Keynote Speaker
Craig Hawker
UC Santa Barbara
Distinguished Professor
Alan and Ruth Heeger Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies
Clarke Professor
Co-director - Materials Research Laboratory
Director - Dow Materials Institute
Director - California Nanosystems Institute
Professor of Materials
Craig J. Hawker born on 11 January 1964 is an Australian-born chemist. He studied at the University of Queensland and graduated with a Chemistry degree. He worked with Professor Sir Alan R. Battersby at Cambridge University on his post-graduate studies achieving his PhD in bio-organic chemistry. He did his Post-doctoral Research Associate, under the supervision of Professor J.M.J. Fréchet at Cornell University in 1988. His research interest has focused on the interface between organic and polymer chemistry with emphasis on the design, synthesis, and application of well-defined macromolecular structures in biotechnology, microelectronics, and surface science. Professor Hawker holds over more than 45 U.S. patents and has co-authorship of over 300 papers within the areas of nanotechnology, materials science, and chemistry. In 2012, he won the Centenary Prize from the Royal Society for developing strategies for the design of new polymers which has had a major influence in the area and on those studying polymers. In 2013, he and his colleague invented Olaplex, a commercial product designed to ‘relinks hair bonds’ to help reduce hair breakage. In 2018, Olaplex won a patent infringement action against L’Oreal. In 2015, he was named as an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow for “revolutionizing materials research through the development of powerful synthetic methods and strategies for molecularly engineering functional macromolecules, inspiring scientists across multiple disciplines”. He also served as editor for journals such as the Journal of Polymer Science. In 2017, he was tittle as “one of the top materials scientists in the world, " In 2018, he and his co-workers developed a " 3D-printing technique that can produce objects with both rigid and flexible properties that will allow scientists to make bioinspired structures in just a single stage. Hawker is currently researching ‘nanostructured materials’ in areas associated with ‘microelectronics and biotechnology.