Broad area of research: Infrastructure

Main areas of research

Dr Vaughan Coffey’s main areas of research are

• Organisational culture and its impact on organisational effectiveness and business outcomes
• Quality management systems and key performance indicators in the construction industry
• Management of Heritage Building Projects
• Post-disaster and Recovery Project Management

Career history

Dr Vaughan Coffey lectures in Construction and Project Management at the School of Urban Development, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia and prior to taking up the post in September 2006 was the Senior Manager/Procurement in the Development and Procurement Division of the Hong Kong Housing Department, where he worked since 1982.

Originally coming to the Department as an Architect, he later became the Department’s Technical Secretary and headed up the Performance Assessment Scoring System (PASS) Control Unit, as well as looking after the administration of the Department’s building, maintenance and soft landscape contractors. Dr Coffey assisted the department with setting up its ISO certified quality management system and was an internal quality auditor during his years in the department.

In 1998, he was awarded a Master of Science degree in Quality Management from the University of Paisley, United Kingdom. He has regularly lectured across the world on construction and project management topics and has been involved in MSc courses for aspiring construction/project managers on behalf of Hong Kong University and Bath University, UK.

Dr Coffey completed his Doctorate of Business Administration in 2005 with the Graduate School of Business, Curtin University, Australia and completed a doctoral thesis entitled “The Organisational Culture and Effectiveness of Companies involved in Public Sector Housing Construction in Hong Kong”. He was Vice-president of the Hong Kong Institute of Value Management (HKIVM) and a Co-Director of the HKIVM International Value Conference held in June 2005, and Director of the 2006 HKIVM Asia-Pacific Value Conference jointly hosted with IVM Australia.

Jan 2018 – Present: Academic Program Director (Urban and Project Management) and Senior Lecturer

Sep 2006 – Jan 2018: Lecturer in Construction Management and Project Management, School of Urban Development, Queensland University of Technology

Dec 1982 – Sep 2006: Senior Procurement Manager/Senior Architect/Technical Secretary – Hong Kong Housing Department, Hong Kong

Sep 1979 – Dec 1982: Development and Improvement Manager, Merseyside Improved Houses, Liverpool, UK

1978 – 1979: Senior Architect, Skelmersdale Development Corporation, Lancashire, UK

1976 – 1978: Principle Architect, Tom Adams Design Associates, York, UK.