Dr. Hamer joins the ranks of prestigious innovators within the technical and scientific communities for his work on the development of OLED display technology.
Rochester, NY – Dr. John Hamer, Chief Innovation Officer and cofounder of OLEDWorks, will be honored as the recipient of a Special Recognition Award from the Society for Information Display (SID) at next week’s Display Week in San Jose, California. These awards are conferred to members of the technical and scientific communities for distinguished and valued contributions to the field of electronic displays.
With decades of visionary research and innovation experience, Dr. Hamer has made tremendous contributions in the development of OLED devices for direct-view displays, microdisplays, and lighting. After earning his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Hamer worked at Eastman Kodak, playing a pivotal role in designing and building the equipment used in the world’s first production line for AMOLED displays on glass substrates. In 2010, following Kodak’s decision to divest its OLED business, Dr. Hamer co-founded OLEDWorks alongside Dr. Michael Boroson and David DeJoy, retaining the invaluable OLED technology and personnel developed in Rochester and safeguarding its potential for the future.
“John is a remarkable leader whose work on the development of OLED technology has been instrumental to our business’ success and the advancement of the entire industry,” says Dr. Michael Boroson, CTO of OLEDWorks. “I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working closely with John for 33 years, the last 15 as cofounders at OLEDWorks, and I am continually impressed with his innovative and creative solutions.”
As the COO of OLEDWorks, Dr. Hamer has led the development of the microdisplay business segment, applying multi-stack white OLED formulations previously utilized in high-brightness OLED lighting products to microdisplays. His groundbreaking work in this domain has garnered the attention of the U.S. Department of Defense, leading to substantial funding. Under Dr. Hamer’s leadership, his team has achieved unmatched levels of high brightness microdisplays, with measurements exceeding 100,000 cd/m2 for monochrome green displays.
“It has been wonderful working alongside John to create and expand a U.S.-based microdisplay business at OLEDWorks”, says Ted Ricks, Director of Research and Development (Displays). “His creativity and passion for OLED technology has led our team in developing game-changing microdisplay innovations that deliver on the performance needed for next-gen applications.”
In addition to Dr. Hamer, a second OLED lighting pioneer received a Special Recognition Award this year. Dr. Werner Thomas, Project Manager OLED Lighting at Audi, was recognized for his contributions to the advancement of OLED lighting within the automotive industry. His systematic assessment of OLED technology’s requirements for automotive exteriors led to a qualification and development process widely adopted as an industry standard. Under Dr. Thomas’ guidance, OLED technology evolved from a promising innovation into a standard feature, marking a significant shift in the automotive lighting landscape.
About OLEDWorks
OLEDWorks is the global leader in the development and production of multi-stack organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. OLEDWorks produces OLED technology with unmatched performance and enables our customers to make products with the world’s most advanced and highest quality OLED technology.
Founded in 2010, OLEDWorks is headquartered in Rochester, NY, and has a manufacturing facility in Aachen, Germany. The OLEDWorks manufacturing facility is IATF 16949 and ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 certified, with full traceability via a factory MES system.
