Civil Engineering: Unit of Assessment 27
Almost all of the research in the Civil Engineering UoA is officially classified as world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour, having been placed in the highest categories of 4*and 3* in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.
| Quality Level | 4* | 3* | 2* | 1* | Unclassified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of research activity | 20 | 70 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
Located in the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CEG), our research strategy is founded upon the holistic concept of Earth Systems Engineering and Management (ESEM). Which combines new scientific understanding of the functioning of the Earth’s coupled human-technological-natural systems with engineering analysis and design, in order to provide adaptation and mitigation solutions to global change at a range of scales.
It synergises the five research groups in this submission, in collaboration with other disciplines in Newcastle, notably our strong Geosciences group (UOA17), and leading research institutions nationally and internationally.
Considerable progress has been made, surpassing plans set out in the RAE2001 submission:
- Award of the 2005 Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education
- External appointment of a Chair in Earth Systems Engineering (Hall), a Chair in Environmental Engineering (Graham), a Chair in Transport and the Environment (Bell), and HSBC sponsorship of the new Chair in Energy and Environment (Younger)
- Delivery of cutting edge Earth Systems Laboratories for large scale monitoring and experimentation, including the BIONICS embankment (£1.1m EPSRC, SRIF2 and industry), CHASM catchment hydrology (£2m NERC, JIF and SRIF1) and CoSTAR mine water remediation sites (the only facility in the UK designated under the EU FP6 Access to Research Infrastructure scheme)
- Establishing Newcastle as a core partner in the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research as Deputy Director (Engineering) with responsibility for the cities research programme and deputy leadership of the coasts programme
- 561 refereed journal publications from 2001-2007
- Three RCUK fellowships, four Research Council and Royal Society research fellowships
- Research expenditure per FTE increased from £45k per year to £62k, accompanied by an increase in RAs. The research portfolio is now valued at £12.7m.
- £4.2m industrial and commercial funding
- Outputs have had an impact at the highest levels of government and industry, through agenda setting activities such as the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC, the OST Foresight projects on Intelligent Infrastructure Systems and Flood and Coastal Defence, and the HSBC Partnership in Environmental Innovation.
Newcastle University has one of the largest civil engineering groupings in the UK so is able to sustain a cutting edge research environment across a wide range of civil engineering disciplines, structured in the following groups:
Each group operates an national and international seminar series. In addition, there is a Biannual Research Away Day, a newsletter (detailing achievements, events and funding opportunities) and lunchtime workshops for informal research discussion across CEG. Interdisciplinary work is promoted by combined meetings of research groups, evidenced by collaborative research projects (38) and PhD studentships (29).
The £22m, Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability (IRES), in which CEG plays a leading role, provides an ideal environment for building interdisciplinary research, with a new laboratory and virtual reality facilities. The Sir Joseph Swan Institute for Energy Research, led by Younger, also provides the focus for energy research across the University.
A total of £6.5m has been invested in facilities; a centrepiece of which is Earth Systems Laboratories. Re-equipment of the Environmental Engineering Laboratories has provided state of the art molecular tools that have already led to scientific breakthroughs and an influx of international visiting researchers.
A £500k refurbishment of the experimental facilities for geotechnics and geomaterials is now underway. The North East Regional eScience Centre has also provided new infrastructure for geomatics and transport monitoring research.
Our capacity to attract excellent postgraduate research students continues, with 211 since 2001. All PGR students attend weekly research seminars, present their work at the annual PGR Conference, group seminars and at an international conference.
Successful funding applications have resulted in 23 international guest members of staff, and staff have been supported in international sabbaticals and study visits.
Newcastle’s status as a Science City is providing a reinvigorated partnership between the University, Newcastle City Council and One NorthEast (RDA), with the aim of developing a world-class location for knowledge-based businesses. The Energy and Environment theme within Newcastle Science City, led by Younger, has already led to the appointment of a new chair in Transport and the Environment ( Bell), and two new industrial chairs: one in energy technologies, the other modelled on successful strategies developed at MIT to involve highly successful entrepreneurs in knowledge creation.