Lyndon is responsible for the overall direction, operations and strategic leadership of the Centre. This includes team building and mentorship, public relations, business development and outreach to key industry partners and the successful development and implementation of advanced manufacturing services that meet industry demand for workforce, economic, and talent development.

Lyndon joined the Research & Innovation division after a diversified career, beginning in the culinary arts and eventually leading to economic development, management consulting and business planning. He earned his Culinary Red Seal, and he holds a combined degree in Political Sciences and Labour Studies from Brock University, and a certificate in Economic Development from the University of Waterloo.

With passion for seeing industry succeed, for business development, and strategic planning, Lyndon brings a client-centred focus to the Innovation Centre which recognizes that twinning talent development and knowledge transfer through value-driven R&D supports are key ingredients to the recipe for economic success.

Lyndon is also on the Board of Directors of Tech-Access Canada: a national non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the pan-Canadian network of 60 Technology Access Centres (TACs) – leaders in college applied research and developing new innovative products and solutions using technology.

READ LYNDON’S FULL PROFILE HERE

Neil Wilkinson is the Research Program Manager with the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre. Neil rejoins Niagara College with 8-years in leadership roles in college applied research offices. During that time, he developed and managed applied research teams and projects that provided innovative new products and solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses in the agriculture, food and beverage, advanced manufacturing, and digital health sectors. Working collaboratively with key stakeholders, Neil has written proposals for research grants for Niagara College and Mohawk College.  

An eclectic career with experiences in laboratories, entrepreneurship, marketing research, and software programming means Neil brings a breadth of experience as a product developer, service provider, and end customer to his work. Neil’s passions are supporting small- and medium-sized business on their innovation journeys to commercial success and working with early career professionals and watching them grow into well-rounded leaders.    

Neil holds an MBA in Innovation Leadership from the Sandermoen School of Business at the University of Fredericton, an Ontario Graduate Certificate in Research Analysis from Georgian College, and a BSc in Applied Biochemistry from Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom.   

Product development engineering perfectly matches the capabilities and passion that Dr. Al Spence shares as a Research Scientist-Advanced Manufacturing at the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre at the Welland Campus.

Al has degrees from the University of Waterloo in Applied Mathematics (BMath 1984) and Mechanical Engineering (MASc 1986), and a PhD in CAD-based machining simulation from the University of British Columbia (1992). His specialization in computer-aided design and manufacturing automation has led to work in the spacecraft, energy, textile, manufacturing, and medical device industries. He has also been a faculty member in Mechanical Engineering at McMaster University for 23 years, where he completed numerous government-funded research awards and industry contracts, and supervised over 30 graduate students.

He is a regular reviewer of NSERC and OCE grant applications, and has recently served on both the federal and provincial CFI-CITT expert review committees.

This broad influence with an established network of industry and academic collaborators is good fortune for both students and industry partners involved with the Research & Innovation division. As Al notes:  “It’s so very difficult to gain this specific experience. The greatest thing that’s happening here at Niagara College is that the students are getting some experience outside the classroom because we actually have matched equipment and expertise.”

In addition to supervising research projects, Al is developing teaching Coordinate Metrology and Product Development notes to share with laboratory students, and soon hopefully a wider audience of college and industry colleagues.  

In particular, he is a proponent of TRIZ style design approaches. “Here’s where the creativity comes in,” he explains, “… you take a specific problem, abstract it, and find a different way to look at it. There is a science to design approaches to this that can be taught.”

READ FULL PROFILE HERE

Dr. Mike Duncan is the Research Chair, Computer Technology with the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre. In the 11 years prior to this move, Mike and his team developed a number of enterprise level data processing portals for various purposes. These portals were designed to allow users to input data, store it, and manipulate it to create outputs relevant to their needs. For example, Mike currently leads a team working on solutions for agriculture partner, SoilOptix®. 

Mike has been a steady leader and mentor throughout many of the projects he has worked on. He patiently trains the students as Research Assistants, and supports them when they eventually become graduates working in their respective fields. His focus is to enable students to work on projects where they are going to learn and grow and become a better student and eventually, working professional.   

At Niagara College, Mike founded the Centre for Advanced Visualization (CFAV), a research group dedicated to exploring the use of virtual reality (VR) for urban and land use visualization. He received one of the first large grants ever awarded to colleges, when the Ontario Innovation Trust (OIT) invested more than $330,000 in CFAV. He also received one of six NSERC Community College Innovation Pilot Program grants awarded across Canada. In 2006, CFAV Inc. was incorporated to pursue private contracts, so Mike then founded the Augmented Reality Research Centre (ARRC) to continue research into VR and to expand its use into other areas such as precision agriculture. 

Mike holds his PhD, MSc, and BSc in Physics from McGill University and a Post Doc in Remote Sensing from the University of Utah. Mike held the position of NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges (IRCC) in Precision Agriculture & Environmental Technologies from 2012 to 2023. 

READ FULL PROFILE HERE

Brock Husak is the Lab Technologist with the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (WAMIC). Located at the Welland campus, Brock is responsible for coordinating the technical services and applied research activities, and managing the various advanced manufacturing technologies and equipment in the research labs. He also provides mentorship training to the co-op students and graduate research associates.

He is a 2019 graduate of Niagara College’s Mechanical Engineering Technology program. While a student, he completed both of his co-op terms with WAMIC as a research assistant, and he has also served WAMIC in the role of a research associate after graduation. Fun fact: Brock remained employed with WAMIC throughout the pandemic’s earliest months by helping produce thousands of face shields for local front-line health-care workers.

Brian Klassen is the Research Laboratory Technician with the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (WAMIC). In his role, he supports all research and technical service activities related to producing and testing prototypes, evaluating new technologies and developing new or improved products or processes for small- and medium-sized businesses. Brian is a graduate of Niagara College’s Electronics Engineering Technology (Co-op) program and has worked in the research labs at both WAMIC and the Agriculture & Environmental Technologies Innovation Centre (AETIC). He is also a partial-load professor teaching electronic fabrication skills.

READ FULL PROFILE HERE

In his role as co-ordinator in the new Renewable Energies Technician program, Bryan Mewhiney makes sure he practices what he preaches, carving out time for research projects that are heavily integrated with local industry.

From developing the capacity to test the thermal resistance of insulating materials for the construction industry, to developing a new method of solar-power generation, Mewhiney devotes many of his waking hours to creating a greener future.

As co-ordinator of the Renewable Energies Technician program – which saw its first graduates one year ago – he invests time in developing the curriculum, working with the lab trainers and delivering courses.

As part of the research team at the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre, Mewhiney has worked with student research assistants to oversee the development of the electrical control systems for several projects. Recent industry partners have included Papernuts, for whom Research & Innovation developed a dispensing machine prototype; Durham Foods, a hydroponics company that wanted to automate part of its harvest operations; and Ryan IT, a Grimsby-based machine fabricator which also came to Research & Innovation for prototype development.

“Being involved on a practical level with our industry partners and their projects ideas has allowed me the opportunity to really engage our students both inside the classroom, while also offering them exciting and rewarding employment opportunities outside the classroom,” Mewhiney notes.

With his commitment to sustainable energy sources, Mewhiney is currently investigating the possibility of installing solar panels above his office space, so that he may run his computer, coffee maker and desk lamps on solar energy only.

Before coming to Niagara College, Mewhiney worked for a climate control company, gaining invaluable experience with design, building and testing a climate control automation panel for greenhouses, one of which is installed at the Niagara College Teaching Greenhouse.

He is a graduate of Niagara College’s Electrical Engineering Technology (Co-op) program.

When not working on these projects or teaching, he somehow also finds time to work on classic cars, and go camping in provincial parks.

Rick Baldin doesn’t like to hear pessimistic talk about the state of manufacturing in Niagara.

The Research & Innovation faculty lead knows first-hand there are plenty of opportunities for skilled workers, and plenty of partnership possibilities for industry with Niagara College.

The former GM engineering team leader has been putting his skills to the test in Niagara’s advanced manufacturing division, working on projects that develop efficient, quality-driven processes.

His past coaching and managing teams of engineers, tradespeople, and production workers, ensuring all objectives are met under strict timelines, translates well into his role in the Technology Research Lab.

“Companies call us, instead of consultants, because consultants will give you a report, but we will actually come in and work with that company on a project to implement something that works.”

What’s more, the new processes are implemented without interrupting the existing manufacturing systems.

For example, Baldin’s team recently worked on a LEAN manufacturing workcell project with Calhoun Sportswear. The old way involved shipping bulk quantities to large suppliers, but with an e-commerce plan came the need to promptly respond to one-time custom online orders. Baldin and his student research assistant were able to research, develop and implement the system, which reduced labour requirements while still allowing next-day delivery of custom-built products.

In all projects, Baldin says he adheres to five metrics: safety, quality, people (working with industry partners), responsiveness (meeting deadlines) and cost efficiency.

Baldin, who holds a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Mechanical Engineering, has taught at Niagara College since 2008. Courses include Dynamics, Manufacturing Processes, Materials Technology, Physics, Machine Design, Quality Improvement Tools, Health and Safety for Technology, and Computer Applications.

Much of Baldin’s spare time is spent either coaching competitive soccer or watching his two sons play in youth sports.