International research, innovation and collaboration are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a sustainable and prosperous ocean economy in Florida, a topic discussed in a recent lecture from Professor Ying Xie of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems.
Xie presented at the Florida Ocean Alliance’s annual strategy meeting, hosted at Port Everglades. Event attendees included Florida Fish and Wildlife, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Office of Ocean Economy.
Xie, an expert in maritime transport and operations research, says that Florida has a significant opportunity to become a global leader in smart and sustainable maritime operations.
“By leveraging AI, digital twins and optimization technologies, Florida can improve port efficiency, strengthen intermodal logistics, reduce congestion and accelerate maritime decarbonization,” Xie says. “Closer collaboration between universities, industry and government will be essential to translating innovation into economic growth, investment and high-skilled jobs.”
While at the meeting, Xie provided strategic advice to the Florida Ocean Alliance. Her suggestions focused on translating research and innovation into measurable impacts across the economy, society and technology. This includes improving maritime productivity and creating high-value jobs, accelerating commercialization of research, and improving air quality and coastal resilience.
Xie also spoke about her experience with the UK National Clean Maritime Research Hub. Xie is an affiliated researcher and leader of the organization’s Co-Innovation Methodology and Impacts group.
“My experience with the UK National Clean Maritime Research Hub highlights the importance of industry-led innovation supported by government funding and academic research,” Xie says. “Three key lessons are aligning research with real industry challenges, demonstrating technologies through pilot projects, and integrating digitalization with decarbonization. Such partnerships can accelerate technology adoption while delivering measurable economic and environmental benefits.”
The event included a tour of Port Everglades and additional discussions with Xie to explore collaborative opportunities in shore-power development for cruise vessels and the optimization of truck scheduling for container collection at the port.
“I am particularly interested in collaborating with Florida’s ports to improve terminal operations, intermodal logistics efficiency and environmental sustainability,” Xie says. “Building on our experience with UK ports, we could develop AI-enabled digital twins and optimization tools for container stacking, cargo handling, truck and rail movements, and energy-aware scheduling. These collaborations could deliver measurable reductions in congestion, fuel consumption, operating costs and emissions, while improving port productivity and strengthening Florida’s supply chain competitiveness.”