2023 Advisory board

Promethean Particles is a leading global pioneer in the development and high-volume manufacture of high specification, cost-effective nanomaterials. Products manufactured by Promethean, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), have broad utility in a number of applications and are increasingly being deployed in the fight against climate change and in energy-sensitive applications, including carbon capture.

Promethean has developed unique and patented continuous-flow reactors, which dramatically improve process reproducibility and reliability, whilst providing the scale necessary for nanomaterials to be considered a viable industry solution. The company has full scale manufacturing capabilities at its site in Nottingham, UK, where it operates the world’s largest continuous flow nanomaterial manufacturing plant.

Selina completed her PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Nottingham in 2012 then joined the technical team at Promethean, working on and managing a range of R&D projects for advanced material development. In November 2022, Selina took on the position of Product Market Manager, acting as the company’s interface between R&D and commercial deployment.

Sean is General Manager of 3M’s Advanced Materials Division and is passionate about driving innovation through materials science. The division helps some of the world’s largest technology, energy and engineering companies to develop cutting edge, disruptive solutions which can provide them with a strong competitive advantage within their market sectors.

Sean has an MBA with Distinction from Henley Business School and has completed a Business Marketing Strategy course at J L Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Illinois. Sean is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) where he has completed a Post-Graduate Diploma.

James Baker is the 2D materials commercialisation champion at the Henry Royce Institute and CEO of Graphene@Manchester.

The Royce is the UK’s national body based in Manchester for research and innovation in advanced materials – and it is supported by the Graphene@Manchester community which includes world-leading experts and research facilities.

Manchester therefore leads the world in graphene research and James heads the business-facing development of graphene and 2D materials – including the acceleration, application and commercialisation of these new materials and technologies.

With more than 235 researchers across a wide range of disciplines in graphene and related 2D materials, the University is home to the £61m National Graphene Institute, where academics and commercial partners work side by side to develop the graphene applications of the future.

To accelerate taking products to market, the £60m Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) will open later this year. The GEIC will have pilot production facilities and characterisation for the industrial scale-up of graphene, as well as develop graphene and 2D materials applications.

Before joining the University in 2014, James spent 25 years in industry where, most recently, he was Vice-President of Technology Collaboration Programmes and Managing Director of the Advanced Technology Centres for BAE Systems in the UK.

Following graduation, James started his career working for Pilkington Optronics based in North Wales were he undertook a number of roles in the production of electro-optical assemblies and products for the aerospace, defence and space sectors.

After 10 years he moved to GEC Marconi which then became BAE Systems following the merger with British Aerospace and his responsibilities included a number of business management, strategy and technology roles in the BAE Systems Avionics group.

In 2004 he was appointed as managing director of the Advanced Technology Centres in the UK responsible for the development of new and innovative collaborative approaches to technology development and acquisition programmes, as well as being responsible for the leadership of the BAE Systems corporate technology programme and activity which involved the development and commercialisation of technologies from both within BAE Systems and its partners in academia and the supply chain.

James was a representative on the joint Industry/MoD Research and Development Group and a council member of the National Centre for Universities and Business.

A strong promoter of engineering and innovation, James was also responsible for setting up a partnership with UK Sport which provided technology and innovation in support of British athletes and helped in achieving a number of gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics.

James joined The University of Manchester, originally as Business Director Graphene in 2014. In this role he looked to develop the industrial partnerships and collaborations to accelerate the commercialisation opportunities for graphene, building on the knowledge base of The University of Manchester – where graphene was first isolated by Professors Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov.

James is a chartered engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Dr Laura Baker has over 20 years’ experience in the Steel Industry including senior leadership roles within Technical, Supply Chain and Manufacturing functions.

Laura has represented the industry at many international events and has an excellent understanding of the challenges facing manufacturing and the steel industry supply chain in particular. She is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Mining and Minerals, where she acts as Chair of the Iron and Steel Group.

Laura holds both a Bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering and an Engineering Doctorate in Steel Technology from Swansea University and remains heavily involved in research partnerships with Swansea and other steel centres of excellence in the UK. Supporting this, Laura is an advisor to the UKRI Engineering and Physical Science Research Council where she helps shape the direction of research funding.

Laura is a keen STEM ambassador and is passionate about engaging youngsters, particularly young women, in STEM subjects.

Mr. Barkan founded The Graphene Council in 2013 as global trade and professional community connecting scientists, academics, producers, end-users, and commercial professionals that
have an interest in the research, development and application of graphene.

The mission of The Graphene Council is to be a catalyst for the commercialization of graphene by meeting the needs of the global graphene community, helping to facilitate the development and application of this unique material.

For more than 30 years, Terrance Barkan CAE has been building trade and professional associations on a global basis, working in more than 70 countries on 6 continents around the world developing and implementing association growth strategy projects.

To date, The Graphene Council has attracted more than 30,000 members from around the world making it the largest community for people with an interest in graphene. The Graphene Council produces a weekly graphene intelligence briefing newsletter, contributes to global standards bodies and administers the Verified Graphene Producer™ program.

The Graphene Council is also a Tier 2 Member of the Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (GEIC) at the University of Manchester in the UK, the “home” of graphene.

Under the leadership of Mr. Barkan, The Graphene Council has become the leading global organization promoting the adoption of graphene enhanced advanced materials solutions.

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Sheetal Handa graduated in Chemistry from King’s College, London in 1982 and completed his PhD in organic synthesis (Synthetic Opiate Analgesics) also at King’s in 1985. He then went on to a postdoc at Duke University in North Carolina in developing enantioselective synthetic methodologies using carbohydrates. This was followed by a postdoc at Cambridge under Professor Sir Alan Battersby FRS in vitamin B₁₂ biosynthesis.

He joined Shell Chemicals at the Sittingbourne Research Centre in 1988 as a bio-organic scientist. Here he led a team of chemists and bio-chemists discovering and developing bio-catalysts for organic synthesis as well as for key chemical targets.  During this time he developed novel bio-mimetic catalysts for oxidation. He then spent three years as a senior scientist in Shell Agrochemicals and led a team developing scale up routes for Shell’s current and development agrochemicals.

Steve has worked at BAE Systems for nearly 32 years, joining the company in 1988 having completed his PhD at Southampton University. His current role is the BAE Systems Head of External Partnerships and Programmes, a role that involves linking BAE Systems UK lines of business R&T requirements to activities in UK universities. As part of this role, he works closely with its Strategic University Partners, UKRI engaging in project development and the peer review process. He is also a member of EPSRC SAN.

Prior to this role he managed the BAE Systems internal research programme (£12m R&T Programme pa), a role that involved setting up and monitoring a large number of linked projects (typically 200 plus) within The Advanced Technology Centres, but also at universities and other institutions. The projects were in areas as diverse as welding to abnormal behaviour analysis in crowds.

Before these roles in the technology acquisition part of BAE Systems, Steve ran the Engineering Capability Programme (~£3m) for several years whilst also leading the Materials Engineering Research Group (16 direct reports) within BAE Systems Research Centre.

Johannes Homa is the co-founder and managing director of Lithoz GmbH, the world-leading technology provider for ceramic 3D printers and high-performance materials.

After receiving a PhD in Materials Science from the Technical University of Vienna, Dr. Homa founded Lithoz in 2011 alongside Dr. Johannes Benedikt and has since gone on to become a co-founder of many different patents and author of numerous publications working in additive manufacturing.

He has further enabled the development of the ceramic additive manufacturing field in Austria with his founding of the AM Austria initiative, becoming the technical director of the Austrian 3D Printing Forum.

With the support of an expert team of engineers and material scientists, Lithoz has expanded into the fields of industry, medicine and dentistry, finding new applications for ceramics and 3D printing.

Dr Ania Jolly is Royce Head of Research and Business Engagement. She is responsible for developing and delivering Royce’s strategy for network coordination, research coordination, stakeholder management and business engagement activities in order to maximise the exploitation and impact of advanced materials science at Royce and across the UK. Ania has over 15 years’ experience in research development, strategic research management, business development, and innovation. She has successfully developed and managed large research programmes and portfolios at national and international levels across a range of sectors including manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, chemistry and engineering in academic, commercial and clinical working environments.

Sean has led NIA’s project activities since he joined in 2015.  Prior to joining NIA, Sean worked for 10 years at the University of Leeds where he managed collaborative research between the university and industry.

He has worked across diverse collaboration types within nano applications, including European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), a joint venture with the King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, and at senior project management levels in collaborative Framework Programme projects from FP6 onwards.

• A commercial technologist, and qualified marketer, Tony has spent all of his working life in technology businesses.
• An industrial chemist by education, Tony started his career at Pilkington, the global glass manufacturer, before moving to South Africa to take up a management position in the R&D labs for General Mining Union Corporation (Gencor). Returning to the UK, he then took a technical sales role with Siemens before moving to VG Instruments, first as sales and marketing manager, then director.
• Tony has worked at Lucideon (formerly British Ceramic Research Limited), since 2004 and has taken the former RTO from a support entity of traditional ceramics to an international materials development and commercialization organization, with capabilities in advanced and traditional ceramics, metals and polymers. Lucideon’s world-first technology platforms include Flash Sintering of ceramics, ‘chemical ceramics’ and drug delivery systems.
• Lucideon has facilities in North America as well as the UK and is currently developing an expansion into Asia.

UK Country Head for PlasticsEurope.

Geoff is a Fellow of the Inst of Directors, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Institute of Environmental Management & Accounting. He is also a member of the UK Trade and Business Commission; the Chair of CAPE – committed to climate education; and a Trustee of Lantra, the Society of the Chemical Industry, and the Association for Science Education.

Geoff’s passion is to close communication gaps especially those between policy makers, industry and education and ensure a sustainable future for all, with future business needs to the fore.

For over 20 years Geoff worked within BASF, the world’s largest chemical company including a decade on the plc board, with roles including communications, EHS, sustainability and corporate affairs. Today Geoff advises and consults to a wide range of organizational strategic and tactical groups covering the private, public and third sectors in arenas including sustainability, science, environment and further education.

He was brought up on a small family farm in South Armagh, N. Ireland, read biology in Liverpool and followed it with a range of post graduate qualifications in Health & Safety and management including a sleepless MBA. His doctorate concerned the strategic business value of social networks. He was delighted to be the 2018 Forward Ladies Male Agent of Change and in 2005 was awarded the Rotary International Service Above Self award.

In his ‘spare time’ Geoff is a driver for his two teenagers; an active Rotarian and has been recognized for his community work both nationally and internationally; historically he played rugby for Waterloo and Halifax; American Football in America and Australia; has sung and danced(!) with operatic societies; represented Breconshire at athletics; and is a published poet. He once won an award for his writing, and raises substantial charitable donations standing on his hind legs in public and talking.

Landon Mertz is the Chief Executive Officer of Cerion, and a member of the company’s board of directors. Mr. Mertz joined Cerion as its Chief Financial Officer in January of 2009, taking on responsibility for the company’s overall financial management. In June of 2012, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer.

Prior to joining Cerion, Mr. Mertz was the Chief Operating Officer of the Festival Network, an international company who develops and acquires multi-day music festivals in geographically unique destinations around the globe. During his tenure, he was responsible for the strategic direction and growth of operations in nineteen (19) distinct markets across three (3) continents.

Prior to Festival Network, Mertz served as the Chief Executive Officer of Intermedia, a nationally recognized firm responsible for producing large-scale events, product launches, meetings, conferences and award shows on behalf of Fortune 500 / 1000 companies and consumer brands. Clients included: Goldman Sachs, Hewlett Packard, Hearst Publishing, Fairchild Publishing, Pitney Bowes, SIFMA, Chase, Citibank, GRAMMY Awards, Univision, Vera Wang and Tommy Hilfiger amongst others.