Paul Riggs, Prototyping Technician

As Prototyping Technician, I run The Oxford Trust’s prototyping facility in the newly-refurbished Basement space at the Oxford Centre for Innovation, or OCFI, in central Oxford. We run a bespoke prototyping service for local science and tech businesses, entrepreneurs and professional makers. My role involves working with the client to take a job from project specification through to concept design, technical development, prototyping and testing. Jobs are varied and have included an internet-connected beehive, a grand piano music stand, and a handwriting aid for children with disabilities. I also train people to use our equipment, and ensure all our machines are safe, maintained, and working well.

Relaunching the prototyping space in 2018 has provided lots of extra challenges but also opportunities in my job. I am looking forward to shaping the future of the prototyping workshop, and having a say in how it operates and how best to provide people with the services they need. I would really like to see the basement space become a thriving and useful facility for makers and entrepreneurs in, and around, Oxford.

Having always been interested in science, technology, and how things work, I studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bath and went on to complete a PhD in Biomimetics, on the use of flexible fins for underwater propulsion. Building my own equipment and running my own experiments gave me a lot of experience not just in academic research, but in electronics, and instrumentation and programming, which has been really valuable for my career. After my PhD, I took a position as a research engineer at Dyson, where I worked on a number of products including their UV-sterilising humidifier, and air purifiers. And, after that, I started my own engineering consultancy, Ardent Inventive. Among other clients, I worked for FlyDive, a hydroflight startup in San Diego, creating water-powered hoverboards.

I live in Oxford, and for fun I like to ride mountain bikes and motorbikes, and go swing dancing when I can. I’m also a qualified diver, and I’ve been lucky enough to dive some beautiful sites around the world, including some in Thailand, Egypt and Mexico.

 


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