Dr. Bill Ring has joined Vector Photonics as Chief Product Officer, to fast-track the development and commercialisation of the company’s surface coupling, laser platforms. Bill is a world expert in optical communications and semiconductors, having held senior roles at HP, Tyco Electronics, Solar Systems, Poet Technologies and Voyant. Bill is the first employee of Vector Photonics Inc., the newly founded, US subsidiary of the company, which is actively engaged with leading, datacoms companies in the region.

Bill began his career at Hewlett Packard where he was a Principal Engineer, responsible for developing III-V sources, including Strained Quantum Well MLM, DFB and 1480nm pump lasers. From there he became Director of Operations and then Director of Development at Tyco Electronics, in the active products group. In 2005, he started a consulting business and worked with multiple clients in the fields of defence, consumer products, communications, and solar energy. In 2010, he joined Solar Systems, Melbourne, Australia as Chief Operating Officer and then Chief Technology Officer.

In 2014, Bill founded BB Photonics Inc., which, in partnership with the University of Swansea, developed a novel, low cost, embedded dielectric technology for photonic integrated circuits. In 2016, the company was acquired by Poet Technologies Inc. Most recently, Bill was working on the development of narrow linewidth laser sources and the integration of III-V devices into silicon photonics chips at Voyant Photonics, a startup in Manhattan, NYC.

Bill gained his PhD at Surrey University, where he studied III-V light emitting devices. He has numerous patents; several conference and journal papers; and has won the PIC Technologist Award 2018, at the PIC International conference.

Outside of work, Bill enjoys playing tennis with his son and traveling the world to see new and exciting places.