Our work aims to support sustainability of the natural environment as well as the built environment with research into transport, sustainable materials, biodiversity, smart cities, carbon neutrality and design including interaction design, product design, ergonomics and human computer interfaces (HCI).
We're working to promote environmental and economic sustainability, linking work across the University in transport and sustainable construction, environmental sciences, tourism and hospitality.
Our environment research takes us from local to international. Employing local sources of materials effectively is important for sustainability. For example, using our expertise in wood technology and construction, we evaluated Scottish woods such as Sitka spruce for its use as building material.
Sustainability doesn't necessary only mean managing natural resources. The ideas of our Transport Research Institute has led to the proposed development of a floating container port for Scapa Flow in Orkney providing massive benefits with hardly any landside impact. This local project has now been contributed to international scope with its inclusion in the EU’s TEN_TaNS infrastructure initiative.
Our international focussed research has included European projects such as informing European transport policy and improving European standards for structural timber production. Our research also looks beyond Europe - for example, helping preserve Kenyan mangrove forests to help both the environment and local communities.
Our work in the Biofuel Research Centre focuses on biobutanol, the analysis of industrial biomass and research into new and sustainable sources. Elsewhere in the School of Applied Sciences, we address the potential human and environmental effects of nanomaterials incorporating human and environmental toxicology as well as microbiology.
Our work in ecotourism and wildlife management provides research and consultancy to organizations, individuals and tourism businesses world wide and work in animal and plant sciences complements the focus on environment and sustainability.
Business School research into Entrepreneurship, Strategy, operations and economics and Marketing contribute to our understanding of innovative sustainable communities. Within Tourism our research on hospitality complements this work. The School of Creative Industries undertakes research in literature, publishing, media and communications, art and design, film and television and music.
School of Engineering and the Built Environment research into new approaches to building, energy and environmental, civils and geotechnics sits alongside work in control and automation, novel materials, offsite construction and innovative structures, smart cities and smart sustainable transport, timber engineering and wood science, transport policy and safety