Dr Neil Witten
Observer | Innovate UK Representative
Dr Neil Witten is the Innovation Lead for Advanced Materials at Innovate UK.
Prior to his role with Innovate UK, Neil spent his entire career in industry in technical leadership roles in the polymer, polymer composites and materials manufacturing industries. Neil is passionate about materials science generally and more specifically the very valuable role that advanced materials research and development plays in industrial and societal development.
Early in his career, following several years of study in polymer science & technology, Neil joined ICI at the Wilton Materials Research Centre and completed his first degree in Materials Science before then embarking on his PhD in the Processing of Continuous Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastic Matrix Composites at the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. He later completed and MBA from Kingston Business School.
Post-ICI, Neil has held roles as Materials & Processes (Plastics) Lead at Cookson Group plc, Director of Technology & Development at Zotefoams plc, Head of Research at De La Rue plc and latterly as Global Technical Director at Hallite Seals International (part of Michelin S.A.).
Neil is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3) and a Chartered Engineer (CEng).
