Jan Kowal

Jan’s first degree was in Physics, but he has been an engineer ever since. The first half of his career was spent in industry, where he worked in a diverse range of specialisms, from electron optics in the cathode ray tube industry, through ultrasonics for non-destructive evaluation and industrial controls, to the newer fields of microelectromechanical systems, nanotechnology, and semiconductor wafer bonding.

He joined the OU in 2002 as a lecturer in nanotechnology, and has contributed to a wide range of modules, spanning general engineering, microsystems technology, nanotechnology, nuclear power, and engineering experimental practice. For over seven years, he held the role of Director of Teaching, where he oversaw the root and branch reform of the engineering curriculum and its subsequent accreditation by the professional engineering institutions, the creation of a joint degree in computing and electronic engineering, and helped to shape the new design bachelor’s degree, the BDes.

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