Simon Thomas, CEO and Co-Founder of Paragraf. He has a diverse background in physics, engineering and materials science, combined with many years’ experience in the fields of semiconductors, functional materials, solid state devices and capital equipment manufacture. To date he has raised over $150m in private capital to steer the company through to the realization of the world’s first viable graphene electronics device foundry delivering novel, game changing, products to market.

Simon’s visionary leadership, in unison with a rare combination of significant academic and business experience, equipped him to overcome long-standing challenges in two-dimensional materials production, converting their lab proven characteristics into real world, high performance, societally benefiting products. In the next 5 years the company will make graphene and other two-dimensional materials standard in the semiconductor world, enabling industries to reap the high performance, low power consumption benefits of these extraordinary materials.

Simon holds a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering and a PhD in Materials Science & Engineering and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He is passionate about developing technologies that can solve today’s enduring challenges and beneficially affect global society. He believes that new materials hold the key to transformational products that will deliver a brighter, more sustainable future.