Dr James Ward

Senior Research Associate at Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge

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Senior Research Associate, Engineering Design Centre, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge

Dr James Ward is a Senior Research Associate in the Engineering Design Centre at the University of Cambridge. After completing his C.Eng in Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Warwick, he came to the University of Cambridge to do his PhD, which focused on the design verification process for medical devices - how should they be verified, what parts should be verified and when in the design process? As well as for the University, he has also worked as a designer for Cambridge Consultants Ltd in the UK and Sofraco Engineering, in Australia.

Dr Ward's research involves applying the learning from fields such as engineering and ergonomics to the National Health Service, with a view to enhancing quality and particularly patient safety. He is particularly interested in how design can be used to improve patient safety, through designing not just products, but environments, information and systems. Some of his current projects include: the evaluation of the impact of a new product range of packaging and labelling for a pharmaceutical manufacturer; and a research project, funded by the Department of Health, to identify a range of prospective risk analysis techniques and to test their applicability to the NHS.

Dr Ward manages the Healthcare Group in the EDC, and co-supervises three PhD students.