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researching electroactive polymers. He has developed new fabrication schemes for these materials, integrated
them into novel devices, and investigated the underlying physical mechanisms of transduction. Most of this work
was performed during his graduate study at Virginia Tech in the Center for Intelligent Material Systems and
Structures (CIMSS) in the Mechanical Engineering department, where he worked under the advisement of
Professor Donald Leo. Matthew has also traveled to Wollongong, Australia to work in the Intelligent Polymer
Research Lab at the university of Wollongong under the guidance of Professors Gordon Wallace and Geoff
Spinks.
Following completion of his studies, Matthew moved to Raleigh, North Carolina and founded Discover
Technologies Inc to pursue commercial and industrial applications for electroactive polymer devices based on
ionomer membranes. Discover Technologies leases office and laboratory space in the First Flight Venture Center
in the Research Triangle Park, located between Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The center
has graduated over 100 companies and was voted the best science-based incubator worldwide for return on
investment in 2004. It was a runner-up for the award in 2005. First Flight companies received over 3.4 million
dollars in investment capital in 2004.
a thriving hub for small, technology-based businesses in the southeast.