Deputy Director BEAM Research Centre, School of Computing Engineering & Built Environment

Glasgow Caledonian University

Biography

Billy is a Professor of Construction Management within the School of Computing Engineering & Built Environment at GCU. He is Deputy Director of the School’s Research Centre for ‘Built Environment & Asset Management’ (BEAM) and former chair of the School Ethics Committee. Billy has a PhD in Construction H&S Management; BSc (Hons) in Construction Management and a BA in Occupational Health and Safety. He joined GCU in 2002, after a career in construction contracting. Since then, he has delivered research on several HSE, IOSH, EPSRC, CITB and industry funded projects totalling over £1m, 50+ peer-reviewed publications and Impact Case Studies for the UK Research Excellence Framework. His research portfolio is focused on improving safety health and wellbeing within the construction industry, including studies that have improved worker engagement, migrant worker H&S, and safety in design. These contribute directly to UN Sustainable Development Goals for ‘Good Health and Wellbeing’, and ‘Decent Work’. Billy’s is currently International Coordinator of the ‘International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction’ Safety Health and Wellbeing Working Group, and chair of several other industry working groups. His expert commentary is often sought by the media, and he was appointed as ‘Senior Advisor – Buildings and Construction’ for the Independent Review of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Infections of 2018/19. He has recently established a database for analysing suicide rates among construction occupations, and is leading the ‘Measuring Wellbeing’ group for the UK Make-It-Visible initiative