PUBLIC EVENT
Timings: Conference - 8.00am to 5.30pm, Dinner - 5.30pm to 9.30pm
The Royal Academy of Engineering and the Irish Academy of Engineering will be jointly hosting the 2026 Euro-CASE conference.
The conference's theme, “Engineering resilience: Securing Europe’s critical infrastructure in a changing world”, will stimulate conversations about how engineering thinking can shape Europe’s response to growing risks facing critical infrastructure, considering key challenges, geopolitical tensions and system interdependencies.
We are thrilled to welcome Katie Prescott, Technology Business Editor at The Times, as our event host. The following experts have been confirmed as speakers, with many more to be announced:
- Vice Admiral Mark Mellett DSM, PhD (Retd), Former Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces
- Cathal O'Rourke, Group CEO, Laing O'Rourke
- Professor Simin Nadjm-Tehrani, Professor of Computer Science and Cybersecurity, Linköping University
- Professor Máire O’Neill FREng, Vice President for Digital and Information Services, Queen’s University Belfast
- Nina Cromnier, Head of Division, Radiological Protection and Human Aspects of Nuclear Safety, OECD Nuclear Energy Agency
- Professor Dimitra Simeonidou OBE FREng, Professor of High Performance Networks, University of Bristol and a member of the European Commission’s group of Chief Scientific Advisors
- David Porter, President, Institution of Civil Engineers
The event will be followed by a reception for all attendees and an optional conference dinner. A public exhibition will accompany the conference showcasing examples of regional engineering innovation will be open throughout the day.
Whether you are leading discussions on protecting UK, Irish and European infrastructure, or are interested in embedding cutting edge thinking on resilience into your engineering practice, or just want to deepen your knowledge of how the digital and physical infrastructure that underpins our society can be made more robust and more secure, this conference is for you.
Programme*
A programme overview can be found on the 'More details' tab. A more detailed programme with session breakdowns can be found on our dedicated Euro-CASE 2026 conference pages.
Photography and filming notice
Please note that photography and filming will take place during this event. All photographs and videos will be securely stored on the Academy’s servers and used for editorial, marketing and media use by the Academy and selected press or industry media. Please let us know if you do not agree to this processing. Please refer to our General Privacy Policy for more details.
Venue and accessibility
It is very important to the Royal Academy of Engineering that our events are accessible to all. If you have any accessibility requirements, please contact the Events team more than one week in advance of this event so that necessary arrangements can be made.
Find out more about the ICC and local travel and accommodation options
Cancellations
All cancellation requests must be received in writing via email to the events team at [email protected]. A request for cancellation (and refund) will be accepted up to the deadline 5 November 2026. Royal Academy of Engineering must make commitments to suppliers at that time and making changes will result in additional costs or penalties. If the cancellation request is received after the deadline, we cannot issue a refund and would recommend a substitution to attend in your place. A written notification of a substitution will be accepted by email up to the morning of the event.
Diversity monitoring form
The Academy is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and one of our goals is to develop an engineering community fit for the future. To help us achieve this, we would like to collect some basic anonymous data about the event attendees. If you would like to help, please complete the diversity monitoring form by logging into your user account on our website and completing ‘Update my D&I data’.
Sponsors
Supporters
This event is also partly supported by the UK Government's International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF).
Katie Prescott
Katie Prescott is Technology Business Editor at The Times and co-host of The Times Tech Podcast. An award-winning journalist and former BBC Business Presenter and Correspondent, she is a leading voice on technology, business, and artificial intelligence. Katie regularly interviews some of the world's most influential tech leaders, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and is the author of the bestselling The Curious Case of Mike Lynch. A sought-after moderator, keynote speaker, and event host, she brings expert insight on AI, innovation, digital transformation, and emerging technology trends.
Cathal O'Rourke
Following a number of senior leadership roles across the business, including Laing O’Rourke Australia Managing Director from 2013 until 2022 and Group COO since April 2023, Cathal started his role of Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on 1 July 2024.
Throughout his time in the business, Cathal has been a tireless advocate for driving positive industry change and in 2020 was elected President of the Australian Constructors Association where he led significant reform initiatives to ensure a healthy, dynamic and thriving construction industry for the future.
While leading the Australian business, he played a leading role in securing, delivering and sponsoring a number of significant building and infrastructure projects. During Cathal’s time as Managing Director, the business was twice named as one the country’s most innovative businesses, and was the 2016 Winner of the Australian Construction Achievement Award.
Vice Admiral Mark Mellett DSM
Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, DSM, PhD, served for more than four decades in the Irish Defence Forces, culminating in his appointment as Chief of Staff from 2015 to 2021. He was the first naval officer to hold the position and Ireland’s longest-serving defence chief in more than fifty years.
During his career, he commanded at sea and ashore and served in the North and South Atlantic, Afghanistan and Lebanon. He led the Defence Forces’ contribution to Ireland’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and represented Ireland at the European Union Military Committee. He is a graduate of the Royal Naval College Greenwich, the Irish Military Command and Staff College and the United States Naval War College.
Andy Lord
Andy is Commissioner (Group CEO) of Transport for London (TfL). During his tenure, he has provided critical leadership through major milestones, including the opening of the Elizabeth Line and Northern Line extension, while maintaining essential transport services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic for key workers and the wider public.
Before joining TfL, he was Executive Vice President at Menzies Aviation, overseeing operations across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. He also served as a Non-Executive Director for National Air Traffic Services (NATS) from 2009 to 2016 and BA CityFlyer from 2011 to 2015.
Professor Máire O’Neill FREng
Professor Máire O’Neill is a Professor of Information Security at Queen’s University Belfast. As the youngest person ever to be inducted into the Irish Academy of Engineering, she is an inspirational figure for young female inventors.
O’Neill studied Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), later taking on a PhD. During her PhD studies. After finishing her PhD, Máire became a lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast. Here, she pioneered research on hardware security for electric vehicle charging systems and electronic component counterfeiting. She has also developed practical post-quantum cryptographic architectures and is leading research on security vulnerabilities in QKD systems.
At the age of 32, Máire became the youngest ever Professor of Engineering at QUB. She is currently Director of the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) at QUB and Director of the UK-wide Research Institute in Secure Hardware and Embedded Systems (RISE).
Professor Simin Nadjm-Tehrani
Simin Nadjm-Tehrani is a professor in computer science at Linköping University with research interests in dependable systems and networks. Her recent work has focused on anomaly detection in critical infrastructures like power networks or 5G communication, and trustworthiness of AI components in safety-critical systems like avionics. She has been the PhD thesis advisor or examiner for more than 50 students, led national research centres e.g. RICS, AIR2 and collaborates in major Swedish undertakings in Trustworthy and Resilient AI including the newly funded RESIST centre. She is a member of the Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) in Sweden.
Enrico Zio
Dr Joshua Macabuag OBE FREng
Dr Joshua Macabuag OBE FREng is the CEO of renewable risk analytics firm, Renew Risk. As one of the company’s co-founders, and previously serving as Chief Product Officer, Macabuag has played a central role in shaping Renew Risk since its formation in 2021. Today, his focus is on leading the firm’s strategic direction and highlighting the need for a new approach to risk management for the renewable energy industry to insurers, energy developers and investment firms. Prior to Renew Risk's formation, Macabuag spent his career across engineering and catastrophe modelling roles, holding positions at several (re)insurers, The World Bank, and University College London. Outside of his work at Renew Risk, Macabuag has spent 14 years volunteering as an Urban Search & Rescue Engineer for the NGO SARAID, which has seen him deployed internationally to disasters including the 2015 Nepal earthquake, Hurricane Irma recovery in the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2017, and to the Beirut port explosion in 2020. His contributions were recognised in 2025 with an Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Professor Dr Tina Comes
Professor Dr Tina Comes is Director of the DLR Institute for the Protection of Terrestrial Infrastructures (Sankt Augustin) and Professor of Decision Theory & ICT for Resilience at TU Delft.
Her research advances decision-making in crisis and risk management, with particular focus on the role of information technology and AI. She integrates behavioural insights into computational and modelling approaches, including AI and data analytics, digital twins, and multi-agent systems, to assess infrastructure and systems resilience across multiple temporal scales, from immediate crisis response to disaster risk reduction and long-term preparedness. Her work draws on extensive field research and case studies across Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Prof. Comes is a member of Academia Europaea and the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences. She served as Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and the Harvard Kennedy School and has received multiple international awards. Under the EU Science Advice Mechanism, she chaired the Working Group on Strategic Crisis Management and the Working Group on AI in Crisis Management.
Professor Dimitra Simeonidou OBE FREng
Professor Dimitra Simeonidou OBE is a globally recognised leader in telecommunications and digital innovation. She serves as Chief Scientific Advisor to the European Commission, Director of the Smart Internet Lab at the University of Bristol, and Founding Director of the Bristol Digital Futures Institute. Her pioneering research spans high-performance networks, 5G/6G, future internet architectures, and smart city technologies. A Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and IEEE Fellow, she has led major UK and European research programmes, authored more than 700 publications, co-founded multiple technology spin-outs, and was awarded an OBE in 2025 for services to communications technology research and scientific policy.
David Porter
David Porter is the Director of Engineering and Transformation with the Department for infrastructure (DfI), which is the roads authority for Northern Ireland. In this position, David is the Chief Highway Engineer and the Head of the Civil Engineering Profession within the Northern Ireland Civil Service. He is responsible for the professional development of staff, engineering policy and standards, health and safety, and leads the internal consultancy and the procurement team. Previously, David was the Chief Executive of Rivers Agency, the flood defence and drainage authority for Northern Ireland.
David is the current President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), a Chartered Civil Engineer, a Fellow of ICE, a Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of Engineers Ireland.
John Flanagan
Dr John W. Flanagan is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of Engineers Ireland, and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Since the early 1990s, he has been involved in key engineering works for the Dublin Local Authorities. These include such projects as the design of the Northern (M1) Motorway, the formation of Dublin's transport plans under the Dublin Transportation Initiative (DTI), and the delivery of the Dublin Port Tunnel, the Samuel Beckett Bridge, and the Rosie Hackett Bridge.
Since 2019, he has held the combined role of City Engineer and Assistant Chief Executive for Dublin City Council, which involves delivering a wide range of public services and infrastructure for Dublin City. He is a senior member of the Council’s leadership team.
Professor Donna O'Shea
Prof Donna O’Shea (PhD-07, MEng-04, BSc-02) is a leading national figure in cybersecurity research and innovation. She holds the position of Chair (Full Professor) of Digital Engineering at UL specialising in cybersecurity. She has extensive experience in winning funding and leading large-scale national cybersecurity initiatives including the HEA North South Research Programme ‘Cyber-Unite’ in collaboration with QUB, MTU & UCC, ‘Cyber-Ireland’ Industry Cluster, EI Innovator’s Initiative ‘Cyber-Innovate’ focused in increasing the number of SMEs/HPSUs in cybersecurity, HEA-HCI3 ‘Cyber-Skills’ project on responding to the critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals and Research Ireland(RI) ‘Cyber-Futures’ EPE project in cybersecurity. She is involved with government and the National Cyber Security Centre(NCSC) on policy development and collaborates extensively with industry.
John Zammit-Haber
John Zammit-Haber is the Head Technical Officer (HTO) for Energy Resilience and Security at the National Energy System Operator (NESO). With over 30 years of experience in the GB energy industry across technical, operational and strategic planning roles, John provides deep technical insights, leadership and coordination activities to develop Great Britain's whole energy system. His work combines expert technical insight with broad sector understanding to ensure the GB energy system is secure, affordable and sustainable. He also collaborates across industry groups and champions inclusive practices within NESO.
Nina Cromnier
Ms Nina Cromnier is a Swedish expert in chemical engineering who has held senior leadership roles in radiation safety, chemical regulation, and international nuclear governance, including as Head of Division at the OECD Nuclear Agency from 2024 to 2026. She also served as Director-General of the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority.
She has been a Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences since 2023 and serves on the leadership of both IVA's Department of Chemical Engineering and Euro-CASE.
Dr Sarah Prichard
Sarah Prichard is Partner and Global Director of Operational Excellence at Buro Happold. A structural engineer by background, she has spent more than 25 years shaping projects and teams that deliver lasting impact. Her career has taken her from hands‑on project work to leading major international teams, including spending three years in Doha leading work on Msheireb Downtown Doha. She has also held roles including UK Engineering Director, Managing Director for UK Buildings and UK Chief Operating Officer for the UK, Hong Kong, China and Greece.
Dave Murphy CEng FIEI
Dave Murphy is the former Chief Executive Officer at PM Group, an international project delivery company providing multidisciplinary engineering, architecture, project management and construction services. The group, headquartered in Ireland, has over 4,000 people and operates across more than 20 countries in Europe, the United States and Asia. A Chartered Chemical Engineer with over 40 years’ experience in the engineering and construction sector, Dave managed major capital project work for some of the world's leading multinational companies.
He was appointed to the Board of PM Group in 2006 and became Group CEO in 2011, before retiring in December 2023. During his career he played a key role as PM Group grew in Ireland and internationally, managing the delivery of many significant industrial facilities for their multinational clients across the world. Dave is currently the President of Engineers Ireland.
Professor Roberto Palacin CEng FIMechE FHEA
Roberto is Professor of Transport Futures at the School of Engineering and Academic Director for the Electrification strategic programme at the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering at Newcastle University where he also leads the Energy Transitions signature strength for the whole institution. His expertise includes the application of systems thinking to transport-energy interdependencies as well as infrastructure resilience and the role of decarbonisation policies. Roberto has an extensive track record in research and innovation, including his current role as Co-Director of the C£20m National Research Hub in Decarbonised, Adaptable and Resilient transport infrastructures (DARe), co-funded by UKRI and Department for Transport.
Katie Barnes
Katie is Executive Director of the National Preparedness Commission, joining in 2022. A recognised systems thinker, she has built a career bringing together diverse stakeholders to address complex challenges and improve outcomes. Her experience spans the engineering, insurance, legal, research and charity sectors, including roles at the Institution of Electrical Engineers (now the IET), on the 'Liveable Cities' research programme, and in social impact consultancy. She also served for 10 years as a trustee and interim CEO of an East London charity inspiring young people through hands-on science and nature education.
Programme*
| Time (GMT) | Description |
| 8.15am | Registration and refreshments |
| 9.00am | Welcome addresses |
| 9.30am |
Session 1: How prepared are we for the next wave of threats to our critical infrastructure? |
| 11.00am | Break |
| 11.20am | Session 2: Cutting it off at the source: what’s being done to prevent threats, and what can we do better? |
| 1.00pm | Lunch |
| 2.00pm | Session 3: When the worst happens: stories about failure, recovery and renewal |
| 3.35pm | Break |
| 4.00pm | Session 4: Rethinking resilience for a challenging world |
| 5.15pm | Final summary, audience voting, introduction to next conference |
| Reception and dinner | |
| 5.30pm | End of conference and moving into reception in exhibition space |
| 6.45pm | Call for dinner (must be pre-booked) |
| 7.00pm | Dinner |
| 9.30pm | End of Reception and dinner |
*subject to change