Meet the Team

​​Peter North is Chief Executive Officer of 9N Technologies, leading the transition of smart materials from laboratory discovery to commercial innovation. With over 18 years’ experience in innovation programme management, he has delivered technologies across energy, AI, and advanced materials, managing major international R&D initiatives and large-scale industry and government collaborations.

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James Baker is Founder and CEO of Baker Graphene Ltd., an advanced materials consultancy supporting the commercialisation of graphene and emerging technologies. Formerly CEO of Graphene@Manchester and Professor of Practice at The University of Manchester, he previously spent 25 years in industry, including as Vice-President at BAE Systems. He is a chartered engineer and FIET.

Mark has over 25 years’ board-level experience across corporate, fund, and project environments, including more than 15 years in infrastructure and fund management. He has led finance on assets exceeding £3.5bn and has extensive experience working with institutional investors, private equity, venture capital, pension funds, and public sector stakeholders.​​​​​

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Dr Tumesh Kumar Sahu is a materials scientist specialising in 2D material synthesis, AFM tip and cantilever development, and semiconductor device fabrication. His expertise includes graphene, TMDs, and GaN, with work spanning sensors, FETs, and photodiodes. His research explores next-generation applications in sensing, energy storage, brain–computer interfaces, and environmental monitoring.

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Dr Jason Deacon is Chief Scientific Officer at 9N Technologies, leading the company’s scientific vision. He holds a PhD in Graphene Technology from the University of Cambridge. His expertise includes CVD graphene fabrication, metallurgy, and materials integration, with innovations spanning graphene sensing platforms, field-effect transistors, advanced anodes, and Hall effect sensors.

Feisal is an inventor and technologist leading 9N’s innovation strategy, advancing advanced materials and graphene-based semiconductor development through a pragmatic, execution-led approach that transforms scientific vision into scalable technologies with real-world, cross-sector impact.​ Helping to take 9N Technologies to the next level. ​​​​​

Weronika is a physicist specialising in nanophotonics, semiconductor physics, and quantum technologies. Her research spans DNA structure analysis in quantum biology and modelling of multiple quantum well lasers. Combining computational methods with experimental work, she focuses on advancing quantum optics and materials science through interdisciplinary innovation in next-generation technologies.

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Aniket is a nanofabrication and semiconductor researcher specialising in graphene and MoS₂ synthesis, advanced lithography, and device fabrication. With experience at SSPL DRDO and NNFC CeNSE at IISc Bengaluru, he has worked extensively in cleanroom environments, focusing on thin-film deposition, etching, nanomaterial characterisation, and next-generation semiconductor technologies.

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Paniz holds a PhD in Electronic and Nanoscale Engineering from the University of Glasgow, specialising in graphene-based Josephson junction transistors and quantum circuits. Experienced in advanced cleanroom fabrication, she develops nanofabrication processes for superconducting and semiconducting devices. At 9N Technologies, she leads graphene processing and transistor design for scalable quantum components.

Aditi is a semiconductor professional with experience in product and service organisations, specialising in VLSI design and system-on-chip (SoC) technologies. She has completed advanced AI training with organisations including Intel, HCL, and IIT Delhi. A dedicated team player, she contributes strong technical insight and attention to detail to research and development.

Iris is a materials scientist pursuing a Master’s in Nanomaterials, focusing on optoelectronic materials and hybrid semiconductors. At 9N Technologies, she works within the Applications Team, connecting R&D and marketing to shape the applications roadmap, identify market opportunities, and align emerging technologies with product strategy and industry needs.

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Binny Mony brings to the team, years of research experience coupled with expertise in technology transfer.

She has assisted over 50 startups with grant applications and helped them secure over $10M in federal funding. She is passionate about taking innovative ideas from the lab to the market.

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Heather Smart leads HR and HR Development at 9N Technologies, with 15+ years’ global HR leadership across Fortune 500, PE-backed ventures, and consulting.

She has held senior roles at PepsiCo and Starbucks, driving talent strategy, organisational design, and transformation. She holds an MBA, an M.A. in HR & Organisational Development, and SHRM-SCP, GPHR, and CPTM certifications. A dual US/UK citizen, she brings international depth as 9N scales toward commercialisation.