PhD Success

Congratulations to Yunqing (Lynn) Xu and Leyon Nanayakkara who have both successfully completed and defended their PhD theses. And have passed, subject to minor corrections. Those who know about these things will not be surprised by this. A PhD thesis that is passed without any corrections at all is a rare thing. A very rare thing. I will not open this can of worms, instead I will tell you what Leyon's research is about (if you want to find out about Lynn's research take a look at the report on Hot Property):

Leyon's research investigates how productivity could be improved in the Sri Lankan public sector construction industry by using effective and efficient site plans. The main objectives of the research follow:

• To review the theoretical basis of existing concepts relating to construction site productivity
• To ascertain, to what extent employers in the construction industry in Sri Lanka are aware of the supposed advantages of effective site plan (SP)
• To identify the perceived productivity benefits realised through the implementation of the above SP practices
• To ascertain if there are significant differences between site plans amongst developed countries and Sri Lanka
• To develop an empirically grounded framework for understanding the perceived relationship between site plan and site productivity

Looking over the construction site in Hambantota, Sri Lanka

The research will contribute to a greater understanding of productivity, particularly in respect of site plans in the Sri Lankan construction industry. It develops a coherent framework for analysis that may be applied to similar studies in other developing countries, particularly in the Asian sub-region. In addition to the empirical evidence generated, this study will be of benefit to Sri Lankan policy makers in respect of facilitating a more effective and efficient construction industry, contractors and clients. Most previous studies looked at productivity by referring to factors such as employees’ motivation. However, in Sri Lanka no one has conducted productivity studies with special reference to effective site plans within the construction industry. Leyon's research fills this gap and also develops new research ideas in the area of construction management.

Leyon was supervised by: Ramin Keivani, Esra Kurul and Brian Wood.

If you're interested in the research that is being carried out in the Department, take a look at our website.