People

Dr Ken Thomas

Ken has been Head of School of Engineering at SETU since 2012. He has a BE in Civil Engineering from the University College Galway, Ireland (1986), an MA in Management from University of Kent, Canterbury, UK (1992) and a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University College Cork, Ireland (2002).

He has been involved in extensive engagement with a variety of industry forums, professional institutes and federations, has acted as EU Expert Evaluator for various calls including Eco-Innovation and INEA-H2020-Transport. He is a member of the EU CALOHEE and CAOLHE2 Projects for Civil Engineering, the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) Deans Council, Director of 3DWIT Additive Manufacturing Training Centre, Co-founder and Director of the Construction IT Alliance (CITA), Project Lead on the HCI-P3 Additive Manufacturing Advancing the South East (AMASE) and Institute Lead and Co-Chair on the national Build Digital Project.

He is also a regular reviewer of academic papers for a number of publications and conferences including ‘Construction Management & Economics’, ‘Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management’ and ‘CITA BIM Gatherings’.

Dr Robin Stubbs

Robin has been lecturing in Department of Architecture in SETU since 2001. During this time, he has fulfilled multiple roles from Lecturing, Course Leadership, Programme Development to Researcher and PI. Robin is Research Lead for the SABRE Research initiative with the sole objective of enhancing the research capabilities across the Department on all fronts. He is also the Digital Innovator for Pillar 3 (Digital Education Training) of the Build Digital Project – https://www.builddigitalproject.ie/digital-education-training

Robin has served on numerous accreditation and assessment boards and acted as External Examiner on architectural programs across Ireland and the UK. Robin is currently external examiner at Wolverhampton University and International board member of the PAC at Fanshawe University in Ontario, Canada.

In 2013, Robin and two of his colleagues, founded the BIMC Research Group, with the intention of conducting applied research for industry in the subject areas of BIM Technologies and BIM practices. The group have been very successful to date and have presented at their work at both national and international conference. This work has complimented Robin’s own research in the area of the Historic Built Heritage (HBIM).

Dr Emily Shakespeare

Emily is a postdoctoral researcher within the Build Digital Project in SETU. Her research focuses on creating a methodology for a transdisciplinary landscape biography of an upland region in the Comeragh Mountains in south east Ireland using GIS mapping. This research is the first time a biographical approach has been applied to an Irish landscape. She is also Communications Manager for the Landscape Research Group, in which she initiates and develops interdisciplinary and international networks for both landscape researchers and practitioners.

Dr Brian Graham

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Dr Aleksander Kostic

Aleksandar Kostić is an awarded architect and educator. He is the Lead Researcher and Lecturer at the Department of Architecture at SETU in Ireland where he leads the team of tutors in the final year Architectural Design Studio. He is a PhD candidate at University College Dublin and is due to complete in May 2022. His research explores links between philosophy and architecture, especially within Platonic scholarship and with focus on design as a form of knowledge. Recently his findings were published as book chapters and articles. He is a member of the Centre for Platonic Studies at the Department of Philosophy in Trinity College Dublin and a member of ISPA – International Society for the Philosophy of Architecture.

Dr Jane Russell O’Connor

Jane has a PhD from the University of Wolverhampton UK in Multidisciplinary Landscape Evaluation, aN HDip in Education and a degree in Environmental Science and Ecology. She is a member of the International Association of Landscape Ecology and has been conducting interdisciplinary research and publishing in landscape history and landscape ecology for over 15 years. Her most recent research project is ‘Why people are drawn to different landscapes’, funded by the Landscape Research Group, which examined why people are attracted to different landscapes and their dialogue with the landscape and the activities they undertake.

Her previous research project was conducted at the former Bessborough Estate, now the location of Kildalton College, Piltown Co. Kilkenny. This entailed an interdisciplinary approach to the assessment of the former demesne landscape utilising the disciplines of landscape history, landscape ecology and historical ecology. This research was presented at an international UNESCO conference at NUIG and published in the conference proceedings. Jane has organized an international conference and chaired sessions at a number of national and international conferences.

She is currently a lecturer in the Department of Architecture in SETU and has supervised a number of PhD students. She has successfully won the WIT PhD Scholarship and been awarded funding by a number of external bodies for research (including a PhD scholarship from industry). Jane has 27 years teaching experience including the course development, management and teaching of Masters in Education, Masters in Teaching and Learning in Further and Higher Education.

She currently runs an environmental and consultancy undertaking ecological assessments, biodiversity plans, pollinator plans, sustainable drainage schemes, ISO 50001 Energy standard implementation and ISO14001 Energy Management Systems standard implementation. In her spare time, she is involved with Tidy Towns in Tramore, Co. Waterford and wrote the Pollinator Plan for the town, that she has also implemented with Waterford City and County Council.

Dr Derek Sinnott

Derek is Senior Lecturer and Researcher in the School of Engineering at SETU. He is a graduate of Civil Engineering from NUI Galway and holds an MSc in Civil Engineering and PhD in Energy Management and Engineering from Trinity College Dublin. He is currently Chair of the Pyrite Resolution Board (PRB) and a member of their Audit and Risk Committee. He is the Sustainability Pillar Co-Chair on the recently launched Build Digital Project – www.builddigitalproject.ie/sustainability-circular-economy – which will deliver increased digital adoption across the entire Irish construction and built environment sector. In addition, Derek is Director of Lean Construction Ireland, a community of learning and practice that advocates for the transformation of the Irish construction sector through the adoption of Lean thinking and practices.

Derek is also a judge for the Irish Construction Excellence Awards and is a member of the Southeast Region Committee of Engineers Ireland and regularly leads industry-focused academic research projects and supervises research at Master and Doctoral levels. He is an advocate of sustainable business development through organisational productivity and performance optimisation, high-performance leadership, sustainability and ESG reporting, low carbon, and digital innovations. Derek’s research interests include digital construction project delivery, Lean, operational excellence, the circular economy, and transition to a low carbon economy.

Gordon Chisholm

Gordon is a Registered Architect, Technologist and Certified Passive House Designer with over 30 years’ experience in low energy design of domestic & commercial projects. 

He is a principal member of the team that are integrating BIM at SETU, taking a lead role over the last 17 years teaching & developing the BSc (Hons) Architectural and BIM Technology programme. 

He was a founding member of the BIM Collective Research Group, established in 2013 to develop industry-academia links for applied research and the adoption of BIM across the AECO industry. 

Gordon is the WorldSkills Ireland Chief Expert for Digital Construction (BIM). The Irish BIM team won the gold medal at the FutureSkills event at 45^th WorldSkills Competition in Kazan 2019.  

Across practice, teaching and research, Gordon has participated in, presented, and published a variety of BIM projects and research papers both nationally and internationally. 

Ann Marie-O`Connor

David Morrissey

Sharon O’Brien

Juergen Bauer

Brian Dempsey

Theresa Greiwe

Theresa is a PhD student within the Build Digital Project at SETU.  She is a Junior Architect and graduated in March 2021 with a First-Class Honours Master of Science degree in Architecture from the Brandenburg University of Technology, Germany. Over the years Theresa has gained a wide range of experience in working for different architecture firms in Berlin, Germany, including award winning architects Bruno Fioretti Marquez, who reinterpreted the Bauhaus Masters’ Houses in Dessau.

Ioannis Markou

Ioannis is an experienced Chartered Structural Engineer with a demonstrated experience of working in the AEC industry. He has in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) (AutoCAD, FE Design software. Strong engineering professional with a Master of Science (MSc) focused in Structural Engineering from University of Surrey. He has about 13 years of experience on multi-scale projects (High-Rise, residential, commercial and education), during his course of employment as a senior structural engineer.

He is currently a PhD Candidate at SABRE Research Centre at South East Technological University (SETU), working on the Build Digital Project.

Joao Pereira

João is currently an associate BIM teacher in KEA, Copenhagen School of Design and Technology. He is also Co-responsible for BIMcafe, a student helping hub with the task to aid Architecture Technologists Students, promoting events such as the AEC Student Hackathon, BIMcafe talks, and hosting Trivarsity – International BIM workshop in 2021. He is due for a full lecture position in 2025

He is researching the benefits and the possibilities of Implementing Metaverse and Virtual Reality solutions in construction Education and the AEC Industry.