Interview: Nobel Laureate, Alan Heeger
Calculating Risk: Nobel Laureate Alan Heeger on Innovation and Getting it Right
“One does not stop learning when you finish your PhD, you’re only beginning.”
2000 was a pretty good year for Professor Alan Heeger. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his efforts in the discovery and development of conductive polymers and his first business venture, UNIAX was acquired by DuPont.
Nearly a decade later, he has yet to lose his nerve to innovate. Despite his remarkable success in both the academic and entrepreneurial sphere, he is still on the frontline of discovery and research, here at UC Santa Barbara.
He talks about the inherent risks innovation and starting your own business, the importance of being bold and the difficulty in getting it right.
On Exploring the Great Unknown
In the end, that’s part of the thrill of sciences. Living with that risk and dealing with it. I was fortunate because I lived with that kind of risk for 24 years and created a whole new field of science: semiconducting and metallic polymers. I’ve enjoyed that and having been wonderfully honored for those accomplishments.
On Risky Endeavors
I saw play a year or two ago called “Master class” about the great soprano Maria Callas. She was past her prime in this play, and teaching a master class. One of the young women in the class asked her why did she quit. Did she lose her voice? And she said. “I never lost my voice, I lost my nerve.” I’ve never forgotten this line because it’s really important that you do not lose your nerve. You’ve got to go forward and be willing to take risks.
On the Nobel Prize
In 1982, 27 years ago, and I’ve never looked back. It has been wonderful here and I’m still, of course, doing science full-time. I started out as a physicist. Then I became a chemist. In 2000 they awarded me the Nobel Prize in chemistry, and now I think of myself as a scientist.
On Business
It wasn’t that I decided I wanted to do something new, but I saw an opportunity that was associated with my research. I wanted to carry that over and try to make it into something that would be useful for technology, and useful for people.
On Collaboration
So making that clear, making those connections…. rarely can a startup company do this by itself. There are, of course, successful examples like Google, etc. But typically, one needs partners, money and financial help through individuals, a venture capitalist group, or strategic partners, but you also need to get them involved in the technology, and basically sell it as a concept.
On UC Santa Barbara
That happened in the case of UC Santa Barbara. Really, on a very short time scale, to go from what was euphemistically called use the “sunny beach” to a really world-class institution that we now enjoy has been fantastic.
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