Episode Content

Professor Julie Jupp recently joined the Digital Construction Podcast to share her extensive experience across academia and industry leadership. Throughout the episode, she emphasizes the necessity of moving beyond theoretical research toward applied outcomes that shift organizational capability and improve the governance of digital delivery ecosystems.


Diversity as a Catalyst for Transformation

As a Director at Women in BIM, Julie highlights that digital transformation without inclusion is only a half-finished job. She advocates for pathways that allow women to move from simple participation into genuine technical influence and executive leadership roles. True progress in productivity and data governance requires a diverse range of perspectives to shape new digital practices.


Breaking Proprietary Silos with buildingSMART

In her role with buildingSMART Australasia, Julie focuses on making built environment data work across its entire lifecycle through open standards. The mission is to make interoperability the norm so that vital information is no longer trapped in proprietary silos. This foundation is essential for the effective use of digital twins, analytics, and eventually, artificial intelligence.


Redefining Education at UTS

At the University of Technology Sydney, the focus has shifted from teaching specific software to teaching the principles of information modeling and schema exchange. Julie explains that students must learn data literacy and systems thinking to avoid becoming "tool-dependent". This approach ensures graduates understand how information is specified, governed, and assured across project lifecycles.


Navigating the "Messiness" of Industry

One of the key gaps in modern education is the "messiness" of real-world practice, which often includes legacy systems and contractual ambiguity. Julie builds learning experiences that include "friction" and imperfect data to prepare students for environments where best practice is often treated as optional. She shares empowering stories of students who, by mastering model interrogation, gain a new level of authority in coordination meetings.


The Future: Connected Data and AI

Looking ahead, Julie believes the biggest shift will be toward connected and governable data environments that allow for automated checking and traceability. While AI will continue to handle "grunt work," its success depends entirely on whether the underlying data is structured and trustworthy. 


Key Takeaways:

  • Focus on applied outcomes that reduce risk and improve lifecycle value.
  • Diversity is essential for shifting the needle on industry productivity.
  • Open standards like IFC prevent vendor lock-in and fragmented data liabilities.
  • Education must prioritize systems thinking and data literacy over tool-specific training.
  • Success in digital engineering requires the ability to articulate value in terms of cost, time, and safety.