Kaiwhakahaere Whakapakihi Matua—Senior Commercialisation Manager
As Commercialisation Manager, Paul works closely alongside researchers at Te Herenga Waka to identify, capture and protect early-stage research with commercial potential— and works on a number of specific commercialisation projects with the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences.
Paul graduated from the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s with honours in Chemistry before heading to the University of Melbourne to complete his PhD. His thesis focused on developing new organic chromophores to enable thermally robust organic solar cells to be printed onto plastic rolls and create flexible solar panels with commercial potential.
This early brush with commercialisation led Paul home to Wellington and into a job with Wellington UniVentures as an Intellectual Property and Commercialisation Intern. Six months later, he took on a full-time, permanent role as an Analyst, before being promoted to his current role of Commercialisation Manager.
The Wellington College old boy is a keen rock climber, snowboarder and overall outdoor enthusiast.