The Product Development Exchange

James McIntyre

James McIntyre, M.Sc., leads George Brown College’s Product Development Exchange (PDx), an interdisciplinary design, prototyping and assessment facility for industry experimental development of new products through iterative and rapid prototyping. Since 2007, under Mr. McIntyre’s stewardship, PDx teams have delivered over 91 prototyping solutions to partners across multiple sectors, not only aiding them to develop fully validated prototypes ready for downstream manufacturing, but also assisting them to integrate product design and development into their business models and develop the partnerships required to support full-scale manufacturing and commercialization.

Mr. McIntyre has been a Professor and Program Coordinator of Mechanical Engineering Technology – Design in George Brown College’s (GBC) Centre for Construction and Engineering Technologies since 2000.  With a Master’s degree in Product Development, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Physics (Mechanical), and 8 years of industry experience in manufacturing engineering, Mr. McIntyre has distinguished himself as a leader in industry-facing innovation and in building applied research capacity at GBC, energizing research across all the College’s strategic priority areas.  For 16 years, he has continued to foster and expand meaningful relationships with his industry partners, students and research teams, ultimately enhancing the knowledge base across Canada. Within his Mechanical Engineering classes, he oversees up to 18 curriculum-based student capstone projects annually, nearly all of which have an associated industry partnership.

John-Allan Ellingson

John-Allan Ellingson, B.Eng., has since 2017 worked in George Brown College’s Product Development Exchange (PDx), an interdisciplinary design, prototyping and assessment facility for industry experimental development of new products through iterative and rapid prototyping. Since 2007, PDx teams have delivered over 91 prototyping solutions to partners across multiple sectors, not only aiding them to develop fully validated prototypes ready for downstream manufacturing, but also assisting them to integrate product design and development into their business models and develop the partnerships required to support full-scale manufacturing and commercialization.

John-Allan has been a Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering Technology since 2018, teaching courses in the Mechanical and Electromechanical Engineering Technician and Technologist programs. His work as a researcher supports the culture of innovation at GBC and creates new avenues for industry-focused teaching, as well as employment and mentorship for student researchers. He has a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) from Lakehead University.

Ryan Billinger

Ryan Billinger is a Professor and Principal Investigator working within George Brown College’s Product Development Exchange (PDx), an interdisciplinary design, prototyping and assessment facility for industry experimental development of new products through iterative and rapid prototyping. Ryan Billinger has been a Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology – Design in George Brown College’s (GBC) Centre for Construction and Engineering Technologies since 2017. As a George Brown College graduate (2015), Mr. Billinger has been working on various research projects since 2013, when he was first employed by the Research and Innovation Department. In addition to Graduating from George Brown College, he competed his third-year capstone project at the University of Toronto, where he teamed up with two University of Toronto students to design and manufacture a fully function four-stroke engine. The engine was later used in an ultra fuel-efficient vehicle which competed at the Shell Eco-Marathon in Houston, Texas winning First Place (3421 MPG).

Shayva Steinberg

As a part-time faculty member teaching in both the engineering and architecture streams at George Brown College (GBC), Shayva Steinberg brings an unusual combination of skills to the table. In addition to a Master of Education in Guidance Counselling, and a wealth of experience in the field of employment, Shayva also holds an advanced diploma from the Ontario College of Art and Design in Industrial Design, and has managed her own (product, environment and lighting) design business for several years.

In her work as a Principal Investigator, Shayva Steinberg leads and plans applied research projects between college researchers, students and Industry Partners. With an extensive background in industrial design, Shayva creates the ergonomic, interface and aesthetic aspects of the prototypes engineered by students and faculty. As a researcher, writer and editor, Shayva sources a broad range of relevant and tertiary information to deeply understand concepts and coalesce information from many sources for comparative analysis.

Paul O’Brien

Paul O’Brien, B.Tech., B.Sc., has been a Professor of Engineering Technology in GBC’s CCET since 2011. With a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electronics Engineering Technology, a Bachelor of Science in Biology, and over 20 years of experience in electronic instrumentation and rehabilitation engineering, Paul has worked in research across all of the College’s strategic priority areas. For the last 3 years, he has fostered meaningful relationships with his industry partners, students and research teams.

His applied research contributions offer a range of collaboration with industry and community partners, providing a cost-effective way for SMEs to develop innovative products and services. His work in applied research supports the culture of innovation at GBC and helps develop new avenues for experiential student learning. As a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator Paul O’Brien has developed, scoped and planned new research projects between college researchers, students and our industry partners.

Arbab Khan

Arbab draws from his extensive project management and business development experience as well as his practical experience in the construction industry to provide expertise and guidance to partners seeking solutions to mechanical engineering and construction sector research and innovation challenges. Skilled in managing projects in the fields of advanced prototyping, robotics information technology, building automation, IoT, and software development, Arbab has helped multiple clients execute projects and achieve success in developing innovative processes and products. His background working for numerous organizations is complimented by his master’s degree in Project Management (NICMAR), his post-graduate certificates in Construction Management (Fanshawe College, President’s Honor Roll) and Building Information Modelling (George Brown College, Dean’s List), and his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering (Jamia Millia Islamia University).

Reynaldo Maniquis

Jamshedshoh Kamolzoda

Diego Cristancho Paez

Anastasiia Shulik

Paul Zhou