Miss Alison Duffy

Contact info

a.duffy@abertay.ac.uk

+44 (0)1382 30 8112

Biography

I have worked in the environmental management research area at Abertay Ubiversity's Urban Water Technology Centre at Abertay University since 2000. I frequently work in a multi-stakeholder environment including both the public and private sector on a national and international basis in the context of sustainable water management, specifically sustainable drainage systems.

I have been the Principal Investigator in the development of several urban water management frameworks, guidance, financial calculators / tools, communication documents and strategic directions reports: the findings of this research have aided decision making processes in the water sector, both on a national and international scale. Many research initiatives have focussed on developing a collaborative approach with national and international government agencies. I was the principal investigator for the development of an urban water management transition framework based on experiences in twelve cities from Europe, South America, Africa and China for the EU funded SWITCH project (Sustainable Water Improves Tomorrows Cities Health). I also authored a guidance manual to implement the framework. Continuation of this work was funded by the EU Med Programme where transitions specifically focused on energy efficient SUDS in six cities. The final output delivered bespoke transition frameworks to guide each city towards future sustainable solutions including transition manuals that were translated into 6 different languages.

I have completed several CREW (Centre of Expertise for Waters) funded projects, the most recent as PI to develop Design and Build Guidance for Rural Sustainable Drainage Systems (RSuDS).Other PI CREW funded research projects include: a Strategic Directions report outlining how to further the implementation of source control SUDS in Scotland for the Scottish SUDS Working Party (SUDSWP); Schools public outreach project to promote awareness of the urban water cycle and understanding of local SuDS and related functional and ecosystem services benefits.

I have extensive experience in the conceptual design, integration and long-term management of sustainable drainage systems including monitoring, technical performance reviews and cost benefit analysis. The most recent projects were commissioned by Bear Scotland (annual pollution control and technical performance monitoring), Glasgow City Council (Surface Water Management Plan including Cost Benefit Analysis of sustainable solutions to alleviate flooding issues in the City centre) and Scottish Water (technical performance assessments and development of national guidelines for the adoption of SuDS constructed before technical standards were available in Scotland).

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Teaching
Research

BEng (Hons)/MEng Civil and Environmental Engineering EEM 104 - Introduction to Civil Engineering: BIM / AutoCAD Tutor Support.
BEng (Hons)/MEng Civil and Environmental Engineering EEM 207 - Engineering Science 3: BIM / AutoCAD Tutor Support.
BEng (Hons)/MEng Civil and Environmental Engineering EEM 498 - Integrating Project: SUDS Expert.
Training Workshops at conferences and EU funded collaborative meetings on a global scale (Europe, South Africa and South America) covering all research areas. 2006 – ongoing.
Co-Designer / Course Tutor for the CIWEM accredited SUDS OnLine and SWITCH Stormwater OnLine courses. 2004 – 2011.
Tutor support for the post graduate Module WW1105 Advanced Catchment Planning. 2004 – 2010.
Co-facilitator of SUDS Short Course Training which includes site visits for professionals in the industry. Training material delivered cover the following areas: SUDS inspection and O&M, SUDS WLC and budgeting for long-term management, SUDS and Integrated Urban Water Management, SUDS and Strategic Stormwater Planning. 2003 – ongoing.
Supervisor for several Undergraduate and Postgraduate Environmental and Civil Engineering Programmes. 2003 – ongoing.

Interests

1. Currently; Pollution Control Monitoring and Technical Performance Inspections for the A92 SUDS funded by Bear Scotland / Transport Scotland. Principal Investigator: collect and analyse water / sediment samples from 10 SUDS, reporting and technical inspections with operatives to ensure fit for purpose SUDS. 2008 – ongoing.
2. Currently: Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious Project: On the Right Track. The project brings together engineers from research, industry and academia together with school children, teachers and the wider community and focuses on the rebuilding of Dundee Railway Station. Role: Project Manager. 2015 – Ongoing.
3. Completed; Arborflow Water Quality, Quantity and Tree Health Monitoring in collaboration with Green Blue URBAN and Dundee City Council. The first installation of a novel SUDS tree pit which is part of an integrated surface water strategy for a retrofit leisure centre car park. Principal Investigator: regular reporting for a long-term water quality, quantity and tree health monitoring programme including long-term management recommendations. 2012 - 2017
4. Completed; Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW): Principal Investigator: Design and build guidance for SRDP related Rural Sustainable Drainage systems (RSuDS). Literature review, selection tool, example design drawings, long-term management, stakeholder workshops 2015-2016. http://www.crew.ac.uk/publication/rural-sustainable-drainage-systems-practical-design-and-build-guide-scotlands-farmers
5. Completed; Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW): Co-Investigator: innovative solutions inventory, stakeholder workshops and DST for sustainable drinking water treatment at small to medium scales. 2015. http://www.crew.ac.uk/publication/innovative-solutions-sustainable-drinking-water-treatment-small-medium-scales
6. Completed; E2Stormed: Improvement of energy efficiency in the water cycle by the use of innovative stormwater management in smart Mediterranean cities, funded by MED Programme. Co-Investigator: build on the SWITCH Transition Manual and develop new manuals specific to stressed Mediterranean conditions, delivered stakeholder workshops and new manual translated into 6 languages. 2013-2015. http://www.e2stormed.eu/results/
7. Completed; Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) Scottish Water Resources Map to produce an overview of Scotland’s water sector that demonstrates sector scope and scale and shows how the different parts of the sector link together. The map focuses on the decision making processes that influence, manage and control Scotland’s water resources. High level stakeholder face to face surveys undertaken. 2013-2014.
8. Completed; Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW): Implementation of Source Control SUDS in Scotland. Principal Investigator: reviewed the background to source control evolution, appraised how it was being delivered nationally and internationally and provided a recommendations report for the next steps to increase uptake of the techniques; Online surveys and stakeholder semi-structured interviews provided anecdotal information to add value to stakeholder workshops and ensure robust recommendations. 2013.
9. Completed; Member of the transnational INTERREG IVB North Sea Region Programme SKINT WP5 ‘Training the Champions of Change’ team. SKINT was focussed on raising awareness about capacity building. Output - delivered leadership and guidance for gathering and consolidating e-learning experiences. 2008 – 2012.
10. Completed; EU funded SWITCH Managing Water for the City of the Future Programme, WP1.3 Integrating Innovation into Existing Infrastructure. Principal Investigator: SWITCH ‘Transition Manual’ informs the phases required for transitioning from traditional methods of urban water management towards sustainable urban water management (http://www.switchurbanwater.eu/outputs/pdfs/W1-3_GEN_MAN_D1.3.4_SWITCH_Transition_Manual.pdf). Co-organised several global conferences and workshops. Co-authored SWITCH Final Report. 2008 – 2011. http://www.switchurbanwater.eu/outputs/pdfs/SWITCH_-_Final_Report.pdf
11. Completed; Interreg IIIB ERDF funded Urban Water North West Europe Programme - Sustainable Water Management in Urban Space. Principal Investigator: spatial plans for retrofit SuDS; Communication document ‘Water Vision for Johnstone’ that informs stakeholders and the public of existing water related issues and the potential solutions and benefits provided by integrated urban water management practices. 2005 – 2008.
12. Completed; UKWIR / WERF funded trans disciplinary Project that delivered the ‘Post Project Monitoring of BMPs/SUDS to Determine Performance and Whole Life Costs’ report. Co-Investigator - delivery of actual data to inform the report in the area of SUDS inspections, maintenance analysis, performance monitoring, capital / operational costs and public awareness. 2003-2005.
13. Completed; SUDS Manual C697 2007. Principal Investigator for Chapter 24: public perception, engagement and health and safety issues. 2002 – 2004.
14. Completed; Catchment monitoring at the Dunfermline Eastern Expansion (DEX) funded by Taylor Wimpey. Water quality, technical inspections, maintenance activity review, WLC analysis and reporting. 2000-2008.
15. Completed; SUDS Co-ordinator. Seconded to SEPA to role out the dissemination of SUDS best practice to SEPA staff and professionals in the field. 2000 – 2001.

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More Information

Esteem

1. CIRIA RP1028 UPDATE OF SUDS CONSTRUCTION GUIDANCE PROJECT ADVISORY GROUP 2015 – 2017
2. STEM AMBASSADOR FOR ABERTAY UNIVERSITY AT DUNDEE SCIENCE FESTIVAL FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS. 2014- ONGOING
3. REFEREE FOR IJSHE (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABILITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION). 2014 – ONGOING
4. CIRIA RP992 SUDS MANUAL PROJECT ADVISORY GROUP 2013 - 2015.
5. REFEREE FOR ICE JOURNAL OF WATER MANAGEMENT 2013 – ONGOING.
6. REFEREE FOR IWA JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY RESEARCH 2012 – ONGOING.
7. MEMBER OF IWA CITY OF THE FUTURE TRANSITIONING SUBJECT GROUP: 2011 – ONGOING.
8. EXPERT ADVISOR TO MILL O’ MAINS AND WHITFIELD COMMUNITY GROUPS: 2011 – ONGOING.
9. IWA INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE: 11 ICUD 2008 AND 12 ICUD 2011.
10. REFEREE FOR IWA JOURNAL OF WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: 2008 – ONGOING.
11. MEMBER OF THE ARDLER PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT GROUP: 2005 – ONGOING.
12. MEMBER OF DEX COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GROUP: 2002 – 2004.

Knowledge Exchange

1. Inspection and monitoring of SUDS, SUDS maintenance cost data analysis and SUDS hydrological and water quality performance analysis. Two main organisations that contract this work are Taylor Wimpey plc (international housing and development group) and Bear Scotland (designer, managers and maintainers of Scotland’s roads infrastructure). 2000 – ongoing.
2. Completed; Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW): How do we increase public understanding of the benefits provided by water? Principal Investigator: Schools public outreach project – the key objective was to raising awareness of the Hydro Nation agenda and the scope twofold: to explain the urban water cycle; and to promote awareness and understanding of local SUDS and related benefits. 2014-2015. http://www.crew.ac.uk/sites/www.crew.ac.uk/files/publications/CREW_benefitsofSUDS.pdf
3. Completed; LoCal-Net - Helping Scottish SMEs overcome barriers to innovation and engage in R&D to deliver new carbon saving products, processes and services. Co-ordinated 2 networks - Water Innovation and Low Carbon Construction. 2010- 2015. http://localnet.abertay.ac.uk/
4. Completed; Glasgow City Council Surface Water Management Plan in collaboration with MWH Global. Output - identified opportunities for SUDS and a programme of implementation including WLC / benefit analysis and maintenance schedules. This was a flagship project for Glasgow City which assists fulfilment of Metropolitan Glasgow Strategic Drainage Plan objectives such as flood risk reduction, habitat and water quality improvement and integrated investment planning. 2013.
5. Completed; Dwr Cymru Welsh Water Surface Water Management Strategy. Costing and Benefits Budgeting Tool in collaboration with MWH Global. Output – collated construction and maintenance cost data from existing SUDS schemes to develop a tool that delivered generic capital and long-term operational costs to support DCWWs PR14 submission to OFWAT. 2012-2013.
6. Completed; Scottish Environment Web (SEWeb) website visioning. Co-Investigator: stakeholder engagement workshops for accessing Online Environmental Information to determine how this information was accessed by different users and how the process could be made easier. Findings were used to create a vision for the future development of Scotland's Environment Web. 2012-2013. http://www.environment.scotland.gov.uk/
7. Completed; TAYplan Strategic Land Use Change 2035-2050 research study in collaboration with Dundee and St Andrew's Universities. TAYPlan is the strategic development authority for Tayside. Output 1/ - identified and reviewed TAYplan stakeholder (a collaboration of 4 local authorities and 13 public agencies) and wider academic / international research to identify gaps in knowledge. Output 2/ co-authored a final recommendations report for the future direction of research http://www.tayplan-sdpa.gov.uk/news/tayplan-strategic-land-use-change-2035-2050-final-report. 2013.
8. Completed; Supervisor for second Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Scottish Water to transfer knowledge for technical interventions which bring Legacy and orphaned SUDS up to minimum adoptable standards based on CIRIA manuals C521 and C697. 2010 – 2013.
9. Completed; Academic Supervisor for Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Scottish Water to transfer knowledge in the areas of SUDS adoption, inspection, long-term management, financial mechanisms and policy / guidance development for Sewers for Scotland 2nd Edition. 2008 – 2011.
10. Completed; Academic Supervisor for Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Greenbelt Group (land based owner / manager of green space in the UK). Area of knowledge transferred encompassed SUDS adoption, inspection and long-term management, development of financial mechanisms, data capture. 2006-2008.
11. Waste Water Treatment Works Asset Management - Dundee, Fort William, Moray Coast and Inverness for Catchment Tay Ltd / Veolia Water. 2012 – ongoing.
12. Technical reviewer for the Metropolitan of Glasgow Strategic Drainage Plan. 2008 – 2009.

Outreach

FiFe Science Festival - On the Right Track: Engineering and Education for All. Interactive and fun activities.
Dundee Science Festival - SUDS and Water - amenity, flood and pollution benefits
Urban water and SUDS roadshow to primary schools in the Dundee area
Member of the Ardler Physical Environment Group (green infrastructure including SUDS performance / management etc.)
Member of DEX Community Engagement Group organised by Fife Council / SEPA
Invited guest to speak about SUDS to Whitfiled, Mill O' Mains and Clatto Community Groups in Dundee
Public perception surveys of SUDS in Dundee, Dunfermline, Brighton, Bournemouth, Worcester, Clayton le Woods, Kirkby, Emmerson's Green.