Jennifer Whyte

Professor Jennifer Whyte holds dual academic appointments as Professor of Systems Integration in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London (fractional) and Professor of Project Management in the School of Project Management, Faculty of Engineering, at the University of Sydney, where she also serves as Director of the John Grill Institute for Project Leadership and previously as Head of School (2021–2023). She is a Fellow and Policy Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and has held professorships at the University of Reading and a visiting professorship at Stanford University.

Her educational background includes a PhD from Loughborough University (1997–2000) and a BA Hons/MA from the University of Cambridge (1991–1994).

Professor Whyte's research focuses on the leadership of complex infrastructure projects, with key interests in systems integration, digital project delivery, future making, innovation, and digital transformation in construction. Her work spans field studies, conceptual development, and lab-based tool creation, including current research on Sydney's infrastructure megaproject ecology and the development of digital twins and virtual decision rooms. She leads major interdisciplinary projects such as the Alan Turing Institute’s Data Centric Engineering Programme and the EPSRC-funded VENTURA Project.

Her recent publications (2022–2025) reflect a strong trend toward digital transformation in construction, with emphasis on digital twins, future making, project leadership, virtual/augmented reality, and systems integration. These works appear in high-impact journals such as Automation in Construction, Project Management Journal, and Organization Studies.

• Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers
• Policy Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers

She has supervised doctoral students and is actively recruiting new researchers. Her leadership extends to policy advisory roles, including the UK Construction Leadership Council and the Global Infrastructure Hub Academic Advisory Committee. She leads the Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation at Imperial and the John Grill Institute at Sydney, fostering collaboration across disciplines and sectors.