LEDs & SSL Design

LEDs Magazine 40 Under 40 Profile: Jacob Steinbrecher

July 24, 2020

Steinbrecher, associate research scientist at Dow, Inc., provides technical product support to the company's customers across the lighting supply chain.

Carrie Meadows,

Maury Wright

JACOB STEINBRECHER. (Photo credit: Image courtesy of Dow, Inc.)

In a nutshell, the nominator said, “Jake [Steinbrecher] brings a unique blend of material science, hands-on engineering skills, and creative design expertise to the lighting industry.” For more than 10 years, Steinbrecher has served as the key technical intermediary between Dow and its customers in North America, in addition to collaborating with peers across Europe and Asia, and is regarded as “The Application Expert” in the company. He works directly with customers across the entire lighting supply chain, from fabricators to lighting designers, to understand their materials needs and how to integrate them into product developments that push the boundaries of what lighting can do in transformational designs.

Steinbrecher continually contributes to the lighting community through conference presentations and collateral materials to educate both external customers as well as the internal Dow sales force and distributors. His primary objective has been to proliferate Dow’s moldable optical silicones into markets beyond general illumination, such as automotive lighting.

Steinbrecher’s partnerships with customers have generated eight new lighting-focused silicones, resulting in six patents for silicone-based lighting materials and two lighting industry awards; Dow Performance Silicones have also been a two-time finalist in the LEDs Magazine Sapphire Awards (2019 and 2020).

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About the Author

Carrie Meadows | Editor-in-Chief, LEDs Magazine

Carrie Meadows has more than 20 years of experience in the publishing and media industry. She worked with the PennWell Technology Group for more than 17 years, having been part of the editorial staff at Solid State Technology, Microlithography World, Lightwave, Portable Design, CleanRooms, Laser Focus World, and Vision Systems Design before the group was acquired by current parent company Endeavor Business Media.

Meadows has received finalist recognition for LEDs Magazine in the FOLIO Eddie Awards, and has volunteered as a judge on several B2B editorial awards committees. She received a BA in English literature from Saint Anselm College, and earned thesis honors in the college's Geisel Library. Without the patience to sit down and write a book of her own, she has gladly undertaken the role of editor for the writings of friends and family.

Meadows enjoys living in the beautiful but sometimes unpredictable four seasons of the New England region, volunteering with an animal shelter, reading (of course), and walking with friends and extended "dog family" in her spare time.

About the Author

Maury Wright | Editor in Chief

Maury Wright is an electronics engineer turned technology journalist, who has focused specifically on the LED & Lighting industry for the past decade. Wright first wrote for LEDs Magazine as a contractor in 2010, and took over as Editor-in-Chief in 2012. He has broad experience in technology areas ranging from microprocessors to digital media to wireless networks that he gained over 30 years in the trade press. Wright has experience running global editorial operations, such as during his tenure as worldwide editorial director of EDN Magazine, and has been instrumental in launching publication websites going back to the earliest days of the Internet. Wright has won numerous industry awards, including multiple ASBPE national awards for B2B journalism excellence, and has received finalist recognition for LEDs Magazine in the FOLIO Eddie Awards. He received a BS in electrical engineering from Auburn University.