James Lawson is a systems and safety engineer with expertise in the certification of software and complex hardware. He is a FAA Designated Engineering Representative (DER), Parts 23, 27, 25 and 29 Systems and Equipment delegation. He has led and managed teams of engineers in defining system architectures, the integration, validation and verification of flight critical systems and the safety assessment of two braking systems, an engine protection and monitoring system and several electrical power systems. He was the lead systems engineer for the design of the Lockheed Martin F-35B auto-escape system and the redesign of the Boeing 787 electronic braking system. He serves as a consultant in systems and safety. He has intimate knowledge of the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) space, having guided three leading electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) companies, along with several others working on electric/ hybrid-electric aircraft technology, detect and avoid systems and hydrogen fuel cells. He is an instrument rated private pilot with a MEng, Systems Engineering from Loughborough University, UK and a CEng from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).