Our IRES colleague Stanley McGreal, Professor Emeritus at Ulster University, died unexpectedly in July. Stan played a key role in the growth and development of both ERES and IRES.
Stan joined the then Ulster Polytechnic in 1978 and was instrumental in establishing the international reputation of Ulster University in real estate education and research. Stanley played a leading role in the development of the applied real estate research program at UU at a time when such industry & policy focused applied research was not the norm in Europe.
Stan published over 300 journal papers, book chapters and reports, accumulating over 6,000 citations along the way. Furthermore, Stanley published across a wide range of topics. While housing work was often to the fore, Stan also published groundbreaking work looking at the role of property markets in urban regeneration. Stan captured the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary nature of real estate as well as anyone. He also always sought to emphasise the implications of research findings to the wide variety of stakeholders involved, including policy makers, investors, developers and individual homeowners and renters. Stanley’s contribution to real estate research also went far beyond his own personal work. As well as being on the editorial boards of several journals, Stan was key in the establishment and development of the Journal of European Real Estate Research, serving as its managing editor from 2009 to 2017.
Stan was a regular attendee ERES, ARES and PRRES conferences. His long-standing affection for Australia was strengthened by his visiting position at the University of South Australia.
Stanley played a significant role in the development of IRES. He was also at the centre of the attempts to establish a regional society covering the Middle East and North Africa. During his career, Stan received the ERES Achievement Award (2006) and Service Award (2024), IRES Service Award (2007) and Achievement Award (2017), and the PRRES Achievement Award (2018).
Stanley encouraged collaboration between researchers across the world. In particular, he was always generous with his time with early career researchers. You could guarantee that Stan would be present at ARES, ERES and PRRES doctoral sessions. Just as with the PhD graduates from the Ulster University, many people from across the world benefited from the quiet and insightful advice Stan would often provide.
Our deepest sympathy is extended to Stan’s friends and colleagues at Ulster University and to his family, especially his daughter Barbara and son Bryan.
He, and his wife Irene, will be sorely missed and we would like to remind him as a friend and colleague, through our best images.
On behalf of the Officers and Board Directors.
Prof. Paloma Taltavull, IRES Webmaster
Dr. Karen M. Gibler, IRES Executive Director.
