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2nd Meeting of the 194th Session (2014-2015)

Professor José L. Torero Cullen

What drives Technology and Innovation into Safety —
Science, Regulation or Public Perception?

Professor José L. Torero Cullen FRSE FREng
Professor and Head of School, School of Civil Engineering
The University of Queensland, Australia

In the Augustine United Church
41 George IV Bridge
Edinburgh, EH1 1EL
On Monday 27th October 2014, at 7pm

Entrepreneurship, opportunism and innovation are normally perceived as the dominant drivers that push technology into markets. Solid science, an innovative way to transform it into useful technology and a capacity to see and materialize an opportunity are attributes that we value in professionals operating in the science and technology fields. Can the same thing be said about safety? Safety has an equal underpinning in science and technology nevertheless it is not clear if the same attributes and drivers apply when it comes to transferring science and technology into delivering safe environments. This presentation will explore the role of technology in safety and the importance of regulation and public perception in enabling a scientifically sound implementation of safety. Fire safety will be used as the example for discussion.

Professor José Torero is the Head of the School of Civil Engineering at The University of Queensland. He is a leader in the field of Fire Safety Engineering where he specializes in the behaviour of fire in complex environments. He holds a BSc for the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú(1989), and an MSc (1991) and PhD (1992) from the University of California, Berkeley. José is a Chartered Engineer (UK), a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK) and the Royal Society of Edinburgh (UK). José joined The University of Queensland in 2012 following appointments as the Landolt & Cia Chair in Innovation for a Sustainable Future at Ecole Polytechnique Fédéral de Lausanne, BRE Trust/RAEng Professor of Fire Safety Engineering at The University of Edinburgh, Associate Professor at the University of Maryland and Charge de Recherche at the French National Centre for Scientific Research.

Complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits are served from about 6:40pm onwards before the meetings.

Members of the Public are welcome to attend

Dr Jane Ridder-Patrick, Secretary
secretary@rssa.org.uk
Telephone: 0131 556 2161

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