Biography

Jon Heffernan is Professor of semiconductor materials and devices at the University of Sheffield and Director of the EPSRC National Epitaxy Facility. Prior to joining the University he spent eighteen years in industrial R&D with Sharp Corporation. There he worked with teams in Japan, USA, and Europe developing semiconductor lasers, LEDs, and solar cell technologies, taking low-TRL research through to mass manufacturing. His current research focusses on novel semiconductor materials, semiconductor manufacturing, and quantum technologies. He was co-founder of two University spin-outs and serves on a number of advisory boards. In 2025 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.