• Strengths in innovation, research and development, investigating, troubleshooting and computing in a variety of technologies.
• Ability to use broad R & D background in industries such as paint, medical equipment, electronics, ophthalmic, laser, printing and electrophotography to solve new problems.
• Creative approach in new product/process development and improvements. Innovative process development has led to a Patent, with IP also licensed in another industry.
• Has shown high level analytic and conceptual skills.
• Adaptable.

PhD in Applied Science, Uni of South Aust.
BSc in Physics and Maths, Monash University.
Matriculation, Melbourne High School

• Completed a PhD thesis parttime/fulltime in Polymer Science on crystallinity arising in melt blends including Nylons.
• Member, Australian Institute of Physics (previously a committee member of SA Branch for many years)
• Chartered Chemist member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute
• Committee member Joint Chemical Engineering Committee
• SA Enterprise Workshop
• Courses in:

• Materials Science


• Report writing


• Presentation skills


• Spreadsheets/wordprocessing/databases


• DOS/Windows3.x/Win9x/WinNT/WinXP/Novell Netware


• Computer remote communications


• Statistics and statistical software


• Quality Assurance Techniques


• Multiple Linear Regression


• Electronics

CAREER HISTORY:

CAREER HISTORY DETAILS:

Jun 1995 - present JOHN POCKETT & ASSOCIATES, Adelaide, Aust.

Consultancy in Data Analysis, Mathematical Modelling, Industrial R & D and Information Technology.

• Variety of projects for a number of clients. The major area has been in providing technical expertise to small to medium manufacturers. My IP has been licensed in a patent taken out by a client.

Jan 2007 - present UNIVERSITY of SOUTH AUSTRALIA, Adelaide, Aust.
Adjunct Senior Research Fellow in Sustainable Energy Centre (part time)

Jul 2007 - Oct 2007 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY, Adelaide, Aust.
Research Contract - Materials & Energy Group.

Jan 1998 - present Ian Wark Research Institute, Uni. of Sth. Aust., Adelaide, Aust.

Mar 2004 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH AUSTRALIA, Adelaide, Aust.

Molecular and Biomedical Sciences Dept. Uni. of South Aust. is working on a joint project with the Waite Institute of Adelaide University to develop automated in-line monitoring of a variety of parameters during fermentation of wines. This is in order to assist modern winemakers in improving the quality of their wines.

Research Contract - Moleccular and Biomedical Sciences

Reporting to the leader of the project

Related Achievements:

• Set up a relatively low cost UV to Near Infra-Red spectrometer with appropriate instrumentation, hardware, and software for triggering automated in-line measurements of alcohol content, colour and phenolics in wines being fermented.

• Developed data analysis techniques to robustly extract the weak signal of alcohol content from Near Infra-Red measurements, a task that had not proven feasible for other members of the group.

Jan 1998 - Oct 2004 Ian Wark Research Institute, UNI. of SOUTH AUST., Adelaide, Aust.

Completing a PhD in Polymer Science.

• The study of crystallinity in aliphatic polyamides (Nylons). Seminars have been given internationally and papers & posters have been presented at international/national conferences.

Jul 1995 - Jul 1996 RESEARCH LABORATORIES of AUSTRALIA, Adelaide, Aust.

RLA independently developed the "xerographic" photocopying process at the same time as Xerox. The company has gained a worldwide reputation in the field for its electrophotographic contract research and carries out research mainly for large international companies. It employs approximately 35 people.

Research Officer on contract

Reporting to the Manager of the Laboratories

Related Achievements:

• Developed a novel electrographic printing process for a large Japanese client. Australian, US & European Patents were granted. Several innovative factors are incorporated in the patent. The project was completed on time and the results demonstrated successfully to the overseas client.

• Modified and wrote image analysis scripts/macros in C to automate quality assesment of critical high technology printing

Sep 1984 - Apr 1995 SOLA OPTICAL, Adelaide, Aust.

SOLA is the world’s largest manufacturer of (combined) ophthalmic, sun and safety lenses. It employs approximately 3000 people worldwide.

1993-95 Scientific Officer/Project Officer

Reporting to the Manager of Mould Manufacture Australia. 25 - 75 employees, manufacturing specialist glass moulds for international ophthalmic lens casting sites in the SOLA group.

Related Achievements:

• Investigated technologies to provide individual barcodes on 2500 types of products in order to reduce transcription errors and labour costs and to improve scheduling. This allowed the reliable tracking of individual items through extreme production processes, eg. 700^oC furnaces and caustic baths.

• Saved $225,000 per annum by doubling the lifetimes of expensive ceramic moulds.

• Enabled the manager to query production and client service information from home by setting up secure remote communications to a Novell Netware network which had been set up to aid production and intra-office efficiencies.

• Designed a specialist "Clean Room" with engineering consultants to meet the difficult and unusual constraints of Laminar Flow cleaning stations close to dirty, hot furnaces.

• Reduced reject rates from 30% to 10-15% by air filtration, solvent filtration and work procedure changes.

• Saved $225,000 per annum by doubling the lifetimes of expensive ceramic moulds.

• Promoted a proposal and secured Government and SOLA funding for a PhD student to work on long term production problems in conjunction with Professor Tuck of Adelaide Uni..

• Identified causes of rejects on optical components by Scanning Electron Microscope investigations.

1988-92 Research Physicist

Reporting to the R&D Physics Manager of the Research Centre.

80 employees carrying out research for the international SOLA group.

Related Achievements:

• Surpassed an original requirement to detect multicoat Anti Reflection (AR) layer constituents on lenses. Sublayer thicknesses of nanometres were also determined by using elegant techniques. This is of great use to AR coating designers.

• Radically reduced testing from 2-3 months to 1-2 weeks in specifying glass moulds for marketplace introduction of new optical polymers. Multiple Linear Regression was used.

• Maximised flexibility for glass mould production whilst ensuring that cast polymer lenses better met specifications in some markets. This was achieved by totally altering concepts for specification tolerancing.

• Developed methods to respecify a wide range of glass moulds for lens casting. Improved production control over lens power was unambiguously shown by innovative display techniques.

• Supervised three laboratory staff.

1984-88 Project Team Leader in Group Process Technology

Reporting to the Process Technology Manager in the R & D Centre.

Related Achievements:

• Setup a Clean Room and developed techniques for a pilot project to improve the surface and internal quality of SOLA lenses in the marketplace.

• Improved lens power control in production processes on a world-wide basis in SOLA’s subsidiaries by implementation of my research results.

• Frequently managed the six Project Leaders and five junior staff whilst the Manager was away overseas.

Jun 1977 - Sep 1984 PHILIPS MICROELECTRONICS FACILITY, Adelaide, Aust.

Part of the worldwide Philips organisation. 250 employees at the facility designing and manufacturing integrated circuits, solar panels, transistors, diodes and thick film hybrid circuits, for Australian commercial and defence markets.

1981-84 Solar Development Engineer

Reporting to the head of Photovoltaics.

Related Achievements:

• Innovatively designed solar panels were sent to Europe and included on Philips demonstration high technology round-the-world yacht in 1984.

• Set up a solar cell encapsulation production line and microcomputer aided testing facility for cells and completed panels as part of a $1.2M plant to manufacture solar panels.

• Set up optical systems for testing cells and panels.

• Put forward a major submission to the Australian Standards committee for photovoltaics to represent Philips perspective.

1977-81 Quality Engineer

Reporting to the Quality Manager.

Related Achievements:

• Ensured manufacture of highly reliable microelectronic components by:

* setting up reliability testing equipment and procedures

* developing practical production specifications

* measuring conformance to electronic specifications, both customised and published.

* analysing and setting up all aspects of a Total Quality Management system for the plant with two others.

• Managed four staff testing conformance & reliability.

Mar 1975 - Jun 1977 UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE, Adelaide, Aust.

Research Assistant - Physical and Inorganic Chemistry Dept.

Reporting to two lecturers (at different times).

Related Achievements:

• Devised and constructed an automatic gain control for a goniodiffusometer to compensate for light output variations, resulting in more stable measurements.

• Designed and made a novel microscope stage to allow heating a crystal to 600^oC for solid state phase change experiments.

Aug 1970 - Jun 1974 OPTISCHE INDUSTRIE NV, The Netherlands

The company develops and manufactures medical and military equipment. It employs 250-300 people.

Researcher in image intensifier tube technology

Reporting to the heads of Image Intensifier Tube and Vacuum Technology Groups (at different times).

Related Achievements:

• Increased output and resolution of image intensifier phosphor screens by instigating and successfully developing electrophoretic deposition to replace conventional sedimentation techniques.

• Bettered competitors’ X-ray image intensifier tubes by developing vacuum deposition of high resolution CsI(Na) screens.

Dec 1966 - Aug 1969 DULUX PAINTS LTD., Melbourne, Aust.

Dulux is one of the largest paint companies in Australia

Leader, Instrumental Colourmatching

Reporting to the Central Research Lab. head of Process Technology

Related Achievements:

• Carried out colour measurements and spectrophotometer measurements on paint films.

• Wrote an innovative colour matching program to match colour samples instrumentally with the correct set of pigments.

• Carried out a feasibility study recommending the introduction of instrumental colourmatching .of production paint batches.

• Managed four technical officers carrying out sample preparation and measurements.

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