Dr
Marzia Bolpagni joins Northumbria’s Faculty of Engineering and Environment as a
Visiting Professor, to improve EDI outcomes and mentor students towards
achieving their career goals.
This prestigious appointment follows funding from The
Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), allowing Dr Bolpagni to join the Department
of Mechanical and Construction Engineering at Northumbria University.
Dr Bolpagni has an extensive background in digital
construction, notably working in various leadership roles across several
initiatives focussed on the acceleration of the digital transformation of the
Built Environment, including Associate Director of Building Information
Modelling (BIM) International at Mace, Task Group Leader at the EU Committee
for Standardization (CEN), Assistant Editor of the BIM Dictionary, Ambassador
of the UK BIM Alliance, and Chair of the Modelling and Standards Committee
for the European Council of Computing in Construction
With an impressive collection of achievements in the
industry, she has most recently been awarded ‘Young Engineer of the Year’ and
received the Sir George Macfarlane Medal for her work by the RAEng. She also received
‘Emerging Professional of the Year’ at the 2021 Consultancy and Engineering
Awards; she was listed in the Financial Times as one of the most influential
women in tech by AccelerateHER in 2021, and she won the Women of the Future
Award for Construction, Real Estate and Infrastructure.
For her inaugural lecture, Dr Bolpagni discussed how Digital
Engineering as a career prospect can support engineering and construction
disciplines to both improve Equality, Diversity and Inclusion outcomes and
address decarbonisation challenges.
Careers in construction will continue to be at the forefront
of her work throughout her time at the University as she plans to deliver
several lecturers on the topic for staff and students.
Commenting on her appointment Dr Bolpagni said: “I’m excited
to work in collaboration with the Department of Mechanical and Construction
Engineering to enhance the student experience and explore how Digital
Engineering can support a sustainable, diverse and inclusive society. I’m
looking forward to working with students as they prepare to step into their
careers in construction and will be mentoring them along the way.”
Professor John Woodward, Faculty Pro
Vice-Chancellor for Engineering and Environment added: “‘We are delighted to
welcome Dr Marzia Bolpagni as a Visiting Professor in the faculty. I have no
doubt that Professor Bolpagni’s expertise and mentoring will have a positive
impact on our students as they plan their future careers in the industry. We
look forward to working together to offer this critical support to our
students.’
Northumbria University is the lead partner in the International
Centre for Connected Construction (IC3). This global centre brings together
leaders in industry, public sector and academia to drive positive
transformation in construction, underpinned by digital technology. Construction
is still a sector with low productivity, safety issues and a lack of investment
in R&D. Northumbria is working with other IC3 partners to demonstrate new
and innovative ways of working using live construction projects. Spanning the
entire life cycle of built assets, projects range from leveraging AI to optimise
management of site equipment like bulldozers and trucks to reduce
environmental impact and financial losses, to tackling
fuel poverty using data from sensors and IoT. These projects provide an
evidence-base for how ‘smart construction’ can be used in practice, supporting
a major cultural shift across the industry. They are also creating the body of
knowledge required to reshape education and skills in this sector enabling us
to successfully build and manage buildings and infrastructure that are
sustainable, safer, healthier and more effective.
