Today, LEDs Magazine is pleased to announce the selection of 40 rising stars in the LED and solid-state lighting (SSL) fields in its inaugural 40 Under 40 program. The program was announced in late February 2020 to recognize young professionals working on the leading edge of the LED and SSL supply chain and academia.
With its 2015 Sapphire Awards program, LEDs Magazine launched an annual initiative to celebrate innovations that help to move the commercial LED and SSL markets forward in market penetration, and to recognize with the Illumineer of the Year award the engineering and design expertise of a team or individual who has advanced the capabilities of LED-based systems and enabling technologies to address the full potential of digital lighting.
However, as noted in our April Last Word column, our team saw an opportunity to acknowledge the next generation of professionals promoting the interests of the LED and SSL sectors for the mutual benefit of their organizations and global society. Those individuals could be working in research & development (R&D) in an academic or commercial setting, product marketing, engineering, or lighting design and specification. Thus, the 40 Under 40 program was launched to lift the profile of individuals whose careers are on an upward trajectory to deliver a positive impact on the LED and SSL markets and related applications.
“We truly have some incredible talent in our inaugural 40 Under 40 Class in terms of leadership, innovation, hard work, and giving back to industry and their communities,” said Maury Wright, editor of LEDs Magazine. “Still, what really surprised me was the vast skillset covered by the class. We have leaders across the LED component space to lighting products to inspiration and design, and our LED and SSL sectors should feel reassured about the future with these honorees that are becoming stalwarts of the industry.”
Many nominations were received and reviewed; indeed, some individuals received multiple nominations from different individuals, proving their impact on colleagues, co-workers, and stakeholders in the LED and SSL supply chain and academia. LEDs Magazine appreciates the efforts of the entire LED and SSL community to participate in a positive and meaningful program during a time of great uncertainty and challenges. Please join us in congratulating the inaugural 40 Under 40 Class, listed in alphabetical order by last name below. Be on the lookout for our full-length feature in the July/August issue, which will publish tomorrow. We will also highlight the individual profiles of each honoree on our website beginning Monday.
40 Under 40 Class of 2020
Shivangi Arvind - Chief science officer, AgEye Technologies
Daniel Bånkestad - Research & development engineer, Heliospectra
Mason Barker - Vice president of product development, Luminii
Timo Bongartz - General manager, Fluence Bioengineering
Drake Braski - Co-founder, VentorLux
Kandice Cohen - Director of lighting strategy, Trane Technologies
Joe Cullumber - President, Brilled Lighting
Jared (JD) Davidson - Vice president of the Americas, Seoul Semiconductor
Michael Demas - Vice president of operations, Fusion Optix
Robert Dempsey - Scenic sales manager, Environmental Lights
Murali Mohan Devarajulu - Owner, LS Consulting
Jake Engle - Lighting application specialist, Energy Systems Group
Basar Erdener - Director of marketing and product management, LED Linear USA
Serge Gountas - Director of the automation and electrical department, Showman Fabricators
Dave Grassi - Optical engineering manager, Lumenpulse
Steve Graves - Vice president of business development, Fluence Bioengineering
Richard Hall - LED systems engineer, LumenFocus
Christopher Hartswick - Co-founder and chief product officer, Ideoli Group
Michael Hennessy - CEO, Wavelength Lighting
Charles Jarboe - Lead research specialist, Lighting Research Center
Kim Johnson - Director of marketing, Igor
Michael Kershner - Founder, Innovative Lighting Consultants
Andreas Kreuss - CEO, LED Technics Germany
Kurt Liepmann - Senior illumination applications engineer, Osram Opto Semiconductors
Kory Liszt - Software engineering manager, Cree Lighting
Clifton Manahan - Senior associate, HLB Lighting Design, Inc.
Erico Mattos - Executive director, GLASE
Jordon Musser - Senior director, LED products and technology, Flex Lighting Solutions
Cameron Oveisi - Business development manager, Ledrabrands
Indika Perera - Research scientist, Lighting Research Center
Jelmer Sanders - Product manager, LED modules, Signify
Jon Sarafinas - Director of engineering, Lumenpulse
Ekamdeep Singh - CEO, IKIO LED Lighting
Andrew Smith - Marketing manager, Seoul Semiconductor
Robert Soler - Co-founder and vice president of R&D, BIOS Lighting
Jacob Steinbrecher - Associate research scientist, Dow Inc.
Aaron Van Damme - General manager, Nichia
Trevor Vogt - Director of engineering, Gamma Scientific
Isaac Wildeson - Senior director of epitaxy technology R&D, Lumileds
Andersen Zapata - Founder and CEO, Lighting of Tomorrow
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