John Robertson-begg

Biography

I have been the University of Derby for over 17 years and currently hold the role of Senior Academic. Currently I am programme leader for two masters programmes:   MSc Innovative Engineering Solutions MSc Professional Engineering   The main emphasis on Innovative Solutions is graduate employability. It was developed as part of a HEFCE Funded Postgraduate Student Support Scheme (PSS). The stdents graduating from the programme have excellent employability.   The Professional Engineering Programme was developed as part of the Engineering Gateways scheme and prepares students for professional registration at CEng level. They study workbased learning modules.   

Research Interest

My PhD investigated the application of squeeze casting to the production of zinc-aluminium alloys and composites. For several years I worked on many cast metals projects involving alloying, heat treatment, and processing. My current research interests are in the application of TRIZ methodology to different discipline areas. I am trying to demystify the various tools (at least 10 of them) into a unified methodology. In particular I am interested in whether the contradiction matrix is applicable over different subject areas. My other interests are  in computer-aided materials selection and failure analysis and also the application of TRIZ to these areas.