Dr Susan Dawson

Associate Professor

School: Architecture and Built Environment

Susan Dawson

This culture of collaboration and working across discipline has influenced Susan’s professional and academic career and continues to bring value to her research projects, students and the industry partners she works with.

Susan is currently leading the University development and delivery of degree apprenticeships in surveying, architecture, engineering and construction and is an active member of the employer lead Trailblazer consortiums bringing together the best of higher education and vocational training and working in close collaboration with the professional bodies.

Susan has over twenty years professional experience within architectural practice, working for internationally renowned Ryder Architecture and FaulknerBrown and also the multidisciplinary WSP. Susan co-ordinated the implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) processes within Ryder Architecture from 2003 onwards and remains involved with BIM Academy, the collaborative joint venture between Ryder Architecture and University of Northumbria which continues to cement the North East of England as world leaders in BIM technologies.

Susan’s professional doctorate study is looking into establishing the business value of strategic partnerships with higher education. This builds on her undergraduate research in Marketing Architectural Services. She remains passionate about maximising the tri-partite relationship between employer, student and academia and this is reflected in her work with external business organisations and championing the value of collaborative research and achieving publication.

Campus Address

Sutherland Building 005

Email Susan

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

I am an Associate Professor in Built Environment Education at Northumbria University and Lead for Educational Partnerships, where I lead the strategic development of practice-integrated higher education across Architecture, Surveying and Construction.

My work centres on designing education solutions that integrate academic learning with professional practice, positioning the workplace as a site of enquiry, judgement and knowledge production. Drawing on over twenty-five years in industry, I operate at the interface between education, industry and regulation, shaping how these systems work together.

Through my role in Educational Partnerships, I lead collaboration with further education, employers, professional bodies and sector organisations to co-design curricula, develop mentoring capability and create scalable, impactful, models of professional education. This work enables sustained cooperation between universities and industry, moving beyond transactional engagement towards shared responsibility for learning.

My research explores the structural conditions required to support this integration, focusing on curriculum coherence, assessment design and employer–university partnership. This informs both institutional practice and national policy through my contributions to Trailblazer groups and advisory work with RIBA, RICS and CIOB.

Collectively, my work advances 'apprenticeship' as a rigorous and inclusive form of higher education that connects learning with practice, widens participation, and supports the development of future professionals across the Built Environment sector.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Reinvention 2026: a new built environment education model for a changing world, Dawson, S. 22 Jan 2026
The Educator: Leading and delivering sustainable apprenticeship programmes in higher education, Cole, S., Dawson, S., Derbyshire, J. 25 Mar 2026, Higher and Degree Apprenticeships, London, United Kingdom, Routledge
Understanding challenges and opportunities for AI integration within built environment curriculum, Zingre, K., Dawson, S. 12 Sep 2025, iBEE & RICS Accredited Providers Conference 2025
Use of Focus Groups and Reflexive Thematic Analysis to Uncover the Essential Conditions for UK Built Environment Degree Apprenticeships, Dawson, S., Gledson, B., Goulding, J. Oct 2024, In: International Journal of Construction Education and Research
Re-shaping built environment higher education: the impact of degree apprenticeships in England, Dawson, S., Osborne, A. 2 Apr 2020, In: International Journal of Construction Education and Research
Determination of Initial and Final Set of Ternary Mortars and Compressive Strength with Regard to Temperature Variation, Richardson, A., Dawson, S., Pesce, G. 15 Feb 2019, In: Journal of Civil Engineering and Construction
Temperature Related Pull-out Performance of Chemical Anchor Bolts in Fibre Concrete, Richardson, A., Dawson, S., Campbell, L., Moore, G., Mc Kenzie, C. 30 Jan 2019, In: Construction and Building Materials
Reshaping built environment education: The impact of degree apprenticeships, Dawson, S., Osborne, A. Jul 2018
Use of Simulation Through BIM-Enabled Virtual Projects to Enhance Learning and Soft Employability Skills in Architectural Technology Education, Gledson, B., Dawson, S. 20 Apr 2017, Building Information Modelling, Building Performance, Design and Smart Construction, Switzerland, Springer

Current and Recent Projects

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
AI Integration in Built Environment Higher Education: A Community of Practice Approach, Zingre, K. (Principal Investigator), Dawson, S. (Co Investigator), Council of Heads of the Built Environment (CHOBE), 01/02/25 - 31/12/26, £1,500.00
BRIDGE (Building Routes Into Degrees with Greater Equality) (HEFCE CATALYST), Strachan, B. (Principal Investigator), Dawson, S. (Co Investigator), Higher Education Funding Council for England, 01/03/17 - 28/02/19, £72,925.00

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Other: Record year for Northumbria as three academics named National Teaching Fellows 2026
Other: Creating the Infrastructure of Opportunity 2026
Invited talk: Academy of Regional Design and Architecture 2026
Invited talk: Pathways into the Built Environment 2026
Invited talk: Teaching Beyond Your Trade - Connecting the Construction Team 2026
Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: Excellence in Pedagogy in the Built Environment 2026
Invited talk: Reinvention 2026
Consultancy: Sprint for Exceptional Pedagogy 2026
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Reinvention: Education for the Built Environment 2026
Invited talk: Future Proofing Built Environment 2025

Qualifications

Building February 01 2024
Education July 01 2012
Building Management BSc (Hons) July 01 1990
Fellow (FHEA) Higher Education Academy (HEA) 2014
Associate Member (ACIAT) Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) 2014