Ian Johnson

Biography

Ian has been working for the Sumitomo Chemical Group for over nine years. Since February 2020, he has been working in the Corporate Venturing and Innovation office of Sumitomo Chemical America Inc. Ian is leading technology scouting and new business development in the area of IT-related chemicals and is based in Silicon Valley. Here, he is working closely with Sumitomo Chemical to identify research groups, startups and companies which have the potential to form a strategic partnership with Sumitomo Chemical to create new value together.

Before starting his role in America, Ian was a lead scientist at Cambridge Display Technology (CDT), UK. Originally a spinout in 1992 from the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, CDT became part of the Sumitomo Chemical Group in 2007. He joined CDT in 2011 and has worked on projects including OLED displays and lighting, where he helped to develop both material and device architectures to meet customer targets. Ian’s work is reflected in him being a co-inventor in a number of key patents.

Additionally, Ian has also spent time at RIKEN, Japan, completing a proof of concept project on quantum dots in thin film devices. Ian attained his PhD from Aston University, UK, in 2011 on the subject of polymer optical waveguides and Bragg gratings.