Symbiotic Engineering and Analysis Lab
We develop interdisciplinary symbiotic solutions to advance sustainable offshore technologies vital to the growth of the Blue Economy* and the mitigation of climate change.
The SEA Lab
The SEA Lab designs the future of offshore technologies.
The SEA Lab designs sustainable ocean systems to support global water, energy, and food needs, advancing passive mineral harvesting for clean energy, ocean-based energy generation and storage, and cost-efficient, resilient offshore aquaculture.
The SEA Lab is led by Professor Maha Haji in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan.
Our Research
Our Team
Our Publications
The SEA Lab specializes in four main research areas:
Research
Systems Engineering
Integrating systems to better provide mutually beneficial relationships with the ocean.
Mineral Extraction
Harvesting tech-essential minerals from seawater, including uranium, cobalt, and lithium.
Offshore Energy
Harnessing and storing the energy at sea to meet the energy needs of tomorrow.
Aquaculture
Reliably and cost-effectively expanding aquaculture farms further offshore.
Latest News from the SEA Lab:
Vitale Awarded ORISE Fellowship
PhD candidate O. Vitale received the Marine Energy Fellowship through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) and the Department of Energy Wave Power Technologies Office. Through this program, Vitale will collaborate with an industry partner to complete their thesis on WEC arrays. Congrats!
September 25th, 2025
Vitale presents at INORE
PhD candidate O. Vitale presented their work on WEC arrays at the International Network for Offshore Renewable Energy (INORE) European Symposium in Lokken, Denmark. Nice work!
September 20th, 2025
SEA Lab presents at IDETC
August 18th, 2025SEA lab members Nate DeGoede, Matt Haefner, and Maha Haji presented at the annual ASME IDETC conference in Anaheim, California. Great work!
News