Speakers
Dr Zohreh Pourzolfaghar
Digital Construction Cluster LeadZohreh Pourzolfaghar is Assistant Professor for the School of Business in Maynooth University. She is a members of Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software. Zohreh formerly has been Research Fellow at Innovation Value Institute (IVI), Maynooth University’s digital transformation research centre. She is a senior research member of the Business Informatics Group. She is the theme lead in a project investigating the application of Enterprise Architecture in Smart Cities, funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). She has been Principle Investigator for an Industry Fellowship Programme, funded by SFI. Zohreh presented her work at international conferences and has published research in Journals and Conference Proceedings. Zohreh is also leading research within the Cost Action CA16222 (WISE-ACT), a European-wide network. She has been thematic lead in a successful European Marie Curie PERFORM project. She is a member of the supervisory board of the EU project PERFORM, that focuses on Digital Retail. She has been awarded the SFI industry fellowship (2018) working with industry on topics related to Smart Cities and Building Information Management. She is the Co-PI for submitted H202 Techland proposal. Zohreh received her Ph.D. in Project Management in design process of building projects. Zohreh has years of experience working with project-oriented construction companies to improve organisatioanal productivity and their work processes.
James Lawson
Research Engineer at Murphy GeospatialJames graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in 2021 with a Degree in Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering. Specialising in renewables and structural engineering, he wrote his Master’s thesis on the value of Building Information Modelling for the creation of a Digital Twin. As a research engineer, he helps produce research reports as part of the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Hub at Murphy Geospatial.
Richard Kelly
Estates Manager at Dublin City UniversityRichard Kelly is the Estates Manager in Dublin City University (DCU), and is responsible for Energy Performance, and the Strategic Development of Energy Systems and Infrastructure across all DCU Campuses. He is a Chartered Engineer, and has over 30 years of Consultancy, Projects, Operations, Facilities and Energy Management experience. Richard holds an Honours Degree in Building Services Engineering from the University of Ulster, an Executive MSc. in business administration from Dublin City University, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Energy from the University of Dublin, Trinity College, and holds Corporate Membership with the UK Energy Institute. He is a Certified Energy Manager, Certified Energy Auditor, Certified Measurement & Verification Professional, Certified Water Steward, and an ISO 50001 Energy Management System Lead Auditor. He has specific interest in Energy Management Strategy, Energy Systems Certification, and the Decarbonisation of Energy Systems within the Built Environment. Richard is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the UK Energy Management Association.
Â
Ralph Montague
Director, ArcDoxRalph Montague is a director of ArcDox, a specialist BIM (Building Information Modelling) consultancy practice based in Dublin, Ireland, providing professionally managed advice, production, support and training services to the construction and property industry. A registered architect with almost 30 years’ experience in managing large projects, Ralph endorses BIM as a more cost effective and highly efficient way of producing and managing design and construction documentation. and improving the building process.
Ralph is a member of the National BIM Council of Ireland and coordinator of the Construction IT Alliance (CITA) BIM Group. In these roles, he has been instrumental in leading the development and adoption of BIM in Ireland since 2009. As past chairman of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI) practice sub-committee for BIM, Ralph has represented Ireland on the Architects Council of Europe (ACE) BIM Working. He is also the current chair of the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) Technical Mirror Committee on BIM, monitoring the work on European Committee for Standardization (CEN TC442) and International Organization for Standardization (ISOTC59) technical committees on BIM standards. Ralph is also a part-time lecturer at Trinity College Dublin School of Engineering Post-Graduate Diploma in Project Management.
Damien Browne
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Standard AccessDamien is an innovative Proptech leader from Ireland, heading a team of skilled deep tech experts. With his extensive background as an owner and manager of a multinational commercial real estate investment company, Damien developed a passion for creating practical real estate technology solutions. As the CEO of Standard Access, an international award-winning real estate technology company, he focuses on addressing access management and space optimisation challenges faced by property managers. Damien holds a US patent for secure remote building access and has achieved significant milestones in the field. His team’s notable contributions include the development of the first digital spine, which has since been explored as a model by the UK government. They have also designed an AI tool to monitor building energy performance and provide guidance to achieve ESG targets. Additionally, Damien is a co-founder of Blue Power Energy, a reputable company specializing in ocean renewable energy, particularly in harnessing the potential of ocean waves. Damien’s expertise and commitment to innovation have established him as a leader in both the real estate technology and renewable energy sectors.
Denise Manton
Executive Officer of EmpowerDenise Manton has 20+ years of multi-disciplinary experience with a focus on innovation driven technology and digital transformation initiatives both in industry and in academic research environments, operating at various levels from software engineering to senior management. In her role as Executive Officer of Empower, she will drive the long-term strategic planning of the research programme and lead engagement and collaboration with diverse stakeholder groups, building a community of practice to overcome the global challenges in the area of data governance. Denise is also responsible for ensuring the key objectives are met and growth of the programme achieved.
