Visiting Professors' Scheme

Visiting Professors in Building Engineering Physics

This industrially co-funded scheme came about through the need for the UK to mitigate its carbon emissions in the built environment. Buildings account for some 45% of carbon emissions and therefore if the UK is to have any chance of meeting its obligations under the 2008 Climate Change Act, it must address the energy emissions associated with buildings. In addition, the regulatory requirement for zero carbon new build by 2020, further emphasised the need to educate engineers and others looking to establish a career in the construction industry in the principles of building engineering physics, the discipline of managing the thermal and environmental characteristics of buildings to achieve performance criteria without necessarily relying on energy consuming building services installations.

The scheme began in 2006, when the Academy established a consortium of organisations who shared this vision to fund three pilot Visiting Professor posts at the universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Sheffield. In 2008 a further post came into existence at Bath. The end of the pilot posts coincided with the publication of the report Engineering a low carbon built environment – the discipline of Building Engineering Physics, which had a major impact not only within the profession, but also in policy making circles and the general public. This gave added impetus to the Academy to continue with this initiative and a template for the teaching of Building Engineering Physics was created.

The second phase of the scheme started in 2011. Most significantly the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) joined the consortium and co-funded with the Academy two addition Visiting Professor posts which were tenured at Loughborough University and UCL. In addition the consortium funded a follow up report to make the case for investment in building engineering physics university centres of excellence. This report was added to the capacity and skills agenda of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills Low Carbon Construction Action Plan published in June 2011 and is due for publication in May 2012.

The Academy would like to acknowledge the financial support and guidance of the following organisations in establishing this scheme:

Scheme manager: Dr Mark Bambury

[E-mail Dr Mark Bambury]

 

 

Updated April 2013

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