Kirk Thompson

Thompson is responsible for defining Dow’s PV strategy leading a team of researchers in the development of CIGS PV material. He joined Dow in 1999 as an engineer in Ethylene Dichloride/Vinyl Chloride Monomer (EDC/VCM) R&D. In this position, he was responsible for oxychlorination catalyst development. Prior to his current position, Thompson led R&D for Chemicals and Basestocks in Specialty Chemicals which developed and commercialized several novel, patent-protected molecules and formulations for the Polyglycols and Surfactants business. He has also held positions in Specialty Chemicals TS&D, where he identified opportunities for value creation using Six Sigma and received the 2004 Tech Center Award, and in Surfactants R&D where he led a number of projects resulting in new commercial product launches. Thompson holds a B.A. in chemistry from St. Olaf College, an executive MBA from Northwood University, as well as a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Iowa State University. He received the Professional Progress in Engineering Award from Iowa State University in 2010, along with several other internal awards. He has authored 12 external publications/presentations and is the owner of one patent with several patents in progress.