John West

About John West

I am an explorer, whether it is as a traveler, a scientist or an administrator. I was lucky enough to turn 16 in Africa and 17 and 18 in Australia. These early experiences shaped life and my career.I attended the College of William and Mary, studying chemistry. l took a leave of absence from William and Mary after my sophomore year to make a solo trip around the world. I headed west traveling through Asia, spending time Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand and India, It was an experience I will never forget and has served me well since.I returned to William and Mary and finished my degree in Chemistry in 1976. I obtained my PhD at Carnegie Mellon University in 1980 and then moved as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Utah. I then accepted theposition of Director of Media Research at Digital Recording Corporation in Salt Lake City where I developed optical recording materials for the emerging compact disc industry. I was lucky to be mentored by leaders in the field, James Russel and Tom Stockman. With the introduction by SONY of the compact disc I realized that Digital Recording was unlikely to succeed and in the fall of 1984 I moved to academia and a research position at the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State UniversityI was lucky to join the premier academic program in the world in what was then a relatively obscure technology but would grow to dominate the entire display industry, right place, right time. I have stayed and grown at Kent State continuing my research for the last 40 years. My early exporations in Asia paid off. I worked closely with Asian companies and development agencies, initially transferring technology I developed and patented and later established a well funded Industrial Program. At Kent I took on increasing administration responsibilites without giving up my lab or research, serving as Director of the Liquid Crystal Institute and later as Vice President for Research at Kent State. Recently I accepted a Univeristy wide retirement package, that was too good to turn down. I maintain my lab and research with my recent papers and patent applications made since my retirement.In addition to my work at Kent State I also helped lead the establishment of the Smart Liquid Crystal Institute in Changshu, China, serving as its Executive Director. This Institute engages scientists and students from around the globe to collaborate on the development of the nexst generation of liquid crystal technolgy.

Experience

1. Emeritus Professor

   Kent State University

   Jan 2021 — Present · Kent, OH, US

   As Emertius Professor I am free to follow my research and educational interests. I have developed two new courses: a graduate course in \"Electro-Optic Polymers and an undergraduate honors course \"Be Smarter Than Your Phone.\" The Electro-Optics Polymers covered the chemistry and application of these technologically important materials. Teh \"Be Smarter Than Your Phone\" course included faculty form business and communications and focused on the connections be technology, busines and applications. The course also reveiwed the huge impact smartphones are having on our business our personnal lives and our society. My research has focused on three areas: chiral induction in liquid crystals, development of responsive fibers for a variety of applications and finally the controlled cracking of ITO coated on polyester substrate. I have also started a new company, Flexible ITO Solution to commercialize the cracked ITO technology for a variety of electro-optic applications

Education

• Carnegie Mellon University

  Master of Science, Chemistry

  1976 — 1979

• Chittenango High School

  High School Diploma

• Carnegie Mellon University

  PhD, Chemistry

  1976 — 1980

• William & Mary

  BS, Chemistry

  1971 — 1976