Staff case study - Dr Steve Jones

Senior Lecturer in Structural Engineering Steve Jones

How long have you worked at the university?

Almost 3 years – before that I was a practicing Bridge Engineer for 28 years.
 
Are you mainly involved in teaching/research (what’s the split?) 

As Civil Engineering Programme Director, I spend a large proportion of my time on teaching or teaching related matters.  However, research is also very important to me.  I would say that over the academic year the split averages out to two-thirds teaching to one-third research.
 
Tell me more about this i.e. what’s your research about?  Does your research take you anywhere interesting e.g. foreign countries, important sites/projects?  Do you collaborate with anyone?  Has your research made a difference to anything/one?  What’s been the impact? 

I do research into a variety of different aspects of structural engineering.  One area is investigating the applications of advanced and very high performance concrete.  Another is analysing the damage caused by high velocity projectiles on cable supported structures.  A recent new field of study is researching the properties of the human eye and analysing its structural performance.
 
What modules do you teach on which programmes?  Do you teach large/small groups?  What have some of your students gone on to do? 

I generally teach on modules in the later years of the Civil Engineering programmes.  Generally, these are on modules concerned with structural design.  So I run the major Year 3 and Year 4 group design projects as well as teaching prestressed concrete, and structural steelwork.  The group sizes I teach range from about 30 to 85 students.  Following graduation these students will usually go on to work in the construction industry, either as structural designers or as contractors.
 
What do you love most about the University of Liverpool?

The vibrate campus within a friendly and dynamic city.
 
Why should prospective students study a postgraduate qualification here?

The School of Engineering at the University of Liverpool has a reputation of producing top quality engineering graduates who are highly sought after by the leading employers in the construction industry.
 
What are the benefits?

The teaching is delivered by a combination of experienced engineers and leading researchers.  The topics taught often include the latest techniques as well as a thorough coverage of the basics.
 
What does your department/subject, in particular, offer a prospective student?

A sound basis in civil engineering and a degree with an international reputation for quality.
 
Other comments?

In recent years the university has made a huge investment into the teaching spaces within the School of Engineering. The most notation example of this is the world leading Active Learning Laboratory – an extremely flexible space that is used for practical class and group design classes.