Jeremy Hadall appointed Visiting Professor at Cranfield University

@CranfieldUni has been successful in receiving a Royal Academy of Engineering (@RAEngNews) award to bring Jeremy Hadall to the University as a Visiting Professor in ‘Horizontal Innovation for smarter and greener manufacturing’.

Hortizontal Innovation (HI) is the transfer of knowledge and technology from one business sector to another. Instead of inventing something new, you use an existing raw material, product, or process from an industry different from the original one to create new value for your products or processes.

As a Visiting Professor, Jeremy will work to enhance cross-sectoral collaboration in innovation and technology adoption.

John Patsavellas, Senior Lecturer in Manufacturing Management at Cranfield University said: “With Jeremy’s help and guidance, we plan to engage our staff and students in HI methods and projects to achieve wider collaboration, internally and externally, helping to enhance graduate careers and the scope for industrial engagement.

“Jeremy will be involved in lectures, a think-tank student project and competition, in MSc group projects and research theses as well as in staff workshops and our public engagement events promoting and facilitating HI. Along with key input from the RAEng, Jeremy will also include his vast specialisation on robotics and advanced automation – as well as his leadership of The Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) Design and Production sector group – to augment the University’s manufacturing activities.”

Jeremy Hadall said: “We still need to answer society’s most pressing challenges such as climate change, ageing populations, inclusivity or simply building back better post-pandemic. I believe engineers must come together across disciplines and sectors and collaborate with other professions. My experience in the application and adoption of complex robotic manufacturing and logistics systems means I am keen to see robotics and automation being employed to provide competitive advantage and improved working conditions across all industries.”

With more than 20 years’ experience, Jeremy has a broad understanding in the implementation of robotic systems in manufacturing and a passion for technology used to benefit society. He served for 10 years as a chief engineer for intelligent automation in the Manufacturing Technology Centre, where he developed expertise on the adoption of advanced technologies by SMEs (small to medium enterprises). Working as a Fellow of the IET, he pioneered the promotion of Horizontal Innovation.

The Award is made by the RAEng under its Visiting Professors scheme, whose purpose is to support appointment of experienced industrial engineers and entrepreneurs as Visiting Professors in Engineering (and related) academic units (for example faculties, schools or departments) at UK universities. This industry-into-academia initiative aims to utilise the knowledge and experience of the Visiting Professor to enhance student learning as well as improve the employability and skills of UK engineering graduates while strengthening external partnerships with industry.