John Stratton
Program Director
John Stratton leads the team and works with industry clients and NSCC staff and faculty to develop funding proposals and support research and development (R&D) projects.
An experienced professional engineer and manager, John’s career focus is on innovation. He has a wide range of product development and project management experience in manufacturing, metal fabrication, naval ship repair, R&D, shipbuilding, and telecommunications. John’s eager to help SEATAC discover gaps in Nova Scotia’s ocean technology industry:
“Over the course of my career, I’ve worked in different types of organizations – the military, large companies, small ones, academic institutions – and I have been involved in many different developmental projects. My diverse experience gives me the ability to understand our clients’ R&D and product development issues from several different perspectives, and that helps to create robust proposals and projects.”
John’s always been interested in science and engineering; after high school he followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the military where he earned his degree in mechanical engineering. However, his passion for research and adventure began much earlier than that:
“When I was a kid, my father worked as a property appraiser and I would go along to help him out. One time, we went to measure up a small hobby farm for a lovely older couple. We were surprised to find the place chock-full of amazing artifacts – photographs of enormous ice mountains and caverns, sleds, skis, and other equipment.
We talked to the couple, and it turned out that the man’s father had been part of Robert Scott’s Antarctic expedition in the 1910’s. That really opened my eyes to the idea that adventure can – and does – exist in the real world, not just in fantasies!”
For John, the exciting part of his role will be working together with the team, clients, and other TACs to build SEATAC’s future.