Sebastian Wicklein, PhD brings over two decades of experience translating deep tech research into commercial partnerships and market-ready solutions. His career spans semiconductor engineering, quantum computing, applied research leadership, and international research collaboration.

Deep Tech R&D Leadership:

• Director of R&D Coordination and Business Development at Fraunhofer USA, shaping corporate strategy across AI in manufacturing, semiconductor tech, quantum technologies, battery and energy, robotics, and space

• Led scientific business development at Quantum Machines, driving partnerships with research labs, national institutes, and industry partners in quantum computing across the U.S., Germany, and Israel

• Nearly four years as a research liaison advancing transatlantic research collaboration between Germany and the U.S.

Industry and Engineering Track Record:

• Senior Staff Technologist at Intel in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, where he helped develop and bring Optane memory technology to production

• Five years at SanDisk in Silicon Valley, rising from Senior Device Engineer to Principal Engineer while developing next-generation non-volatile memory devices

• Published researcher with 6 patents and 13 publications in advanced materials and semiconductor device physics

Scientific Foundation: Sebastian's scientific identity runs as a continuous thread from fundamental research through industrial application. Doctoral work on defect engineering in complex oxide thin films at Forschungszentrum Jülich, one of Europe's premier research centers, established deep expertise in functional materials physics, complemented by early work at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in thin film technology and MEMS development.

That foundation carried directly into industry. At SanDisk, he advanced to Principal Engineer developing next-generation non-volatile memory devices, resulting in 6 patents and 13 publications. At Intel's Rio Rancho facility, he applied that materials expertise to production-scale Optane 3D XPoint phase change memory development. At Fraunhofer USA, he led CRADAs bridging national laboratories, federal agencies, and industry, a role requiring both scientific credibility and institutional fluency.