Dr. Kirsi K. Tikka will deliver the 2018 commencement address at Webb Institute on Saturday, June 16, 2018.  She will also be awarded Webb’s honorary doctorate.  Dr. Tikka is a marine industry leader and longstanding advocate for enhancing safety and environmental performance in the maritime industries.  Commencement will take place on campus on Saturday, June 16, 2018.

 Dr. Kirsi Tikka is the Executive Vice President and Senior Maritime Advisor at ABS (American Bureau of Shipping).  Prior to this role, she served as the organization’s Executive Vice President of Global Marine, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Europe Division, Vice President of Engineering and other senior leadership roles. Earlier in her career, she worked for Chevron Shipping in San Francisco and Wartsila Shipyards in Finland.

 Before joining ABS in 2001, Dr. Tikka was professor of Naval Architecture at Webb Institute.  In addition to teaching, she carried out research on structural strength of tankers and risk analysis and was actively involved in the US National Research Council Marine Board studies on double hull tankers.

 Dr. Tikka has a Doctorate in Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture from the University of Technology in Helsinki.

 She is a Fellow of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) and recipient of its David W. Taylor medal for notable achievement in naval architecture, a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.