Priority Research Area Leader: Dr. Marcus Keane

Sustainability and the Built Environment (SBE) as a core research principle must be underpinned by scientific methods and practices that deliver in terms of minimal impact on the natural environment (climate, air and water), economic viability and social benefit. SBE is a multi-disciplinary research activity that relates to the design, construction and management of buildings and infrastructure that broadly encompasses technology, economics and sociology. SBE demands expertise from the disciplines of Engineering, Earth Sciences, Law, Business, Public Health and others. Research problems in SBE are diverse and demand creative thinking across all disciplines in areas that could include innovative materials, creative laws, sophisticated financing methods, informatics, building codes, smart buildings and infrastructure. NUI Galway and the Ryan Institute are uniquely placed to meet the research challenges posed by the core principle of SBE as evidenced by individual research expertise in each of the disciplines and in the research priorities and research institutes at NUI Galway that include CISC, DERI, and the Ryan Institute among others.