Dr Nelson has received the Menelaus medal 2021, awarded to celebrate excellent in engineering and technology.

He is co-founder and president of IQE, which has been at the forefront of South Wales’ emergence as a hub for semi-conductor technology and manufacturing.

His vision has brought together government, academia and the private sector in developing the region as a ‘Cluster of Excellence’.

Read more about Dr. Nelson’s work here.

On receiving the medal, Dr. Nelson said:

“It is a great honour for me to be awarded the LSW Menelaus medal, particularly in light of the extraordinary achievements of prior winners.

“My work in building IQE to a global leadership position in Compound Semiconductor technology from its headquarters in Cardiff, has allowed me the opportunity to drive the successful formation of the world’s first Compound Semiconductor Cluster( CS Connected) in South Wales, an end to end ecosystem both in terms of technology development and mass production of the most advanced semiconductor technologies.

“These technologies will be at the heart of all major societal developments over the coming years and decades, including 5 and 6G communications, 3D sensing, transformative wearable healthcare devices, electric and driverless vehicles, and zero carbon power technologies.”