Co-Director of the Bennett Innovation Laboratory

Join the Department of Engineering's Whittle Laboratory as a co-Director of the Bennett Innovation Laboratory. The Bennett Innovation Lab (BIL) was born of a strategic imperative: to own the industries of the future, the UK must build hardware-intensive technologies at unprecedented speed.  

Throughout history, maverick disruptors like Bell Labs, Power Jets, Bletchley Park, Skunk Works, Xerox PARC, and Google X have shown that talent, freedom, and accelerated iteration can devise world-changing breakthroughs and build them. BIL extends this tradition, fusing Frontier AI with rapid conceive-build-test loops to accelerate hardware breakthroughs across energy, defence, and aviation.

Each year, BIL will launch 2 or 3 bold missions, led by small teams of world-leading experts. From cryogenic jet engines to high-temperature heat pumps, the goal is to build breakthrough technologies that will transform, or create, next-generation industries. 

The Bennett Innovation Lab is embedded within, and sits at the heart of, the New Whittle Laboratory, a GBP 58 million investment completed this October at the University of Cambridge, which is part of the Department of Engineering and is located in West Cambridge. 

The New Whittle is itself the latest evolution of the Whittle Lab, opened in 1973 to place the UK at the forefront of the jet age. Today, the Whittle Lab is a world leading research centre for jet engines and power generation, developing and translating hundreds of technologies for such companies as Rolls-Royce, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Siemens Energy. Embedding BIL within the New Whittle ensures that this critical UK capability is not just preserved but actively positioned to lead the global race for disruptive technological advantage. 

We are seeking a visionary leader to shape and drive the Bennett Innovation Lab. The ideal candidate will be a technically engaged strategic leader with a proven record of building and leading high-impact technology programmes, securing major funding, and operating at executive level in academia or industry. They will have exceptional ability to engage senior business and government leaders, build powerful partnerships, and translate bold technical ambition into credible, deliverable missions. 

If you believe you are the right candidate for this role, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.

Applications are welcome from internal candidates who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a secondment from their current role in the University.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click 'Apply' above.

Please ensure that you include both a CV and covering letter within your application which should detail how you feel you meet the criteria in the person specification.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to: Prof Rob Miller FREng (rjm76@cam.ac.uk) and Julia Massabuau (yi241@cam.ac.uk). If you have any queries regarding either the vacancy or the application process, please contact the HR Office in the first instance on hr-office@eng.cam.ac.uk or 01223 332615

Please quote reference NM48508 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Advert information