Rate My Professor Paul van Tuel

Paul van Tuel is the Senior Manager of the Systems Portfolio in Information Technology Services at the University of Otago, a position he has held since April 2024. In this leadership role, he oversees a team providing tier 3 application and system support, including vendor engagement for issue resolution and upgrade planning. Previously, from April 2023 to April 2024, he served as Group Leader for Systems Specialists at the same institution. Prior to joining the University of Otago, van Tuel built an extensive career at Allied Press Limited over more than two decades, from December 2002 to April 2023. He advanced through several key positions: Software Developer from December 2002 to January 2005, Systems Administrator from January 2005 to January 2008, Lead Systems Administrator from January 2008 to April 2016, and Systems Manager from April 2016 to April 2023. During his tenure there, he led the IT team responsible for system architecture, security, networking, databases, hypervisors, desktop support, deployment, application support, vendor relationships, and on-call roster in a 24/7 organization. He managed a 300+ seat Active Directory environment with 10 WAN-connected branches, implemented workstation lockdowns using Group Policy, controlled internet access via Squid Proxy, supported and upgraded Atex Genera editorial software, maintained Dell servers and Microsoft SQL servers in clustered environments, assisted with Active Directory maintenance and domain migrations, and enhanced custom VB6 advertising software integrated with Adobe InDesign.

Van Tuel earned a Bachelor of Information Technology from Otago Polytechnic between 2000 and 2002. His secondary education includes a B Bursary from Taieri High School from 1996 to 1999 and one year at Marlborough Boys College in 1995. He holds professional certifications as a Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute since November 2017 and Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) since November 2015. At the University of Otago, he contributed to the Energy Analytics programme, which employs the Kaizen Fault Detection and Diagnostics System and CopperTree Analytics artificial intelligence software to manage building energy usage. This project delivered a 15 percent reduction in energy-related costs across seven Dunedin campus buildings in its first year, recouped its investment within two years, minimized emissions and carbon footprint, and reduced maintenance disruptions by enabling real-time issue identification and resolution, such as optimizing a water chilling system. The programme received the supreme winner and Excellence in Technology Innovation Award at the Tertiary Information and Communications Technology Excellence Awards. Van Tuel is proficient in English, Dutch, French, and German.