Salwa Mohd Ishak (She/Her)
Program Director: Master of Project Management
View researcher profile

Organisation unit

Integration Management Office Optimisation and Stabilisation O&S Program

Location

Adelaide University
Profile of Salwa Mohd Ishak

Available for media comment

About me

Dr Salwa Mohd Ishak is a Senior Lecturer in Construction and Project Management. She holds a PhD in Built Environment from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia, an MSc in Construction Management from the University of Reading, United Kingdom, and a BSc. Hons in Urban and Regional Planning from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. 
Before joining UniSA STEM in 2020 (now known as the School of Civil Engineering and Construction Management at the Adelaide University), Salwa was a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Construction and Project Management at Universiti Sains Malaysia from 2014, a Research Assistant and a Tutor at UNSW from 2011 to 2014.
Before pursuing a PhD, Salwa trained and gained extensive experience in the construction industry, leading and overseeing all stages of multimillion-dollar projects across infrastructure, commercial, and residential developments. In her research, she is deeply interested in exploring unconventional approaches in construction project management, sustainability, technology, automation, and digitalisation in practice, as well as BIM and AI, seeking innovative solutions and “what works” that can be applied to the construction industry and beyond. 

Senior Career Teaching Award (Highly Commended), 2025 UniSA STEM/FII Awards Celebrating Success, University of South Australia (UniSA)

I am a Senior Lecturer in Construction and Project Management at the School of Civil Engineering & Construction Management, College of Engineering & IT, Adelaide University. My 12-year academic journey has progressed from teaching and research to industry collaborations and strategic program leadership. I began my career in academia (2010–2014) as a Tutor and Research Assistant at the UNSW while completing my PhD. Subsequently, I spent 5.5 years at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), progressing to Senior Lecturer. There, I led the BIM Centre of Excellence and Knowledge Exchange, managed competitive grants, and served as the Postgraduate Research Coordinator. For nearly 6 years at UniSA, I held dual roles as a Senior Lecturer and Program Director for the postgraduate Project Management programs. Recently, I have been a key contributor to the historic merger forming Adelaide University, collaborating on the curriculum design for the new institution.

Over my 12-year academic journey, I have designed and taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses covering the entire construction project life cycle. My courses focus on project feasibility and methodologies for developing frameworks that include diverse stakeholder perspectives, emphasising principles beyond just economic and financial drivers, centred on sustainability, prosperity, planetary health, human well-being, and systemic abundance. I also teach how to manage the interaction between humans and digital technology, using tools like BIM and AI to automate tasks and enable real-time monitoring of project progress, costs, quality, and sustainability. I inspire students to adopt a thought leadership approach, enabling them to navigate complex project risks, including ethical issues and bias in technology, and to develop solutions that promote positive outcomes. I also design coursework research courses that are transferable between academic and industry research settings.

Member, MAIPM - Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM)
Member, Project Management Institute (and Adelaide Chapter)
Member, BuildingSMART Malaysia Chapter
Member, BIM Institute of Malaysia

Available for media comment
Last updated on 10/02/2026 by Salwa Mohd Ishak