Professor Dr. Carlton Willson

Biography

Carlton G. Willson is a Professor and Regents Chair in the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin. He obtained his BS and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, and an MS degree in Organic Chemistry from San Diego State University. Before joining the University of Texas, he was an IBM Fellow and Manager of the Polymer Science and Technology area at the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California. He has also served in faculty positions at California State University, Long Beach and the University of California, San Diego. His research focuses on characterizing, designing, and synthesizing functional organic materials, with an emphasis on materials for microelectronics. This includes studies on monomeric and polymeric liquid crystalline materials, polymeric non-linear optical materials, and novel photoresist materials, supported by grants from both government and industry. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Chemical Society and the American Physical Society, and serves on editorial boards for journals in polymer chemistry and materials science. Willson has co-authored more than 300 journal publications and is a co-inventor of more than 25 issued patents, receiving multiple awards for his work, including the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from the President of the United States.

Research Interests