RUNCORN, England, August 21, 2025 — Nanoco Group plc (LSE: NANO), a world leader in the development and manufacture of quantum dots and other nanomaterials emanating from its technology platform, announces the appointment of a new Director of Technology, alongside new investments in its R&D organization, concurrent with upcoming retirement of its Founder and CTO.
Retirement of Dr. Nigel Pickett
Dr. Nigel Pickett, Nanoco’s founder, CTO and board member, has announced his pending retirement, effective August 19, 2025. Over the next six months, he will focus on long-term technology initiatives and will transition into an advisory role by February 2026.
Nigel co-founded Nanoco in 2000 and has worked with the company from a small startup affiliated with University of Manchester, to a recognized leader in Quantum Dot (QD) technology, a vibrant organization with 350 patents making significant contributions to commercial applications of QDs in industries as diverse as Display, Image Sensor, Lighting, and Photovoltaic, among others.
Jalal Bagherli, CBE, Nanoco’s Chairman of the Board, commented:
“Nigel has made a significant contribution to Nanoco since its founding – the company was his life for the last quarter century. Because of Nigel’s resourcefulness and ingenuity, Nanoco is now a leader in its field. We wish Nigel all the best in his well-deserved retirement.”
Nanoco’s Technology leadership
Concurrent with Dr. Pickett’s retirement, Nanoco announced several promotions in its R&D organization.
Dr. Ombretta Masala, previously serving as Section Head, Nanomaterials, is assuming the role of Director of Technology, reporting to Nanoco’s CEO Dmitry Shashkov. Dr. Masala has worked with Nanoco for nearly 20 years.
In recognition of his outstanding technical expertise, Dr. James Harris has expanded his current role to become Head of QD Technologies.
Dr. Parthiban Ramasamy has been promoted to the position of Lead Scientist, focusing his work on Image Sensor development.
Dmitry Shashkov, Nanoco’s CEO, commented:
“Under Nigel’s leadership, the next generation of technology leaders have grown within the Company who are ready to lead Nanoco’s Technology team through our next chapter of growth. With significant experience, Ombretta is the right person for the job. Since the launch of our new strategy in October, Nanoco has formed and strengthened several technical collaborations, all stemming from our strong reputation for QD technology development. I want to congratulate Ombretta, James and Parthiban with their expanded roles.”
Investment in additional Technology resources
Nanoco also announced several new hires into its R&D organization, further strengthening its technology talent base.
Dr. Teoman Taskesen has joined Nanoco as Device Physicist. Teo joins the company after his previous 5-year tenure at Oxford Photovoltaics. Prior to that, he has had a successful international career in both academic and industrial settings related to Semiconductors, Quantum Dots and Photovoltaics (PV) in Turkey, Estonia and Germany.
Dr. Rounak Naphade has joined Nanoco as Senior Chemist. Rounak comes to the company from University of Chicago, where for the last two years he worked on Quantum Dot (QD) development for infrared image sensors in the world-renowned lab of Prof. Philippe Guyot-Sionnest. Prior to University of Chicago, Rounak conducted doctoral and post-doctoral QD research in well-known academic centers in Saudi Arabia and India.
Dr. Asim Önal has also joined the company as Senior Chemist. Asim comes to Nanoco after completing his PhD in Koc University in Istanbul, where he focused on development of QDs for Lighting, Display, and Biomedical applications. Prior to his PhD, Asim completed more than 5 years of undergraduate and graduate-level QD research in Turkey and Germany.
Dr. Ombretta Masala, Nanoco’s newly appointed Director of Technology, commented:
“We welcome Teo, Rounak, and Asim to Nanoco. Our growth and our reputation as a company depend on our team. All of our new hires come from distinguished technical backgrounds and bring their unique expertise to the company – we are delighted to expand our technology team with such strong, international talent.”