16 January 2007

Halcrow Chair of Construction Innovation

The University of Dundee has appointed Professor Tim Broyd as the new Halcrow Chair of Construction Innovation in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

Professor Broyd, who was also recently made group technology director with Halcrow, one of the UK’s leading consultancies, has extensive experience in promoting innovation in the construction industry. In joining Dundee he links up with one of the UK’s leading centres of construction research.

"I am delighted to be joining a University with such a strong reputation for thoughtful, pragmatic research in Civil Engineering and Construction," said Professor Broyd.

"In recent years the government has increasingly called for closer links between academia and industry. In combining my Chair at Dundee with the role of Technology Director at Halcrow, I will be superbly placed to ensure both the industrial relevance of my research and also the transfer of knowledge from the University into industry".

Malcolm Horner, Professor of Engineering Management and Head of the Construction Management Research Unit at the University of Dundee, said Professor Broyd’s appointment was a "real coup" for Dundee.

"It is a mark of the quality of research carried out by the Construction Management Research Unit and the Civil Engineering Division at the University of Dundee that Halcrow has chosen to sponsor this new Chair of Construction Innovation," said Professor Horner.

"It is also a reflection of the existing strength of collaboration that the University enjoys not only with Halcrow, but with all the industry’s major players."

"We are particularly delighted that Tim Broyd is to be the first incumbent. Tim has enjoyed close links with a number of academic institutions whilst occupying a variety of senior positions in industry, most recently as the Chief Executive of the Construction Industry Research and Information Association. His appointment will be widely regarded as a real coup for Dundee."

Civil Engineering at the University of Dundee was awarded a prestigious grade 5A rating at the last Research Assessment Exercise, the highest of any civil engineering department in Scotland.The University hosts the £1.25 million Civil Engineering Research Laboratories, opened in October 2004, which provide a physical link between teaching and research. The laboratories include the only office outside of London for construction industry organisation CIRIA.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Halcrow is one of the UK's leading consultancies, with a pedigree stretching back to 1868. The company specialises in the provision of planning, design and management services for infrastructure development worldwide. With interests in transportation, water, maritime and property, the company is undertaking commissions in over 70 countries from a network of more than 70 offices.

Halcrow has over 6,000 employees and a turnover of approximately £280 million.

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