I am an Assistant Professor at the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University. My expertise includes the broad areas of quantity surveying, project management, megaprojects, system dynamics, and systems thinking. My educational qualifications are as follows:

My current role primarily involves the following responsibilities:

Teaching: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying/Construction Project Management programmes

• Courses - Cost Control Principles (Y1); Cost Modelling and Measurement (Y2); Measurement and Cost Evaluation (Y3); Shaping Tomorrow Together (Y1), Design Project (Y4); Construction Cost and Management (GA); Construction Cost and Informatics (GA) 
• Dissertation Supervision - BSc research dissertations and MSc integrated research projects

Administrative: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying/Construction Project Management programmes

• UG Admissions Tutor - I work with the UG recruitment teams on offers for prospective students, planning and scheduling departmental open-day activities, liasing with the marketing team on public outreach activities
• Year 01 Co-ordinator - I am responsible for planning and scheduling departmental induction activities for new and returning UG students, student-staff co-ordination on Y1 student matters and feedback
• Athena Swan committee member - I co-lead action points 10 and 12 for increasing the female student numbers in CPM/QS
• Academic mentoring (PGCert PhDs and RAs) - Working with colleagues at Heriot-Watt Learning and Teaching Academy, I mentor PhD students and RAs who are undertaking the PGCert in Learning and Teaching
• LEAPS Global Impact Challenge - I work with the university Widening Participation team and visit schools around Edinburgh to conduct workshops to raise pupils’ aspirations about higher education

Research: I am interested in the areas of systems thinking and system dynamics for complex problems, megaprojects, and net-zero. My recent research focus has been on exploring the net-zero policy-related challenges for project professionals working on megaprojects and construction SMEs.

My research interests include:

• System dynamics and systems thinking for complex problems in the built environment
• Cost overruns in megaprojects
• Behavioural project management
• AI, digital twins, and blockchain in construction
• Net-zero carbon and delivery of megaprojects/major programmes
• Methodological developments in qualitative research
• Learning and teaching advancements in the built environment

Completed Research Projects: 

• Principal investigator - Net-zero carbon and the project manager: readiness, challenges, and pathways for the delivery of carbon-free major projects - £5K Funded by the Association for Project Management (APM), UK. Link: https://www.apm.org.uk/resources/research/research-fund/are-we-ready-for-net-zero-in-project-management/  

PhD/EngD Supervision (Ongoing):

• Baisil Varghese Oommen - AI-Driven Cost Value Reconciliation in UAE Construction Main Contracting Organizations: Development and Implementation of an ERP-Integrated Hybrid Machine Learning Framework
• Adedoyin Ibosiola - The integration of Environmental, Social, Governance, and Financial (ESG-F) dimensions in oil gas megaprojects in Nigeria
• Hayford Pittri - BIM-IoT-enabled Blockchains for embodied carbon tracking within the supply chains of construction projects
• Mohammed Adamu Duhu - Megaproject management on cost overrun: an impact assessment of the downstream oil and gas sector in Nigeria 

   

I am an affiliated member of the Gamification and Systems Thinking Lab led by Dr Agnessa Spanellis at the Business School, University of Edinburgh

https://gst-lab.business-school.ed.ac.uk/people

The news feature article from my interview with Mr Andrew Baldwin from the Association for Project Management, UK, titled "Collaborate to succeed on net-zero, expert urges public and private sector" published on 08 May 2024.

https://www.apm.org.uk/news/collaborate-to-succeed-on-net-zero-expert-urges-public-and-private-sector/