Donal Bradley is an applied physicist who has made seminal contributions to the understanding and utilisation of soluble-semiconductors. His fundamental work on the relationship between chemical and physical structure and electronic properties, together with application-oriented device research has contributed to numerous technology developments and opened new fields of study including conjugated polymer electroluminescence, liquid crystalline conjugated polymers, polariton physics in molecular microcavities, and conformationally-structured dielectric metamaterials.

Donal’s early research led to his co-invention of conjugated polymer light emitting diodes, a discovery that first highlighted the opportunity in high-quality displays and lighting for low-temperature-processed, large-area-compatible, soluble-semiconductors. Subsequent activity with these and related materials has supported their extension into solar energy generation, electronics, imaging and sensing, and photonics.

A co-founder of Cambridge Display Technology and Molecular Vision, Donal’s work has been recognised by awards including the EU Descartes Prize, the Royal Society Bakerian Lecture and the IOP and IET Faraday Medals. He was awarded a CBE in the 2010 New Year’s Honours for services to science.