Pearson left school in 1951 and began work as a research assistant at Pilkington Glass in St. Helens.
In 1960 he moved to Henry Simon in Cheadle Heath to work in the company's flour milling research labs.
[citation needed] In 1967, with the support of the Ministry of Technology, Pearson founded and became the Director of the R&D Research Unit at the Manchester Business School.
During his career he authored or co-authored more than 90 articles published in academic journals[8] and was recognised as a leading contributor to the discipline of R&D management.
[citation needed] The award was initiated in 1960 to promote international collaboration between German and foreign scientists.