Name: Professor Kevin Singh 

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Position: Head of Manchester School of Architecture

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Email: k.singh@mmu.ac.uk

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Bio: I have been a Head of School since 2011, having run the Birmingham School of Architecture & Design from 2011-2020, and since then, the Manchester School of Architecture. 

 

I started my academic life as a Visiting Tutor and worked my way through the scales from Lecturer to Professor. I have been both a BA and M.Arch Programme Leader in that time. In 2015 I was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship. 

 

The Birmingham school was a multi-disciplinary one which included Architecture, Landscape, Interior Design, Product Design, and Design Management, and also had a Trans National Education (TNE) partners in Hong Kong and Malaysia. The Manchester school is one of the largest in the UK (both staff and student wise) and has circa 50% international students and sits across two Universities. 

 

I have been an External Examiner at numerous institutions including University of Nottingham, South Bank University, Salford University, Sheffield Hallam, The Bartlett, and the Mackintosh School of Architecture. I have been a RIBA Visiting Board member since 2010 and Chaired Boards in both the UK and abroad. I have also supported numerous School as a critical friend ahead of RIBA Visiting Boards, with new programme validations, and academic promotions. I was a member of the RIBA Education Committee for 6 years.

 

During my time as a Head of School I have experience of substantial restructuring, a merger of departments, changes to Faculty contexts, and significant growth, including new programmes and staffing. Other experience includes instigating workload models, robust financial systems, policies and procedures, new governance systems, pedagogic innovations, new building moves, and staff wellbeing initiatives.

 

I'm happy to help anyone in general over a longer period, or simple offer advice on specific matters.

Name: Martin William Andrews

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Position: Associate Dean (Global Engagement & Education Partnerships), University of Portsmouth, Faculty of Creative & Cultural Industries

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Email: martin.andrews@port.ac.uk

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Bio: At the University of Portsmouth (UoP) I am a key member of an effective and forward-thinking Faculty Executive Committee. I lead global engagement and education partnership activities with a large body of students (including international and EU students) and staff from 2 Departments; Architecture, Art & Design & Film, Media & Creative Technologies. I develop strategies for my Faculty to engage international students, partners and agents but also UK Further Education Colleges.

I Chair Faculty Committees working closely with senior colleagues from across the Faculty and UoP to expand student and staff global initiatives and activities. I contribute to institutional-wide and creative discipline-specific strategies as an effective member of Global Engagement-focused senior leadership review groups.

I manage large institutional and Faculty-wide budgets, and I have a developed understanding of curriculum framework reviews, working collaboratively with colleagues, helping to inform debate and influence positive changes relating to course specifications and modules.

As an Associate Dean I have experience of mentoring and coaching colleagues who hold senior leadership roles. In addition to leading professional development activities, I have been a Professional Development Reviewer for many years.

After becoming a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) in April 2021 I have worked, and continue to work, with colleagues to achieve their own HEA Fellowships.

From 2008 to 2018 I was the Coordinator of a Project Office at UoP, where I ran an architectural consultancy within the School of Architecture. In this role I led the practice through a substantial number of projects commissioned by clients in the Public Sector, Charitable Organisations in the Third Sector but also the Private Sector, to undertake public and community engagement projects.

From 2018 to 2023, I was the Programme Lead for an international Transnational Education (TNE) Partnership, where I coached and mentored international colleagues through the complexities of UK Higher Education regulations and procedures to assist with the smooth running of undergraduate courses which were delivered on-site in Hong Kong.

More recently, I have been a member of a mentoring circles project where I have accessed training to upskill and facilitate my own mentoring circle with colleagues from across my Faculty. The mentoring circle that I have formed focuses on offering professional development and support for early-career design-educators by sharing high quality teaching practice.

I am currently the Academic Lead External Examiner for the BA (Hons) Architecture Course at the
University of Suffolk.

Less formally, my role as Associate Dean provides me with regular opportunities to liaise with colleagues, and to teach students, at Schools of Architecture and Design across the UK but also internationally in Malaysia, Norway, Singapore and the USA.

My research focuses on teaching and learning in Architectural Education, specifically the professional
development of architect educators: https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/persons/martin-andrews. Please contact me if you would like to have a chat.

Name: Professor Des Fagan

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Position: Head of Architecture

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Email: d.fagan@lancaster.ac.uk

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Bio: Head of Architecture at Lancaster, my field of research interest is in Optimisation and Deep Learning (Artificial Intelligence) for Decision Support Systems in design. I am particularly interested in the impact that Machine Learning will have on design processes and the regulatory and policy implications for the RIBA and ARB.

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In my current role on the National Practice and Policy at the RIBA, I oversee the development of a programme of policy and public affairs activity, representing over forty thousand UK architects, to affect change in Whitehall, Westminster and beyond. My roles in the field of AI and Architecture include member of the Expert Advisory Group on Data and AI in Practice (RIBA), and Lead of the Working Group on AI in Architectural Education (SCOSA) where I lead a network of industry partners.

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Prior to working in academia, I worked on several international award‐winning projects, including as Project Architect for the London Olympic Village 2012 and for Glasgow Transport Museum at Zaha Hadid Architects, winner of European Museum of the Year 2013.

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I am currently working on a UKRI funded project: AILab: Artificial Intelligence in Low Carbon Building (PI- £20k) with the Eden Project and Grimshaw Architects, to realise the advantages of Machine Learning for low carbon construction of Eden Morecambe. I have published two books ‐ ‘UEM’ which reimagines the future of a sustainably eco‐centric City, and ‘Datascape’ – a collaborative research document which records the data activities and exchanges of a city.

Name: Lorraine Farrelly

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Position: Head of Architecture

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Email: lorraine.farrelly@york.ac.uk

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Bio: I have been Head of Architecture at York since October 2023 and I am setting up a new school of architecture .

 

Previously (2014-2023) I was Head at the School of Architecture at Reading where I set up a new school and validated courses in BSc Architecture and Masters of Architecture. I was at the University of Portsmouth from 1996- 2014. I was the undergraduate and post graduate course leaders, deputy head of school and set up the Interior design UG and PG courses. My first Professor role was at Portsmouth.

 

I am Chair of SCOSA since 2020 and Chair of the RIBA New Courses Group which comments and advises on new and existing courses in architecture in the UK and internationally .

 

My research area is related to community consultation and I have just completed an AHRC funded project related to inclusive community consultation . I am also part of a EU funded Marie curie PhD network on housing 'REDWELL'.

Name: Dr Luigi Pintacuda

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Position: Head of Architecture and Design

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Email: l.pintacuda@herts.ac.uk

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Bio: I am the Head of Architecture and Design at the University of Hertfordshire (UH) since 2023, overseeing a department of 900 students and managing over 40 staff members. Our department primarily consists of Architecture and Interior Architecture (UG and PG programmes), along with Graphic Design, Illustration, and Fashion. I serve as the director of the Arch+ research group and I am part of the Centre for Future Societies. Currently, I am focused on establishing the UH Project Office for the School, with a particular emphasis on architecture.

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Previously, I led the BA (Hons) Architecture programs at both the University of Hertfordshire and the University of Wolverhampton, gaining extensive experience in developing, validating and launching new programmes. My background in higher education includes management, academic quality, research, and student experience. Before moving to the UK, my academic career began in 2004, with roles in Italy and across Europe. I hold a degree in Architecture from Università degli Studi di Palermo and a PhD in Architecture and Urban Design from IUAV, Venice.

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I am Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), Validation Panel Member for RIBA, Prescribed Examiner and UK Adaptation Assessor for ARB, and an External Examiner for various institutions. I am also a member of the SCOSA EDI working group and the UH delegate for the European Association for Architectural Education.

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Before transitioning to academia full-time, I ran my own practice and worked with several architectural firms. My research focuses on urban-scale and architectural design, emphasizing sustainable urban futures through a design-driven approach and the integration of GIS data.

 

My work engages with communities and non-academic stakeholders to create long-lasting impact.