David Lowe

David Lowe is a Professor of Commercial Management at Heriot-Watt University, holding a joint appointment in the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society and Edinburgh Business School. He serves as the Academic Lead for Executive & Professional Education. Previously, he held roles at Alliance Manchester Business School, including Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor and Academic Lead for Apprenticeship Programmes. His research focuses on commercial and contract management within project-based industries like aerospace, defense, and ICT. He has authored over 95 academic papers and books, including Commercial Management: Theory and Practice (2013). His work addresses transaction cost economics, complex project governance, and interorganizational relations.

David is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and the Higher Education Academy, and an academic advisor to the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management (IACCM). His consultancy includes benchmarking engineering and project management practices for international companies. He advises on commercial strategies, contract management, and executive education programs for clients like BAE Systems and Rolls Royce.

His research interests span commercial interfaces in complex projects, procurement systems, and sustainable construction. He has contributed to frameworks for project risk management and empirical studies on contract disputes. David leads academic initiatives such as the Masterclasses on Leading Complex Projects (LCP3). His work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing sustainable practices in construction and project delivery.