Dr Shaun Fitzgerald has been named a Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) Visiting Professor in Sustainable Buildings and will be based in the Department of Engineering's Laing O’Rourke Centre for Construction Engineering & Technology.

Dr Shaun Fitzgerald is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CleanTech business Breathing Buildings. He already has close links with the Department of Engineering, having been an Engineering Teaching Fellow, working with students on various courses including the Masters course in Construction Engineering and the fourth year module 4D13 (Architectural Engineering). He will deliver modules on natural ventilation and other sustainable building technologies. He will also offer advice on how to combine engineering theory within the context of the industry in which it is applied.

Shaun’s expertise is in natural ventilation and geothermal reservoir engineering. Thanks to his pioneering research, waste water pipelines now supply the Geysers reservoir in California and reinjection is standard practice worldwide. He founded Breathing Buildings as a University of Cambridge spin-out company in 2006.

Professor Campbell Middleton, director of the Laing O’Rourke Centre for Construction Engineering & Technology, said: “One of the key aspects which will be expanded by Shaun is the commercial background which underpins any building project. It is vital that students understand the importance of balancing capital costs and long term operational costs. Shaun's experience in successfully launching Breathing Buildings and engaging with design teams and end clients on these issues will be of great value for the students.”

This RAEng industry-into-academia initiative aims to utilise the experience of Visiting Professors to enhance student learning as well as the employability and skills of UK engineering graduates.