Luke Bisby

At eight years old, Professor Luke Bisby spent many hours staring at the Clifton suspension bridge when he lived with his family in Bristol, UK, for a short time. Although he mostly grew up in Canada, his obsession with the bridge, combined with one grandfather who worked in construction and the other a physicist, meant it was almost inevitable that Professor Bisby would become an engineer - combining physics and buildings. 

In 1993, he went to McGill University to study structural engineering. Upon graduation in 1997, facing limited job availability, Professor Bisby did a Masters in Engineering at Queen's University, Canada, which triggered a love of research and teaching. He then started a PhD on polymer composites at Queen's in 1999. Unlike traditional building materials, polymer composites burn, and so his work focused on how these materials could safely be used, taking the unexpected direction of investigating how buildings and materials respond to fire and heat.

Two years later, on 11 September 2001, terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Center, causing catastrophic fires that led to the collapse of the towers, killing almost 3,000 people. At the time, Professor Bisby was amongst a handful of people studying structural engineering and fire, and his research had important implications for fire safety engineering in the wake of this disaster. As such, he was able to continue his work as an Assistant Professor at Queen's University. 

A few years later, the UK-based consultancy firm Arup agreed to co-sponsor (through the Ove Arup Foundation) a five-year research fellowship for a structural engineer who understood fire safety, alongside the Royal Academy of Engineering. Given its long and distinguished history, the appointment was to be held at the University of Edinburgh Centre for Fire Safety Engineering. As one of the small group of people in the world with the relevant background, Professor Bisby moved with his family to Edinburgh in 2008 and became the Ove Arup Foundation/Royal Academy of Engineering Reader in Structures in Fire, promoted to Chair in 2013. The involvement of Arup in these positions gave Professor Bisby's research a strong focus on external engagement, impact and connections with the construction industry.

On 14 June 2017, there was a devastating fire at Grenfell Tower, London. Initially caused by an electrical fault in a refrigerator on the fourth floor, the fire quickly spread up what turned out to be combustible cladding that covered the outside of the building. Tragically, 72 people died. Having seen it on the news that morning, Professor Bisby offered the assistance and expertise of what is now the Edinburgh Fire Research Centre to a contact in the UK Government. He became involved in early meetings to discuss what happened and whether other tall buildings could have similar combustible cladding - an issue he substantially underestimated at the time. 

Professor Bisby was later instructed as a technical expert witness for the Grenfell Tower Inquiry for over seven years. This consultancy was supported by Edinburgh Innovations, who helped with contracts, invoicing, indemnity and legal advice. As Professor Bisby says, "It's important to have a supportive and competent organisation behind you when you're doing what is very stressful and consequential work". EI also assisted with relationship management, championing the needs of academics to ensure everyone benefited. 

In September 2024, the Grenfell Inquiry published their damning findings, not only revealing decades of government and industry failings, but also an extensive building safety crisis affecting thousands of tall buildings across the UK. In a key report for the Inquiry, Professor Bisby recommended that fire safety engineers become a regulated profession. This was inspired partly by his education in Canada, where engineers are licensed and their title and function are legally protected. Urging profound change to the engineering profession in the UK, Professor Bisby reflects on the "Calling of an Engineer". Engineering graduates in Canada commit to this code of ethics, promising to undertake their profession with responsibility and to a high standard. Accordingly, alongside his research and with the trusted help of Edinburgh Innovations, Professor Bisby continues to work as a consultant, expert witness, and educator, ensuring buildings and the materials used to construct them are adequately safe for everyone.

In recognition of the achievements and contributions of the EFRC over the past 50 years, the University of Edinburgh was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Higher and Further Education on 24 February 2026.

What advice would Professor Bisby give to those starting out in consultancy or working in the public sector? 

"Be interested. Be interesting. And surround yourself with exceptional people. Everything else will follow."