Semiconductors technical course

Chris' career in electronics and semiconductors started at British Telecom Research Laboratories before joining a new joint venture between BT and US based DuPont in 1986.

Chris was part of the founding team at Epitaxial Products International Ltd (EPI) in Cardiff in 1988 which became IQE plc in 1999 following a successful IPO.

With a background in science and engineering, Chris also holds an MBA and has held a number of senior management positions within the semiconductor industry and in particular the IQE Group before establishing CSconnected, representing the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster that is rapidly evolving across South Wales and the West of England.

Andy chairs the Semiconductor Expert Working Group for UKTIN and serves on the Government’s Semiconductor Advisory Panel. He has given expert evidence to Parliamentary inquiries including the National Security and Investment Act, the Telecom Security Act and the select committee on semiconductors. He advises the OECD Semiconductor Informal Exchange Network, and is an Advisor to Silicon Catalyst.

Andy was the Founder of the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult, securing a £54m investment. He led the Catapult start-up from 2017, representing the Catapult during roundtable discussions with the Prime Minister and high level delegations to Hong Kong, India, Taiwan and the US White House.

Andy chairs the Advisory Board for the Photonics Innovation Centre at Southampton University (CORNERSTONE). He holds an Executive MBA from Glasgow University, a research doctorate from Strathclyde University and is a Fellow of the IET.

Dr. Matthew Smith is a Senior Lecturer and researcher at the School of Physics, University of Bristol, UK, with expertise in wide and ultrawide bandgap material growth, device design, fabrication and characterisation.

As a member of the Center for Device Thermography and Reliability (CDTR), led by Prof. Martin Kuball, his research focuses on the development of novel materials and devices for power electronic applications.

He leads the VertiGaN project on vertical GaN power transistors, leads workpackages on the ULTRAlGaN Programme Grant focusing on vertical AlGaN power devices and a UK Space Agency project on AlGaO optoelectronics, and also contributes to Ga2O3 power device research.

Dr. Smith was the 2020 Toshiba Fellow, working in Kawasaki, Japan for two years, with his research into normally-off GaN power transistors leading to record high GaN MOSFET mobility values. Prior to this he worked on GaN-on-diamond RF power transistor design and front/back end fabrication based at the University of Glasgow, working as lead postdoc on the GaN-DaME Programme Grant led by Prof. Kuball at the University of Bristol.

He completed his PhD on the development of InAlN/GaN transistors for space applications in 2016 at the Tyndall National Institute, Ireland, co-funded by the European Space Agency.