Jon Lester

Jon Lester is the Knowledge Transfer Lead on the CALMERIC and SIRC projects, and is also the Senior Design Consultant for the SciTech Innovation Hub.

He graduated from the University of Wolverhampton in 2001 with a first-class honours in Product Design.  He holds an MSc. in Advanced Technology Management and a Master’s in Business Administration.  He has over 20 years’ experience of designing a broad spectrum of products, including: Automotive, Consumer Products, Process and Plant Equipment, Building and Construction products, Life Science products and Medical Devices, amongst others.

Following his graduation, Jon worked at Aga-Rayburn (now Aga-Rangemaster), developing domestic cooking appliances, solid fuel stoves and innovative cookware.  For nearly 20 years, he has been working within a multi-disciplined New Product Development (NPD) team at the University of Wolverhampton in various roles, firstly at the Caparo Innovation Centre and then more recently at the SciTech Innovation Hub.  He has been heavily involved in delivering a range of funded projects for external clients since 2006.

Jon’s specialist technical expertise in mechanical design engineering and product design drives him to create products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users.  His approach means that his work encompasses aspects of branding, intellectual property protection, design, engineering, DfM, usability, and functionality.  He's fully conversant with the latest commercial Computer Aided Design (CAD), simulation (FEA) and rendering software tools.  His approach is hands-on and he has extensive experience of prototype development using Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) and Subtractive Manufacturing technologies. 

Over the years, Jon has mentored junior designers, engineers, and overseas exchange students.  He’s lectured undergraduates in design, innovation and entrepreneurship and CAD.  He recently achieved recognition for his teaching though the award of an Advance HE - AFHEA accreditation (February 2020).  He often represents the University’s funded projects domestically and internationally, the most recent was presenting at ERRIN - Design for Enterprises conference in Brussels, Belgium 2018.