Professor Rick Mitchell

Visiting Professor of Innovation at Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge

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Visiting Professor of Innovation, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge

Professor Rick Mitchell is a Visiting Professor of Innovation in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. This post was created in 2012 to strengthen and extend the work of the Department’s strategic theme on “Inspiring Research through Industrial Collaboration”. Its objectives are: To raise the profile of innovation within the Department; to provide inspiration, mentoring and knowledge on the practice of innovation to students and academics; and to strengthen collaboration with industry.

Rick joined Philips Research Laboratories in 1965 where he worked for 13 years on thermal imaging, acoustic wave devices and radio systems, receiving 26 patents and publishing over twenty papers. After 3 years as a Corporate Planner for Philips UK, he moved to their Pye Telecommunications subsidiary in Cambridge to set up their Radio Systems Division, which he managed for 4 years, before becoming International Development Manager for the Philips mobile Radio business in 1986.

Joining Domino Printing Sciences plc, in1988 Rick managed both the R&D and Quality functions and developed the company's expertise in new areas such as laser-based equipment. He joined the Board as Group Technical and Quality Director in 1994, retiring in 2003.

He is co-author of "How to Profit from Innovation" (Director books 1990, with Alan Barrel and Walter Herriot) and “Innovation Management. Strategy and Implementation using the Pentathlon framework” (Palgrave Macmillan 2005; second edition 2010; with Keith Goffin). He has a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and a PhD in Engineering from London. As well as holding his post here at Cambridge Rick is also a visiting Professor of Innovation Management at Cranfield University School of Management.