Waugh Thistleton Architects

Anthony is an Architect and Director of Waugh Thistleton Architects, founded in 1997 and devoted to sustainability in architectural practice and materially reducing the impact of both energy use and embodied energy in construction. Since 2009, when the practice completed Murray Grove/Stadthaus, a nine-storey apartment block, which was the first use of CLT in a building of this height, Anthony has pioneered the adoption of this material as a viable, sustainable alternative to energy intensive materials such as concrete and steel. As a result of which CLT is now in wide use across a range of building types and scales.

Las Vegas – University of Nevada

Dr. Steffen Lehmann, Assoc. AIA, AA. Dipl. (born in Stuttgart, Germany) is an internationally recognized educator, scholar, author, designer, scientific researcher, and strategic leader. He is a senior tenured Professor of Architecture & Urbanism, and former Executive Director of three schools of architecture, including the UNLV School of Architecture in Las Vegas. He is also Director of the interdisciplinary Urban Futures Lab, and CEO of the Future Cities Leadership Lab Institute (see links below), where he is translating a strategic outlook into programmatic initiatives and positive impact, dealing with a rapidly changing profession and transforming society. Before joining UNLV, Steffen Lehmann was a chair professor in the UK and the chair-holder of the UNESCO Chair for Sustainable Urban Development for the Asia-Pacific Region.

University of Melbourne, Australia

Prof Ngo leads the Advanced Protective Technologies of Engineering Structures (APTES) Research Group which has been recognised as one of the leading centres in advanced materials & structural systems, and physical infrastructure protection in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. His group has been working closely with industry and government organisations to carry out research in these areas. Prof Ngo has made a significant contribution to research in critical infrastructure protection, particularly in safe and sustainable materials and systems. He is recognised as an expert in protective technologies for protecting critical infrastructure by many government organisations and industry.

Clemson University, USA

Dr. Patricia A. Layton, Ph.D., Clemson, SC, Is the Director of the Wood Utilization + Design Institute and a professor Forestry. She is the former Director of the School of Agricultural, Forest, and Environmental Sciences (SAFE Sciences) (2010-2014) at Clemson University. She came to Clemson University in late 1999 as the Chair of the Department of Forest Resources. In 2003 she was chosen to lead the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. Before joining Clemson University, she was a Senior Director with the American Forest & Paper Association where she represented the industry in the area of recycling, life cycle analysis, sustainability, and energy.

Wood Works New Zealand

John is an experienced technology transfer specialist, conference designer, small business leader and company director. Wherever we find industry leaders pushing the envelope and innovating, our team helps them share their experience with peers in forestry and wood products industries in New Zealand/Australia and Canada/USA.

With over 37 years industry experience in innovation and engineering advances in the forest and wood products sector, my team and I have also developed strong innovation networks in the tall timber building, agricultural and food technology sectors.

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Experienced Forestry/Wood Products Senior Consultant (PhD in Timber Engineering, MSc in Marketing & Management and BSc in Forestry/Wood Technology) and project manager with 20+ years of experience in wood processing, sustainable development, management consulting and wood products markets assessment and marketing. Mihai successfully activated in projects focusing on wood products innovation, applied research, and provision of technical advice in Africa, Asia Pacific and Oceania.

Virginia Tech, USA

Daniel P. Hindman serves as associate professor in the Sustainable Biomaterials department where his research program focuses upon the efficient use of low carbon, biological based materials for construction. Dr. Hindman’s research philosophy revolves around three principles related to wood materials: structure, safety, and sustainability. Dr. Hindman is a member of several professional organizations including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Forest Products Society and the National Frame Building Association. Dr. Hindman holds a Professional Engineering license in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

RMIT, Australia

Kate is currently the leader of RMIT’s Innovative Fire and Facade Engineering Group. She has established herself as one of the leaders in sustainable and fire safe solutions for construction. Dr Nguyen is proud to be the first researcher in Civil Engineering to receive the L’OREAL-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship (2020). She was the second female engineer in Australia to be awarded the Batterham Medal for Engineering Excellence by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Dr Nguyen was named in The Australian’s 2021 Research magazine as Australia’s top researcher in composite materials.

University of Suffolk, Ireland

Experienced Professor with a demonstrated history of working in the built environment higher education sector. Skilled in Supervision of research students, knowledge in Sustainability Education, Research Design, and Lecturing. Strong education professional with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused in Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research from The University of Salford. Professor of Practice at university of Oklahoma.

The State University of New York, USA

As a structural engineer (PE), with extensive background in timber structures design and performance, Dr. Crovella provides overall project coordination. He works as the lead for market acceptance, demonstration, and outreach. He is also co-lead on material properties, performance, and fabrication. Finally, he is a team member for the system evaluation work. Dr. Crovella has had multiple funded mass timber research grants and has been PI or Co- PI on over $1M in research on timber projects, building energy, and construction management.

Michigan State University, USA

George H. Berghorn is an assistant professor of construction management in the School of Planning, Design and Construction at Michigan State University, and he advises Sigma Lambda Chi. He also serves as the Residential Competition Team Coach and oversees the coordination of Construction Management Education and Research Lab. He earned a PhD in construction management from MSU and a Master of environmental studies degree from Yale University. Berghorn is a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction, and a Certified Green Professional from the National Association of Home Builders. He has worked on funded projects related to the feasibility of building deconstruction and material reuse, barriers to increasing mass timber building construction in the U.S., reuse of salvaged lumber in cross laminated timber, the role of construction activities in aquatic invasive species introduction and spread, building science education, and electric utility training. 

Roger Williams University, USA

Dr. Shay Kurzinski is an assistant professor of the Construction Management program at Roger Williams University (RWU). She is passionate about sustainable construction materials and serves as the advisor for the Green Building & Sustainable Construction student club and the coach for the ASC Region 1 commercial competition team in the program. She has studied Bachelor of Architectural Engineering, Master of Landscape Architecture, and Ph.D. in Sustainable Construction Management. Her Doctorate research has been on Mass Timber products, specifically on Cross-laminated Timber (CLT) and the research-invented product: Diagonal-Cross-laminated Timber (DCLT) to search for methods of improving and predicting CLT mechanical properties. Dr. Kurzinski currently teaches Construction Methods and Materials lectures and labs. She is also establishing a Mass Timber undergraduate research team at RWU investigating the methods to improve the utilization of Mass Timber products in the coastal climate of New England regions in the USA.