John spent 17 years in the Royal Navy as a Warfare Officer specialising in navigation. During that period he worked on a variety of different types of vessels and fulfilling a variety of roles ranging from Officer of the Watch to Second in Command. In addition to the roles at sea John also worked ashore as a navigation instructor responsible for training the Royal Navy’s frigate and destroyer navigators. In 2001 John completed an MSc in Applied Navigation from the University of Plymouth carrying out research into the efficacy of the use of simulation for navigation training.
John joined Warsash in 2001 and after a period lecturing predominately navigation subjects became a Principal Lecturer with responsibility for teaching and learning enhancement. He became the Head of School of Professional Studies in 2008.