Robert D. Allen is a Research Staff Member at the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California, where he works as a manager of the lithography materials group. His research interests include the design and synthesis of functional materials for a variety of technology applications.

Dr. Allen is a native of western Pennsylvania and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Gannon College in Erie. He studied polymer chemistry at Virginia Tech under the direction of Prof. James E. McGrath. After receiving his Ph.D., he joined IBM San Jose Research in 1985, where he was introduced to the world of photoresists under the direction of Dr. Grant Willson. He is a Master Inventor at IBM and has a record of innovation spanning many wavelengths in photolithography with a significant focus on 193nm resists. He is past chairman of the SPIE Advanced Resist conference, was elected to three successive terms as chairman of the Sematech Resist Advisory Group and received the Mahboob Khan SRC Mentor of the Year Award. He now manages a range of projects including new concepts in photoresist materials, materials for e-beam and imprint lithography, directed self assembly materials and processes and high performance nanostructured membrane materials for water purification and desalination.