Senior leadership team

Personal Statement

I joined the Dyson Institute in 2023 as Director, and Professor of Engineering Education Leadership. My professional background is in production engineering and engineering management, and my academic experience has focussed on leadership of innovative engineering education environments. I’ve led large-scale curriculum change in a research-intensive university and have taken an independent Higher Education Institute through academic mobilisation to the award of new degree awarding powers. I’m passionate about the future of engineering education, the power of higher education to transform lives, and the central role of engineering and technology in society and the economy.

Why did you choose the Dyson Institute?

I believe nowhere else offers the kind of opportunity being offered at the Dyson Institute - employer-sponsored study, working alongside core teams in a global innovation leader, all with a small institute feel. The opportunity to lead the institute in its strategic expansion, working alongside the brightest and kindest colleagues, in the Institute and in Dyson, was irresistible.

Academic qualifications & professional memberships

PhD from the University of Nottingham

MA from the University of Nottingham

MBA from Cranfield University

BEng (Hons) from Loughborough University

Postgraduate Certificate in Learning & Teaching in Higher and Professional Education from the Institute of Education

Fellow of the IET

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Chartered Engineer

Professional Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining

Member of the Engineering Professors’ Council Education, Employability and Skills Committee

Member of the IET Foothold Engineering Neurodiverse Futures Steering Group

Academic Output

Williams, J., Du, X., Windapo, A. & Gibbs, B. (under review) Leadership Approaches and Change Management in Engineering Education: Case Studies in Four Contexts in Rohit Kandakatia et.al. (eds.) Academic Leadership in Engineering Education. Springer Publishing

Bond, K., Gibbs, B., Harris, G., Lewis, E., Renyard, J., Wint, N., Wood, GC. (under review) When Quality Assurance Meets Innovation in Higher Education. Quality Assurance Agency.

Gibbs, B. & Wood. G.C. (2023) How can student partnerships stimulate organisational learning in higher education institutions? Teaching in Higher Education 28(7):1551-1564

Gibbs, B. & Wood, GC. (2020) Emerging Stronger: lasting impact from crisis innovation. Engineering Professors’ Council.

Foley, R. & Gibbs, B. (2019) Connecting Engineering Processes and Responsible Innovation: A Response to Macro-Ethical Challenges. Engineering Studies 11(1): 9-33

Wood, GC. & Gibbs, B. (2019) Students as Partners in the Design and Practice of Engineering Education: Understanding and Enabling Development of Intellectual Abilities. Realising Ambitions: Proceedings of the 6th Annual Symposium of the UK&I Engineering Education Research Network.

Gibbs, B. & Polson, D. (2019) Exploring the role of Open Source Hardware in the OER Ecosystem. #OER19, 10-11 April 2019. University of Ireland, Galway.

Wapshott, R., Mallett, O., Capener, J., Harrison, S., Vorley, T. & Gibbs, B. (2019) Talent Management in Small Advanced Manufacturers. A Report for the ESRC Productivity Insights Network.

Gibbs, B. & Wood, GC. (2019) Reflection for Learning and Practice in Developing Engineers. Excellence in Engineering Education for the 21st Century: 7th Annual Symposium of the UK&I Engineering Education Research Network.

Gibbs, B., Foley, R. & Martin, P. (2016) Responsible Research and Innovation in the Classroom: A workshop report. University of Virginia Library.

Hartley, S., Pearce, W., McLeod, C., Gibbs, B., Connelly, S., Couto, J., Moreira, T., Murphy, J., Smith, R., Staykova, M. & Walls, J. (2016) The TERRAIN tool for teaching responsible research and innovation. University of Nottingham.

Gibbs, B. & Hilson, M. (2015) Imaginaries in the Making: the socio-technical imagination of rare earth metals in Greenland’s future. Presented at the 14th Annual Science and Democracy Network, Harvard Law School, 25-27th June 2015.

Gibbs, B. (2015) When Imagination Meets Reality: the role of rare earth elements in Greenland’s future. NERC Arctic Science Conference, 16th – 18th September 2015.

Gibbs, B. (2015) Governing the ‘Cold Rush’: Multiple Stakes in Greenland’s Mineral Development at The European Union and the Arctic Conference, School of Law, University of Dundee, May 2015.

Gibbs, B. (2015) Understanding technoscientific citizenship in a low-carbon Scotland. University of Nottingham e-thesis.

Mohr, A., Raman, S. & Gibbs, B. (2013) Which publics? When? Exploring the policy potential of involving different publics in dialogue around science and technology. Sciencewise-ERC, Didcot UK.

Gibbs, B. (2012) Exploring Sites of Scientific Citizenship: Mediating a ‘low-carbon Scotland’. 4S/EASST Joint Meeting, University of Copenhagen, October 2012.

Gibbs, B. & Raman, S. (2012) Making technologies and their publics visible in science communication: the case of low-carbon technology. Proceedings of the 12th International Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference, eds. Massimiano Buccho and Brian Trench. Observa Science in Society, Vicenza, Italy.

 

Personal Statement

I joined the Institute as a founding member in January 2017 working out how the Institute would support Dyson’s talent needs and how we could develop exceptional multidisciplinary engineers to develop Dyson’s future products. I have been a key part of the leadership team through our first intake of students, their graduation, our registration as a higher education provider and successfully achieving New Degree Awarding Powers. I have worked across all areas of the Institute’s provision and am now the Deputy Director (Engineering Integration), responsible for admissions, communications, student support and the workplace experience of our students.

Prior to working at the Dyson Institute, I worked at Dyson as a structural analysis engineer, responsible for the mechanical robustness of Dyson products across all categories and developed into running a team of engineers. Whilst building and developing my engineering team I appreciated the freedom and encouragement provided at Dyson to prototype, test, explore, fail and improve designs. This is what draws talented engineers to Dyson, and provides a fantastic learning opportunity for students, interns and graduates.

 

Why did you choose the Dyson Institute?

Having had graduates join my engineering team I saw the benefit and development offered by integrating them with more experienced engineers and working together to solve multidisciplined engineering challenges. I enjoyed watching our graduates develop and move on to more challenging roles. The Dyson Institute provides an opportunity to allow students to work on these challenges and develop into great engineering problem solvers.

My experience at university was very academic with limited practical application. I learnt a great deal and had a great experience, but I struggled to understand why I was learning some of the engineering concepts that were taught. It wasn’t until I started working and saw the practical application that I understood why these concepts were important (at which point I had to relearn them). Combining the depth of academic learning with practical application allows our students to better understand the concepts they are taught, why they are important and to solve ever more challenging and important problems.

 

Academic qualifications & professional memberships

MEng (Hons) from the University of Birmingham (Mechanical Engineering)

 

Personal Statement

I am one of the more recent members of the Dyson Institute having joined in August 2024. I started my career in manufacturing industry as a mechanical and design engineer. I have had over three decades in engineering and academia, and my journey has led me to roles in academic leadership and university teaching at a ‘post 92’, a Russell Group and a new disruptor institution culminating in me arriving at the Dyson Institute – another disruptor HEI.  

I have had the opportunity and privilege to hone my skills and knowledge in curriculum development, enhancing academic quality and programme accreditation. My personal objective is to foster innovative engineering education, ensuring it resonates on a global scale through overseas campuses and partner institutions but, more importantly, delivers at a personal level for each student and staff member. At the core, my competencies lie in steering academic institutions toward excellence, leveraging my expertise in engineering accreditation and academic assessment.

I am committed to contributing to an organisation that values diversity, continuous improvement, and transformative education.  The Dyson Institute embodies these attributes, so it is exciting to be a part of an organisation that offers students such a unique blend of academic and industrial experience.

 

Academic qualifications & professional memberships

PhD from the University of Nottingham

BEng (Hons) from the University of Nottingham

Post Graduate Certificate in Further and Higher Education from Sheffield Hallam University

Chartered Engineer

Member of IMechE

Fellow of IED

Member of IET

Chair of IMechE Academic Assessment Committee

Member of IMechE Academic Standards Committee

Member of IED Council

Member of IED Education and Training Committee

International Engineering Alliance reviewer

 

Academic Output

Invited speaker/panel member at events such as:

Advance HE 2024: Supporting productive partnerships between PSRBs and HEIs

Royal Academy of Engineering 2024: Engineers 2030 - Change starts with education: Degree map

EPC congress panel member 2023: New models in recruitment and pathways into Engineering

BSI Innovation Day 2022: ‘Fireside chat’ to consider interplay between the Professional Engineering Institutions (IED), Design Education, Innovate UK, BSI/ISO spokesperson and Design Industry

 

Gibbs, B., Bond, K, Harris, G., Lewis, E., Pate, A., Renyard, J., Wint, N. and Wood, G.C. (2024) Final Report: When Quality Assurance Meets Innovation in Higher Education. QAA Collaborative Enhancement Projects. QAA, May 2024.

Bond, K, Gibbs, B., Harris, G., Lewis, E., Pate, A., Renyard, J., Wint, N. and Wood, G.C. (2023) Literature Review: When Quality Assurance Meets Innovation in Higher Education. QAA Collaborative Enhancement Projects. QAA, September 2023.

Bond, K. (2013) A Mechanism for Optimising Curriculum Development and Teaching. Curriculum Review conference: creating coherent programmes. University of Nottingham, 17 May 2013.

Harrison, I. and Bond, K. (2012) Transnational Education and Engineering Accreditation. Engineering Education, 2012, volume 7, issue 2, pp 24-28.

Harrison, I. and Bond, K. (2012) Transnational Education and Engineering Accreditation. Engineering Education 2012 (EE2012) Innovation, Practice and Research in Engineering Education Conference. Coventry University, 18 – 20 September 2012. (Subsequently selected for publication in the Engineering Education journal see above.)

Bond, K. and Scudamore, R. (2010) Working with international students: a guide for staff in engineering. Loughborough: Higher Education Academy Engineering Subject Centre, Loughborough University, 40 pages.

Bond, K., Eastwick, C., Prentice, J., Johnson, M and Jones, A. (2010) Use of e-learning to encourage engagement and depth of understanding across engineering science and design within the first year of an engineering degree. Engineering Education (EE2010) conference proceedings: inspiring the next generation of engineers. Aston University, 6-8 July 2010.

Tranter, I and Bond, K. (1997) QFD: Embodying Best Practice Approaches for the In-experienced Designer. The Third Annual International QFD Symposium, Linkoping, Sweden, September 1997.

Bond, K. and Tranter, I. (1997) Implementing QFD in Smaller Enterprises. The Third Annual International QFD Symposium, Linkoping, Sweden, September 1997.

Personal Statement

I joined the Dyson Institute in early 2021 having spent the previous decade working in traditional higher education including at: Cardiff University, Aston University and the University of Gloucestershire.

My day-to-day work encompasses two main roles: Secretary to Council and Head of Professional Services. Council is the Institute’s governing body and it is my responsibility to support them in discharging their duties as Directors, setting the Institute’s strategy, and monitoring performance.

As Head of Professional Services my department includes governance, quality assurance, student cases, academic administration, risk and resilience, regulatory compliance, and strategy conversion.

I have a particular interest in the synergy between academic regulations and curriculum design to enable degree programmes to be delivered and assessed creatively.

Memberships

Chartered Governance Institute
Association of Higher Education Professionals

Personal Statement

As the Head of Smart Campus Services, I lead our Digital Services, Campus Services, Project Management Office, and Digital Learning Content teams. My strategic role involves developing and delivering our digital and infrastructure strategy to support the Institute's business plan.

With over15 years of experience in the Educational, IT and Telecommunications industry, I have a strong background in service management, business relationship management, business continuity and delivering transformational programmes on both small and large global scales.  I am committed to ensuring that all projects delivered are student-focused with a smooth transition into adoption. Furthermore, as a Microsoft Certified Associate, I play a key role in the implementation of key applications that improve the Institute's automation and IT capabilities. Looking forward, I aim to build on the digital foundations that the Institute has already delivered, with a vision of a seamless, high quality digital experience across multiple modes of study.

I have a keen interest in technology and keeping up to date with technological developments within the educational sector and outside. In my spare time I like to play golf, rugby, catch up on Formula 1 and NFL.

Personal Statement

I joined the Dyson Institute in March 2022 as Finance Lead, I provide monthly reporting and forecasting as well as annual budgeting, statutory financial statements and Office for Student returns. I'm the interface with the wider Dyson group on all finance related matters.

I subsequently joined the senior management team as Finance manager where I have been able to use my extensive board experience to guide the wider management team and embed financial processes in the Institute’s culture.

I have a strong belief that finance should enable dynamic organisations to reach their goals rather than control and hinder them.

 

Why did you choose the Dyson Institute?

I started my accounting career at the largest London FE College (City and Islington College) at a time of significant change as FE colleges moved out of local authority control and became independent institutions. The vocational values of educators always appealed and have stayed with me even though I moved on to the private sector as European Finance Director for Intergraph – a global supplier of enterprise engineering and geospatially powered software. 

My career was hijacked by a road accident in 2006 in which I suffered a very severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) with three weeks in a coma. My long recovery was an opportunity to indulge my social conscience at Citizens Advice. As a volunteer, I loved offering free independent impartial advice but subsequently as a supervisor I was motivated by managing a large team of dedicated volunteers.

I served as a school governor in Cirencester for 12 years, solidifying an interest in education. So the Dyson Institute presented a unique mix of the education space I have always loved, a safe space where neurodiversity is celebrated and the infrastructure of a multinational organisation that I am used to – it was the perfect job for me and one which I cherish.

 

Academic qualifications & professional memberships

Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (1999)

Physics of Information Technology. BSc (Hons) Kings College London