Oliver Heidrich

Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Newcastle University

I teach and research Civil and Environmental Engineering. I investigate urban climate change strategies to implement mitigation and adaptation technologies and determine the impact these strategies have on natural resources across the globe. My vision is to make this world an even better place. My mission is that Government, Industry and Society will appreciate the environmental and resource consequences of their actions (or indeed inaction). For this, my team develops and applies engineering and management methodologies to increase the profitability and understanding of industrial and urban processes. Having worked in the construction industry and graduated as a fully qualified Civil Engineer in Germany I completed a PhD in Environmental Management and Business Psychology (School of Engineering and the School of Biology and Psychology) at Newcastle University in 2006. After working for more than 8 years as a company director, consultant, and trainer of business leaders worldwide I re-joined Newcastle University in 2011 as a researcher and became an Academic member of staff in 2017. I now develop new approaches to model and manage climate change adaptation, mitigation interventions, and the impact these have on natural resources. My team provides researchers and decision-makers with a system of systems understanding of the inter-relationships between strategies and resource use. I consider climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and technologies in the built environment.

As a panellist on Sustainability by Design, Professor Oliver Heidrich contributed invaluable insights on integrating sustainability across the building lifecycle. His academic expertise complemented the perspectives shared by Deborah O'Hanlon and Sophie Simpson who joined him on our concluding panel.