Rate My Professor Robert Hairstans

Professor Robert Hairstans is a Professor at Edinburgh Napier University in the School of Computing, Engineering, and the Built Environment, where he leads the Centre for Offsite Construction and Innovative Structures (COCIS) research group. His qualifications include a PhD, BEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering, and NVQ Level 4 in Management. Hairstans' career includes a UK award-winning Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Oregon Timber Frame in 2005 and major contributions to the university's Queen's Anniversary Prize for Innovation in Timber Construction in 2015. He has directed £4.5 million in research and commercial projects through COCIS, established the Trimble Technology Lab at Edinburgh Napier University in 2019 (refreshed in 2024), and provided leadership to Offsite Solutions Scotland, an award-winning cooperative of innovative modular manufacturing companies. In 2021, he spearheaded the £1.4 million Innovate UK-funded 'Transforming Timber' project, commercializing UK-sourced mass timber construction and launching a knowledge exchange platform. As Founding Director of the Centre for Advanced Timber Technology at the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering, he created a timber construction competency framework and award-winning short courses endorsed by the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technology and Chartered Institute of Building.

His research interests cover timber engineering and wood technology, offsite and modular construction, sustainable development, circular economy, teaching and learning in timber engineering, pre-manufacture, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Hairstans authored the second edition of the book 'Off-site and industrialised timber construction' via TRADA. He has earned the Structural Timber Pioneer of the Year Award (2024), Offsite Construction Pioneer of the Year Award (2024), and Built Environment – Smarter Transformation Beacon Award (2023). He co-chairs the UK Government Timber in Construction Policy Roadmap Implementation Board on skills and education, serves on the Scottish Construction Leadership Forum's MMC Working Group, led three Scottish Government offsite construction reviews (2013, 2015, 2019), and contributed to UK and US policy roadmaps on modular and offsite construction. Hairstans held a visiting appointment at Harvard Graduate School of Design (2018–2019), enhancing his global impact in sustainable construction.