Meet Mike Banach

Dr Mike Banach is Technical Director at FlexEnable, an innovative company that pioneered the world’s first technology platform to allow electronics made of organic materials to be manufactured on flexible plastic film. Mike is a world leader in the field of flexible electronics and has a PhD in Physics from the University of Cambridge.

Here he tells us about his experiences in the Electronics industry and thoughts on the future…

1. Who inspired you get into Electronics? Was it a teacher, someone on TV or even a parent or relation?

My parents instilled a sense of curiosity from a young age and I was lucky enough to have a series of dedicated and inspirational teachers through my primary and secondary education.  However, it was a mentor during an internship whilst at university that directed that curiosity towards electronic devices.

2. How would you explain to young people what Electronics is and its importance?

Fundamentally electronics is about improving lives. Whether it is about creating life-saving medical instruments or flexible mobile phones, the goal of the Electronics industry is to look at how we are doing things now and ask if there is a way we can do it better. You have to be curious enough to ask the question and inspired enough to find an answer.  Learning electronics gives you the toolkit to do something about it.

3. What is the best thing about your role?

My company is at the forefront of flexible electronics. This is a wonderful technical challenge and has brought me into contact with some very exciting new product form factors.  For example, we are talking to car companies about flexible displays for vehicles with no drivers and mobile phone companies about putting fingerprint sensors behind your foldable phone of the future. Our journey has attracted a talented group of people who have a lot of fun developing the technology. Having a leadership position in this journey has been a blast.

4. What is exciting about Electronics at the moment?

The development of electronics is truly a global endeavour these days. As an Electronics Engineer you will be able to find interesting challenges anywhere in the world.

5. Looking into your crystal ball, what is the next big trend for technology?

I am excited about the use of electronics as a way of reducing or replacing drug use. Bioelectronics can stimulate your body’s organs to respond naturally instead of chemical treatments.