John Downs

John Downs is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences. He has a career spanning over 20 years in automotive engineering, including roles at Volvo Automobiles' Concept Center. Previously, he worked as an electro-mechanical design engineer in aerospace before transitioning to product engineering at Volvo in Sweden and the Netherlands. His expertise includes vehicle development, systems architecture, and concept-to-production workflows.

He teaches HSCI-200-01: Automotive Engineering, integrating industry insights into academia. While no formal grants or awards are listed, his professional trajectory highlights a focus on innovation in automotive systems and cross-disciplinary engineering.

John's work at Volvo's Concept Center involved leading rear vehicle systems design for the V40 series, demonstrating hands-on involvement in both conceptual and practical automotive engineering challenges.