Neil is a water specialist with extensive experience in the operation and management of sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS). Prior to joining Abertay, he worked in the land management industry providing advice on the assessment, adoption and long-term management and operation of SuDS. He has managed a large portfolio of private sector SuDS in the UK, including simple stand-alone SuDS and complex multi-SuDS sites. His role in the private sector included developing adoption processes for SuDS, implementing long term management processes, site assessment, preparation of maintenance schedules, SuDS design for cost effective maintenance, training and development of staff and contractors, and delivering workshops.
He joined the Abertay team in 2009 and has worked on a range of national and international projects including the EU Interreg IVb project Skills Integration and New Technologies, the EU MED Project E2STORMED investigating energy savings within the water cycle, four Centre of Expertise for Water (CREW) projects (Urban Diffuse Pollution Control; Implementation of Source Control for SuDS in Scotland; How do we increase public understanding of the benefits provided by water?; and Design and build Guidance for Rural Sustainable Drainage Systems), the Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious project: On the Right Tracks - Education and Engineering for All, and he has recently contributed to the forthcoming City of Edinburgh Sustainable Rainwater Management Guidance.
Neil delivers SuDS consultancy services throughout the UK and is currently part of the project team working on the CIRIA Guidance for Community Maintenance of Flood Risk Assets (RP1141).
He is the Module Leader for the BEng Civil & Environmental Engineering Placement Module (EEM303) and for Abertay’s SuDS Online continuing professional development courses.
Lecturing:
Module Leader EEM303 Civil Engineering Placement (2016 - date).
Leturer EEM302 Civil and Environmental Engineering Practice (2016 - date).
SUDS Online:
SUDS Operation and Management (SOaM) Course Developer and Tutor (2010 - date).
SUDS for Roads (S4R) Course Developer and Tutor for (2011 - date).
SUDS Concepts and Design Principles (SUDS CDP) Course Developer and Tutor (2012 - date).
Workshop Delivery:
Development and delivery of SUDS training workshops for local authority, contractors, management agencies and overseas universities (2007 - date).
Co-investigator 2015; Scottish Government-funded CREW project: Design and build guidance for SRDP related Rural Sustainable Drainage systems (RSuDS) (www.crew.ac.uk).
Co-investigator (for Abertay) 2013 - 2015: EU MED (Mediterranean) Programme: E2STORMED - Improvement in energy efficiency in the water cycle by the use of innovative storm water management in smart Mediterranean countries (www.e2stormed.eu).
Co-investigator 2015; Scottish Government-funded CREW project (HEI/JHI collaboration): How do we increase public understanding of the benefits provided by SuDS (www.crew.ac.uk).
Co-investigator 2013: Scottish Government-funded CREW project (HEI/SUDSWP collaboration): Implementation of Source Control for Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) in Scotland (www.crew.ac.uk).
Co-investigator 2013; Scottish Government-funded CREW project (HEI/JHI collaboration): Urban Diffuse Pollution Control (www.crew.ac.uk).
Co-investigator (for Abertay) 2009 - 2012: Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme: Skills Integration and New Technologies (www.skintwater.eu).
Co-investigator (for Greenbelt Group Ltd) 2007: Scottish Water Investment Planning: Scottish Water SR10 Investment Plan: SUDS Systems.
Academic Knowledge Exchange
Training Delivery:
Consultancy & Contract:
Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) Ingenious: On the Right Track (Project manager, 2016 - Date)
Using the exciting backdrop of Dundee City's £1 billion Waterfront Regeneration project, On the Right Track: Engineering and Education for All, will bring engineers from research, industry and academia together with school children, teachers and the wider community.
Focusing on the rebuilding of Dundee Railway Station, the project will provide the audience with an opportunity to understand the science and technology behind engineering the build in a real life context - literally from the ground up.
The programme will provide training for the professional engineers, giving them valuable experience in public communication of their work. In addition to schools outreach through a Meet the Expert event, a series of short online videos and web-blogs will be created and hosted on Abertay University Outreach and Public Engagement Network (OPEN) website.
Articles in the local media at key stages of the building of the Railway Station will extend the reach of the project into the heart of the city community. The importance of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects and the value of the knowledge and skills of the engineers in the development of the city's built environment will be brought to new and diverse audiences locally and beyond.