Colin is Pro Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean for the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, and Professor of Engineering Education at Ulster University. He previously served as Interim Dean of Learning Enhancement at Ulster University having overall responsibility for Learning and Teaching in the first fifteen months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He is a Chartered Mathematician, and a Chartered Engineer, and has developed several software systems for Higher Education including the first fully online placement management system.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and a National Teaching Fellow.

He is a former President of the Engineering Professors Council.