Professor Jon Willmott

PhD, MPhys

School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Professor of Metrology

Headshot of Jon Wilmott
Profile picture of Headshot of Jon Wilmott
j.r.willmott@sheffield.ac.uk

Full contact details

Professor Jon Willmott
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Profile

My Sensor Systems Research Group is part of the University’s . Within the ADC we are able to grow novel semiconductor detectors and use them as the sensing element for novel thermal imaging and other optoelectronic devices.

I received my masters and PhD degrees in physics from the University of Southampton in 1999 and 2003 respectively.

After two years as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in Liquid Crystal research at the University of Cambridge I moved to the company Land Instruments International (now part of AMETEK Inc.)

In industry, I designed thermal imaging cameras, radiation thermometers and other ‘non-contact’ scientific instruments. In addition to optical, mechanical and electronic design skills, I also developed a fundamental understanding of temperature measurement science (metrology).

Following more than a decade in industry, I moved to the ±¬ÁÏTV in 2015 with an EPSRC Established Career Fellowship. My group’s aim is to push forward temperature measurement science and imaging, particularly within manufacturing.

However, we are interested in all areas of scientific instrumentation and optical imaging. Our research philosophy is that if we can design and build novel instruments then we can enable new scientific measurements to be made that have not been possible before.

In this way, we have undertaken new research in fields as diverse as medical imaging, volcanology and additive manufacturing.

Research interests

Optoelectronic and Optomechanical Instrumentation Including:

  • Thermal Imaging Metrology
  • Temperature Science
  • Emissivity and Optical Properties of Materials
  • Applications of Thermometry to Manufacturing
  • Aerosol Printed Electronics
  • Liquid Crystals
Publications

Journal articles

  • Raut MP, Mele A, Farr NTH, Taylor CS, Gregory DA, Zhang J, Lai Y, Fricker A, Willmott J, Majewski C , Mihaylova L et al (2026) . Materials Today Advances, 29.
  • Zhang J, Farr NTH, Nohl J, Lai Y, Abrams KJ, Black K, Willmott J, Rodenburg C & Mihaylova L (2025) . IEEE Access, 13, 173976-174000.
  • Karapateas L, Leonidas E, Meng X, Lai Y, Zhang Y, Willmott JR & Hobbs MJ (2025) . Sensors, 25(18).
  • Joseph SD, Davies B, Davies M, Ball EA & Willmott JR (2025) . IEEE Open Journal of Antennas and Propagation, 1-1.
  • Lai Y, Liu X, Davies M, Fisk C, Wang Y, Meng S, Yang H, Yang J, Hobbs M, Zhang Y & Willmott JR (2025) . Fuel, 393, 135057-135057.
  • Zhang Y, Zhao P, Liu X, Xiong W, Lai Y, Davies M, Willmott JR & Yang J (2025) Multi-Feature Engineering and Machine Learning for Equivalence Ratio Prediction in Methane Premixed Flames. Engineering Letters, 33(6), 2089-2099.
  • Meng X, Lai Y, Zhang Z, Willmott J & Zhang Y (2025) . Fuel, 401.
  • Wang B, You Z, Lai Y, Wang Y, Zheng L, Davies M, Willmott JR, Zhang Y & Yang J (2025) . IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 74, 1-11.
  • Elghazy E, Davies MMJ, Farr NTH, Rodenburg C, Willmott JR & Pandhal J (2025) . Journal of CO2 Utilization, 92.
  • Wang B, Lai Y, Liu X, Davies M, Willmott JR, Zhang Y & Yang J (2025) . Combustion Science and Technology, 197(9), 2223-2245.
  • Lai Y, Liu X, Pan M, Davies M, Fisk C, King D, Zhang Y & Willmott J (2024) . Fuel, 378, 132901-132901.
  • Karapateas L, Lai Y, Meng X, Zhang Y, Willmott JR & Hobbs MJ (2024) . Sensors, 24(23).
  • Stuart MB, Davies M, Fisk C, Allen E, Sole AJ, Ing R, Hobbs MJ & Willmott JR (2024) . Science of The Total Environment, 951.
  • Farrimond DG, Woolford S, Barr AD, Lodge T, Tyas A, Waddoups R, Clarke SD, Rigby SE, Hobbs MJ, Willmott JR , Whittaker M et al (2024) . Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 480(2294).
  • Lai Y, Liu X, Davies M, Fisk C, Holliday M, King D, Zhang Y & Willmott J (2024) . Fuel, 373, 132397-132397.
  • Farr N, Davies M, Nohl J, Abrams KJ, Schäfer J, Lai Y, Gerling T, Stehling N, Mehta D, Zhang J , Mihaylova L et al (2024) . Advanced Science, 11(10).
  • Liu X, Lai Y, Fisk C, Willmott J, Zhou H & Zhang Y (2024) . Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 150.
  • Leonidas E, Hobbs MJ, Ayvar-Soberanis S, Laalej H, Fisk C, Fitzpatrick S & Willmott JR (2023) . Sensors, 23(23).
  • Lai Y, Liu X, Li Y, Leonidas E, Fisk C, Yang J, Zhang Y & Willmott J (2023) . Construction and Building Materials, 407.
  • Lai Y, Liu X, Fisk C, Davies M, Wang Y, Yang J, du Plessis C, Cotton L, Zhang Y & Willmott J (2023) . Fire Safety Journal, 140.
  • Holliday M, Lai Y, Hobbs M, Boone N, Al-Haji T, Scott I & Willmott J (2023) . Ironmaking & Steelmaking, 50(8), 1104-1111.
  • Yang H, Lai Y, Liu X, Davies M, Willmott JR, Zhang Y & Yang J (2023) . IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 72, 1-11.
  • Hutchinson TMF, Davies M, Fisk C, Zied H, Willmott JR & Hobbs MJ () . Materials, 18(20), 4806-4806.
  • David Joseph S, Davies B, Davies M, Ball EA & Willmott JR () Additive Manufacturing on Kapton substrate for rapid prototyping of low-cost mmWave antennas. IEEE Open Journal of Antennas and Propagation.
  • Wang C, Zhao P, Lai Y, Davies M, Willmott JR, Zhang Y & Yang J () . Combustion Science and Technology, 1-20.
  • You Z, Yang J, Lai Y, Wang Y, Zheng L, Yang X, Davies M & Willmott JR () . Combustion Science and Technology, 1-19.

Conference proceedings

  • Bowe DA, Davies M, Davies B, Willmott J & Henthorn SD (2025) . 2025 19th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP) (pp 1-5), 30 March 2025 - 4 April 2025.
  • Joseph SD, Davies BE, Davies MM, Ball EA & Willmott JR (2025) . 2024 IEEE Microwaves, Antennas, and Propagation Conference (MAPCON). Hyderabad, India, 9 December 2024 - 9 December 2024.
  • Tyas A, Farrimond D, Woolford S, Barr A, Lodge T, Waddoups R, Clarke S, Rigby S, Hobbs M, Willmott J & Whittaker M (2024) Experimental and numerical studies of confined blast from detonation of plasticised high explosives in reactive and non-reactive atmospheres. Proceedings of The 19th International Symposium on Interaction of the Effects of Munitions with Structures (ISIEMS). Bonn, Germany, 9 December 2024 - 9 December 2024.
  • Leonidas E, Hobbs MJ, Ayvar-Soberanis S, Laalej H, Fisk C, Fitzpatrick S & Willmott JR (2024) . Infrared Sensors, Devices, and Applications XIV (pp 37-37), 18 August 2024 - 23 August 2024.
  • Davies M, Hobbs MJ, Nohl J, Davies B, Rodenburg C & Willmott JR (2024) . Liquid Crystals XXVIII (pp 57-57), 18 August 2024 - 23 August 2024.
  • Joseph SD, Ball EA, Davies B, Davies M, Willmott JR, Kettle J & Harwell J () . REACT 2025 (pp 8-8)

Preprints

  • Albadi A, Lai Y, Fisk C, Hobbs M, Davies M, Willmott J & Zhang Y (2024) , Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
Professional activities and memberships
  • EEE PGR Admissions Tutor
  • Royal Society Industry Fellow

Links

Semiconductor Materials and Devices