Biography
Ivor is a wood scientist and technologist with 30 years of experience in the timber products sector. He joined Edinburgh Napier University in 2003. Prior to which he worked at the Forestry Commission and Highland Birchwoods developing the use of indigenous timber in the Scottish Highlands; and he was technical director of a manufacturing joinery company.
Ivor’s current work spans teaching, research and consultancy.
Ivor has lectured at Edinburgh Napier for over a decade. He leads four undergraduate modules and one at masters level as well as lecturing on two other modules. His current modules span building design and technology, sustainable building design and construction materials.
Ivor is active in postgraduate supervision at Edinburgh Napier and has provided wood science advice to postgraduate students at several other universities in the UK and overseas. He was visiting lecturer at the University of Dundee for three years. Ivor has also delivered masterclasses at the CAT Graduate School of the Environment, Newcastle University and the University of Eastern Finland. Ivor is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
His research projects mainly focus on wood-water relations and sustainable development. This includes: the performance of timber facades; grading timber for durability; sustainable construction; product innovation and product life cycles. His projects have ranged from large trans-national collaborations through to product development and testing for individual companies. In 2015 Ivor was a member of the team for which Edinburgh Napier was awarded a Queens Anniversary Prize for the impact of its research on timber engineering, wood science and sustainability.
As a consultant, Ivor provides expert witness services on construction deputes involving timber. This ranges from confidential advisory letters through to full expert witness investigations and reports. He is familiar with both the Scottish and English rules for experts in civil cases. He is also technical consultant to the Timber Decking and Cladding Association.
In 2011 he completed his PhD “Moisture conditions in external timber cladding: field trials and their design implications”. Ivor is author or lead author of several publications including the BS 8605 series of British Standards on external timber cladding.
Ivor is active in providing education and training on timber for building professionals. This is undertaken on behalf of Wood for Good and similar organisations. He is frequently an invited speaker at conferences and seminars in the UK and overseas.