Alan J. Heeger

Dr. Heeger pioneered the landmark discovery and development of organic metals and semiconductors in the early 1980s. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000 for this important achievement that engendered the “Plastic Electronics Revolution”. In 1990 he founded UNIAX Corporation, developing commercial applications from metallic and semiconducting polymers and pioneering the development of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) for use in flat panel displays. UNIAX was acquired by DuPont in year 2000 and became the foundation for DuPont Displays. Dr. Heeger currently holds the Presidential Chair at the University of California, Santa Barbara where he is Professor of Physics and Professor of Materials. He is widely recognized as the world’s leading expert on conducting and semiconducting polymers and leads CBRITE’s technology vision.