Meet the Team
The team at AEH Innovative Hydrogel are not only highly experienced but also deeply invested.
Dr. Beenish Siddique
Founder and CEO
Beenish is a young and enthusiastic entrepreneur with high ambitions. She holds a BSc in Chemistry from Aston University and a PhD in Materials from The University of Manchester. She worked as R&D Chemist for Hydrogel Healthcare Ltd in 2012. She has also won 10 prestigious awards for her innovative work including 1 million pound funding from Innovate UK.
Dr. Muhammad Umar
Line Manager
Umar is a Materials Scientist and completed his sponsored PhD degree at The University of Manchester. His scientific work has been published in several high impact journals and he has also won three bursaries to present his work at prestigious international events. He is experienced in formulation of gels for agricultural and biomedical applications. His background knowledge in merchandising and operations management is his extra set of skills. He is also a Lab Manager of our lab in Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre.
Dr. Jason Hui
Polymer Scientist
I completed both my integrated masters (with study abroad at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) and research masters in Chemistry at The University of Manchester, working on artificial molecular machines. I subsequently completed my Materials PhD at Manchester as part of the BP-ICAM consortium, functionalising boron nitride nanosheets for improved epoxy composite coatings for corrosion protection. I went on to work in this field and I am currently involved in producing new substrates for tomato growth.
Chris Nelson
Technical Consultant
He is an experienced horticulturalist with over 40 years of experience in the industry and a consistent record of success. He has broad experience of growing in challenging conditions by using state of the art technologies. He has designed and built hydroponic units in different parts of the world. He also has expertise in Food Safety and Hygiene standards.
Alastair Pratt
Lab Assistant
Board Members
Raymond Gibbs
Non-Executive Chair
Raymond is a Chartered Accountant and former Deloitte Audit and Corporate Finance Partner for 9 years. He has 20 years of experience in high technology and fast-moving consumer goods businesses. He is also currently helping The University of Manchester to commercialize their IP portfolios relevant to Graphene and 2D Materials.
Dr. Farid Khan
Non-Executive Director
Dr. Khan holds a PhD from Cambridge University and worked in drug discovery at GlaxoSmithKline. Dr. Khan has developed drugs for rare diseases, biosensors and imaging agents for cancer diagnosis and treatment. He is an exceptional bio-entrepreneur and has successfully raised millions of pounds for biotech ventures which he has founded. In 2014, he was awarded the Fazlur Rahman Khan award for excellence in engineering/science & technology by Prime Minister David Cameron.
Adrian Dwyer
Commercial Director
Adrian has over 30 years of experience in commercializing a wide range of innovative technologies. He is a founder and market leader in orthopaedics, and he raises both angel and private equity investment – exiting multiple times with EBITDA of 13.