Honorary Professorship for UK CS leader

Dr Wyn Meredith, founding Director of the Compound Semiconductor Centre (CSC), a joint business venture between IQE Plc and Cardiff University, has been awarded an Honorary Professorship by the University.

The award recognises Dr Meredith’s outstanding contribution to transferring research into industrial applications. Since CSC was formed in 2015, it has secured major research and new product development projects worth in excess of £80M, in the areas of high speed telecoms lasers, photonic components for Quantum systems, and applications of compound semiconductor (CS) devices in RF and Power applications.

A graduate of Cambridge University, Dr Meredith, originally from Swansea, has worked with Cardiff University’s School of Physics and Astronomy for more than 20 years, providing expert advice on interaction with industry.

He completed a PhD in blue laser diode technology at Heriot-Watt University in 1996, sponsored by British Telecom R&D. He has worked in Optoelectronics for three decades, with technical and commercial roles at Ferranti, Sharp Laboratories of Europe, Detica (now BAE Systems), CST (now Sivers Photonics) and IQE Plc.

Dr Meredith said: “It is an honour to accept this title at a very exciting time for advanced semiconductor research at Cardiff University. The University has made major strategic, long term investments in expanding research capacity in support of the semiconductor Industry Cluster in South Wales. The opening of the new >£100M Translation Research Hub in 2022, including a new device fabrication facility to house the ERDF-funded Institute for Compound Semiconductors, will be a game changer for commercial research translation in the region. I look forward to playing a part in its success.”

Welcoming the appointment, Professor Colin Riordan, Cardiff University President and Vice-Chancellor, said: “We are delighted to confer this honorary title on Dr Meredith for his outstanding contribution to both the Compound Semiconductor industry in South Wales and the University’s growing expertise in the design, testing and manufacture of CS devices.”

Compound Semiconductors are tiny electronic chips that drive tomorrow’s technologies. Faster and more versatile than silicon, they are found in a range of leading-edge products, from mobile phones to electric vehicles. Along the M4 corridor, businesses and academic institutions have been working on CS technologies for decades – from pure academic research through to device design and wafer manufacture. Dr Meredith has played a major role in bringing these organisations together as CSConnected – the world’s first CS Cluster.

Professor Peter Smowton, Director of the Institute for Compound Semiconductors (ICS), has worked with Professor Meredith for over 20 years.

“Wyn has made an outstanding contribution to the UK’s Compound Semiconductor industry, to Wales, and to the School of Physics and Astronomy. He joined the external advisory panel for the School of Physics and Astronomy in 2013 and has contributed significantly to the success of the School. Wyn is a member of the independent advisory board for the Institute for Compound Semiconductors and has provided invaluable advice on a wide range of topics including operating procedures, industry interface mechanisms and equipment selection.”

“I also worked with Wyn as a past member of the Strategic Advisory Team for EPSRC’s ICT portfolio and was very aware of the excellent contribution he made to EPSRC at that time. Subsequently he has provided advice to the EPSRC’s Research Infrastructure and Quantum Technologies teams.”

Wyn is also a non-Executive Director of the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult, and Industrial Interface advisor to the EPSRC Future Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing Hub as part of CSCs contribution to the Hub. More recently, he was the lead author of the regions successful £43M Strength In Places Fund project to expand the Cluster, and is currently Chair of the Management Group tasked with delivering the project.