Steven Denbaars Biography and Net Worth

Steven P. DenBaars has been on Aeluma’s Board of Directors since June 5, 2021. He is a Professor of Materials and Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California Santa Barbara (1991-present). Prof. DenBaars has been very active in entrepreneurship, having helped co-found several start-up companies in the field of photonics and electronics. In 1996, he Co-founded Nitres, Inc., along with Dr. Umesh Mishra, which was acquired by Cree, Inc. in May 2000. In 2013, he Co-founded SLD Laser and helped build the company to over 150 employees before it was acquired by Kyocera Corporation in 2021. In 2014, he assisted Dr. Jeffrey Shealy in the founding of Akoustis Technologies, Inc. (AKTS) for commercialization of RF Filters, and he is currently on the Board of Directors. He received the IEEE Fellow award in 2005, member of the National Academy of Engineers in 2012, and National Academy of Inventors in 2014. He has authored or co-authored over 980 technical publications, 350 conference presentations, and over 185 patents. Mr. DenBaars has a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Arizona and a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Material Science and Electrical Engineering, respectively from the University of Southern California.