between academic research, industry needs and workforce preparation, helping move maritime technologies from concept to prototype, providing students with hands-on experience, and connecting companies and public agencies with University expertise.

“When we developed the original WAVE proposal, the goal was to build something that connects the University’s engineering strengths with the needs of our regional maritime industry,” said Dr. Michael Reynolds, chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UWF. “We saw an opportunity to create a program that supports research, helps companies address technical challenges, and prepares students for the workforce. Those elements were always intended to reinforce one another.”

The program focuses on the areas where Northwest Florida has established momentum and strong potential for growth, including vessel and maritime systems, autonomy and marine robotics, marine renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and workforce development, and blue-economy startups that need a place to design, build and test new technologies.

WAVE’s location is central to that mission. Few engineering programs have direct access to an active working port, nearby marine manufacturers and open-water testing environments just minutes from campus. That proximity creates opportunities to connect students, researchers and industry partners to collaborate throughout the entire engineering process, from early design and prototype development to manufacturing and, ultimately, on-the-water evaluation.

“Our goal is to make WAVE a front door for maritime engineering collaboration in Northwest Florida,” said Dr. Amin Mivehchi, director of the WAVE Program. “Whether an organization is facing an engineering challenge, exploring a new technology or looking to strengthen its workforce, we want WAVE to be a place where those conversations can begin. By connecting industry, government, faculty and students, we can develop solutions that serve individual partners while strengthening the region’s broader maritime ecosystem and economic development vision.”

WAVE advances its mission through three major focus areas: advancing research, supporting economic development and preparing the next generation of maritime engineers.

Advancing research

At the center of the WAVE Program is a simple idea: engineering innovation doesn’t happen in one place.

Engineering challenges can originate in industry, government, research laboratories or the broader community. Faculty and researchers refine and test them in the laboratory. Industry partners help build and improve prototypes. Eventually, those technologies must be evaluated in real-world conditions before they can be adopted by industry or government.

WAVE brings those pieces together through three connected environments.

On UWF’s campus, students and faculty conduct research, design new technologies and develop engineering solutions. At the Port of Pensacola, they work alongside industry partners on prototype development, manufacturing support and applied engineering projects. Beyond the port, Pensacola Bay and the Gulf provide a natural environment where future maritime technologies can be tested and validated. Together, those connections create a pathway that helps move ideas beyond the classroom while supporting industry-driven research, technology development and student engagement. 

Through these collaborations, students participate in applied research and industry-sponsored projects that complement the knowledge they develop in the classroom while helping address real challenges facing the maritime industry.

Supporting economic development

Supporting Northwest Florida’s growing maritime economy is another key focus of the WAVE Program.

Located at the Port of Pensacola, WAVE partners with real companies working in vessel engineering, advanced manufacturing and marine technologies to provide applied research, consulting and engineering support. Researchers collaborate with industry on projects involving advanced composites, custom assemblies, innovative vessel designs and emerging manufacturing techniques. Rather than conducting research in isolation, WAVE allows companies to work directly with faculty and students throughout the engineering process, from concept development and prototyping to testing and refinement. 

For industry partners, the program provides a point of entry to UWF’s faculty expertise, specialized engineering capabilities and a pipeline of talented students who have already gained experience working on real-world projects. Those collaborations help companies solve engineering challenges, explore new manufacturing methods and accelerate product development while strengthening UWF’s research enterprise.

WAVE also welcomes collaboration with government agencies, entrepreneurs and community organizations whose technical needs align with the University’s expertise. By connecting these partners with researchers, students and regional resources, the program seeks to develop solutions that benefit individual organizations while building a stronger maritime innovation ecosystem across Northwest Florida.

“We want companies and agencies to bring us their challenges, even when they don’t have a fully defined project in mind,” Mivehchi said. “The first step is understanding the problem and exploring how we can bring the right expertise and resources together. Successful collaboration should create value for the partner, opportunities for our students and faculty, and capabilities that benefit the broader region.”

Preparing the future workforce

Through applied research, industry-sponsored projects, and internship and experiential learning opportunities, WAVE aims to help students gain practical experience that extends far beyond the classroom and prepares them for careers in maritime engineering.

Located near the New York Yacht Club American Magic sail racing team, WAVE gives students opportunities to work alongside professionals developing next-generation marine technologies. Several students who have interned with American Magic have gone on to accept full-time positions after graduation. One of those students is Keanu Peoples, who graduated from UWF with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in May 2026. 

“The connection between UWF and American Magic has been extremely impactful to my education and career,” Peoples shared. “I was able to take the knowledge and skills I learned in my engineering classes at UWF and apply them in a high-performance engineering environment through an internship opportunity made possible by UWF’s connection with American Magic. That internship allowed me to grow as an engineer, gain hands-on experience, and ultimately led to the opportunity to begin my professional career with American Magic after graduation.”

Beyond internships, WAVE supports workforce development through hands-on engineering and opportunities for specialized training and professional certifications, including composite materials and advanced digital tools certifications that prepare students for careers in both the maritime and aerospace industries. As maritime engineering evolves, the program also seeks to prepare students for an increasingly AI-enabled industry, emphasizing engineering fundamentals, practical problem-solving and the judgment needed to apply emerging technologies responsibly. 

“Engineering tools will continue to change, especially with the rapid growth of AI, but the fundamentals of rigorous engineering do not,” said Dr. Mark W. Muller, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. “Our goal is to give students the technical foundation, hands-on experience and judgment to know not only how to use new technologies, but when to trust them. These tools may help chart the course, but engineers still need to know how to read the water.”

Charting the future of WAVE

While the WAVE Program continues to expand its research and partnerships, its long-term vision reaches beyond any single project. University leaders envision WAVE becoming a regional hub where universities, industry, government, communities and entrepreneurs work together to advance maritime engineering, accelerate applied research and support economic growth across the Gulf Coast.

As new partnerships develop, WAVE will continue expanding collaborative research, creating additional opportunities for students with real engineering challenges and helping companies bring new technologies closer to market. By connecting UWF’s research strengths with the unique maritime assets of Northwest Florida, the WAVE Program is helping build a stronger future for students, industry and the whole Gulf Coast.

“Ultimately, WAVE’s success will be measured by the value we create for the region,” Mivehchi said. “We want to help companies solve problems, support new technologies, create meaningful opportunities for students and build lasting partnerships. No single organization can accomplish all of that alone, which is why we are building WAVE around collaboration.”

Partner With WAVE

WAVE welcomes conversation with companies, government agencies, entrepreneurs, researchers and community organizations interested in maritime engineering, technology development, workforce training and regional innovation. Organizations with an engineering challenge, an emerging technology or an opportunity for collaboration are encouraged to connect with WAVE to explore how UWF’s expertise and regional partnerships can help.

Learn more about WAVE and explore partnership opportunities at uwf.edu/WAVE.