Dr James Atuonwu is an internationally experienced engineering academic, researcher and innovator with over fifteen years of experience across the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Nigeria. His expertise spans Process Systems Engineering, Energy Engineering, Machine Learning and Engineering Education.
James has contributed to major research and innovation programmes, including EU FP7, EPSRC and Innovate UK projects. He was awarded an Innovate UK Agritech Catalyst Grant for the development of sustainable solar-powered food processing technologies and has attracted significant industrial support through collaborative research and innovation with a wide range of industrial partners.
Alongside his technical research, James pioneered the concept of Pedagogical Engineering, a scholarly framework that applies engineering principles to the systematic design of curriculum, teaching, assessment and engineering formation. He also originated the Triadic Socratic Learning (TSL) and Authentic Tutorial Questions (ATQ) frameworks, both of which received Advance HE Innovative Practice Grants. He has developed a portfolio of digital tools supporting process simulation, heat integration, design of experiments, statistical process control, machine learning, engineering decision support and engineering education. His thought leadership on the future of engineering education has been recognised through policy publications and invited dissemination by national engineering bodies.
James is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), a Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (MIET) and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. He has authored a book, a book chapter, nineteen peer-reviewed journal articles and numerous international conference papers. He is an established reviewer for leading international journals, including Energy, Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, Chemical Engineering Science, Computers & Chemical Engineering, Journal of Food Engineering, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, Applied Mathematical Modelling, European Journal of Engineering Education among others.
At NMITE, James teaches across Process, Energy, Manufacturing and Data-Driven Engineering, integrating engineering science with authentic industrial challenges.
Beyond engineering, James enjoys exploring history through travel, visiting sites of historical and cultural significance, and participating in poetry and literary societies.