Dr Jon Blackburn
Group Manager - Materials and Structural Integrity
Jon leads TWI's Materials and Structural Integrity (MSI) Group, which provides consultancy, testing and research and development services to TWI's Industrial Members. The MSI Group consists of more than 120 employees and extensive laboratory facilities (from electron microscopy to full-scale environmental testing). The Group has a wide range of world-leading expertise to support TWI's Industrial Members in managing the through-life integrity of their assets; from conceptual design through to end of life.
Jon has a background in Mechanical Engineering and a doctorate in Manufacturing Engineering. Prior to joining TWI, he worked in the Canadian pulp industry, working at various pulp mills in the Province of Alberta during their planned maintenance periods. He worked in TWI's Advanced Manufacturing Group from 2006 - 2019, as section manager (lasers) and then operations group manager, and finally as responsible group manager for TWI's laser processing, furnace processing, functional coatings and surface characterisation teams.
Outside of TWI, Jon is the current President of the UK's Association of Industrial Laser Users and is a Member of the UK's Photonics Leadership Group.