Biography
Dr Timothy Olawumi is a Lecturer (Assistant Prof.) at the School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, Edinburgh Napier University, United Kingdom. He has previously worked at the Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Steel Construction (CNERC) and the Department of Building and Real Estate at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong. Also, he has worked as an academic and professional in Nigeria at the Federal University of Technology Akure and some local and multi-national construction companies. He worked on some projects in Nigeria, including a US$4 million World Bank-funded bridge construction and highway rehabilitation project. He obtained a PhD in Construction Engineering and Management from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (QS world university ranking #65). His doctoral thesis was rated 'Excellent'- the highest rating possible - by the board of examiners. At Edinburgh Napier, he leads the delivery of a suite of undergraduate (incl. for graduate apprenticeship) and postgraduate modules.
He is an RICS Chartered Surveyor and a member of the Hong Kong Green Building Council, Green Building Council Nigeria, Hong Kong Institute of Project Management and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He is also on the Editorial Board of 6 reputable journals, four of which are SCI-indexed (Web of Science) - including a Springer Nature journal & Heliyon Engineering (Elsevier). He serves as a grant assessor for key funding agencies such as UKRI - AHRC, EPSRC & MRC as well the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships - where he belongs to their respective Peer Review College/Research Grants Board.
He is an active reviewer for 55 international and renowned journals, of which 43 are SCI-indexed (Publons). Dr Timothy has an excellent track record of very high-quality scholarly/research publications as either a lead author or a co-author for a researcher of peer-reviewed journals, book, and major international conference publications.
He has authored over 60 papers (2850+ citations [h-index: 25; i10-index: 38]) - consisting of journal papers (44), book chapters, technical report, and conference papers as of October 2023. One of his published papers is listed as a Top 1% "Highly Cited Paper" in the field of Engineering – Web of Science Core Collection, the year 2019 - 2022, and another eleven (11) journal papers are categorised as "Hot Paper" and within top 2-10% of various research categories.
He is a recipient of multiple prestigious and international awards. He was recently ◉ ranked among the world’s top 2% most-cited Scientists by Elsevier BV and Stanford University and ◉ recognised as one of the "Top 25 Outstanding Scientists" of high potential globally in the field of sustainability (across disciplines) for the year 2022 by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Other awards include ◉ HKIPM Project Management Achievement Awards in December 2022 (Research Project category). ◉ Research Excellence Award of the BIM Africa Innovation Awards 2021 (out of the 289 nominations received) in November 2021; and ◉ awards from the Australian Institute of Building in 2019 and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB HK) in 2018.
He has also secured grant funding (from three competitive grants) from the Research Grant Council (RGC Hong Kong) and the Chinese National Engineering Research Centre, inclusive of recent funding from the RGC (2022-2023) as a Co-I. In 2021, he received a grant from the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) to produce a textbook for publication in 2023.
Timothy's research is generally interdisciplinary. It emphasises the application of technologies (BIM, Industry 4.0 [AI, big data, blockchain, cloud-based systems], GIS, RFID, etc.) and data-driven techniques in construction management and engineering issues. Timothy's research interests include construction management, green buildings and sustainability, blockchain and AI in construction, Building Information Modelling (BIM), modular integrated construction/offsite construction, sustainable construction and informatics, supply chain management, and digital engineering.
He is available for research collaborations and consultancies and is willing to hear from prospective research postgraduate (MPhil. & PhD) students.