Dr Talib E. Butt is a Senior Lecturer (in environment, engineering & management) at the Northumbria University. His career covers both the construction/built and the natural environment. His multi- and inter-disciplinary studies, research and professional practice span over three decades, with work-experiences in the private/commercial, industrial, consultancy, public/government, voluntary and academic sectors. Predominantly, his career is in the risk assessment field, addressing both, natural and anthropogenic hazards. Climate change and sustainability are cross-cutting themes of his career in both, academe and practice; and yet involving all the five spheres of the ‘total’ environment, including: lithosphere (land/soil), hydrosphere (water), atmosphere (air), biosphere (human and other life) and technosphere/anthroposphere (human influences and developments).

Qualifications

His PhD is in environmental risk assessment and computer-aided environmental modelling. He also holds an MSc in Sustainable Waste Management which particularly includes environmental management implications. His first degree, BEng(Hons), is in mechanical engineering. He has obtained memberships with professional bodies (in the UK and abroad) in multi- and inter-disciplinary fields of environment, engineering, water, construction, management, built environment, waste and education. These include: C.Build E, MCIOB, MCIWEM, LCIWM, FCABE, AFHEA, ASET, PE(PEC), GradIEMA, and AMIMechE.

Teaching, Research and Enterprise/External Engagement

He induces internationalisation along each of the three aforesaid functions. He was nominated for the Best Lecturer category at the University of Exeter (Russell Group) for his teaching to under- and post-graduate students, where he is still a visiting scholar/lecturer. He has been an external adviser to national as well as international universities on various degree programmes and research-works (e.g. SEGi University in Malaysia, University of Punjab). He is a fellow at the Leeds Sustainability Institute and a scientific committee member of SEEDS (Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design for Society).

His research mainly regards design, development and application of holistic frameworks/systems around various facets of the environment, sustainability, and climate change. He has been a peer-reviewer for top quartile journals, research proposals and international conferences. Also, his work is regularly published and presented at international conferences and symposiums. He has years of experience of supervising and guiding both under- and post-graduate/PhD students, and also successfully motivating them to produce publications.

He has expertise and experience of delivering consultancy/advice to various organisations in industry and commerce, and government bodies like Environment Agency, city and district councils. His enterprise/external engagement activities involve wide-ranging, diverse, national and international stakeholders from numerous sectors. He has secured > £100k as a principal investigator and yet another > £100k as co-investigator from different national and international research funding bodies.