Dr Jonathan Adams

Thomas Ehrl; Engineering

Design for Ride Quality - Knowledge Transfer of Advanced Dynamics of Passenger Transportation Systems in Buildings for a Multi-cultural/Multi-discipline R&D Environment.

Jonathan Adams left school when 16 years old, and undertook a time-served apprenticeship in the lift making insutry where he progressed to a resaech and development engineering working on developing and programming state of the art electrical/electronic motion control systems.  Following 10 years in industry, he went onto taking a place in education, delivering national and international lift engineering programmes.  He subsequectly led these programmes for several years as Head of Lift Engineering at The University of Northampton.

He is currently Head of Engineering at The University of Northampton, where he has been for the past 27 years, with oversight of a team of academic and technical staff developing and delivering a range of sub-degree, accredited underdraduate and post-graduate (including PhD) programmes.  This responsibility extends to facilitating research undertaken by the engineering team.

Jonathan's research intestests are in education, and in particular adult and continuing education, and engineering education in which he holds his Masters and PhD.

Holding a PhD in Engineering Education, the focus of which was developing problem solving and critical and creative thinking in technological contexts, his interests are strongly in pedagogic research.

He is also interested in developing and researching educational programmes and opportunities for 14-19 year olds, and has worked for many years with national examination boards developing, accrediting and managing qualifications for this sector.

Jonathan has strong connections with the lift making industry in the UK through the lead body (The Lift & Esccalator Indurstry Association), and also with local employers through the Northants Engineering Training Partnership (NETP).

Jonathan is intersted in teaching electrical and electronic engineering, analgue and digital electronics, power electronics and problem solving theory for engineers.

Jonathan has been involved with 14-16 engineering education on a national level for many years.  He has acted as a consultant to Pearson Education, and is currently a Senior Subject Specialist and Advisor to  Oxford, Cambridge and RSA (OCR) Examination Board.  He is a prinicpal moderator for a major 14-16 engineering award, and subject expert and visitng moderator for a 16-19 A level equivalent engineering qualification.  He continues to play a lead role with the future development of these engineering qualifications nationally, against changing national education policies and standards.