Bridging Science & Strategy

I help materials science and deep-tech teams think clearly under pressure. I’ll get up to speed quickly and take ownership of outcomes - freeing up headspace and reducing context switching for founders.

You're not buying document writing or lab hours; you're buying judgement, prioritisation, and the ability to bridge science, strategy and delivery.

    • Set scientific direction, and keep it forward-facing - scouting relevant innovations before they become urgent rather than after.

    • Turn commercial requirements and project milestones into R&D plans that are actually deliverable, grounded in what the team and equipment can support.

    • Make robust technical decisions with limited information; assess risk and prioritise the highest-value work.

    • Embed into teams to understand how work really happens, then build just enough structure (without bureaucracy!) including test methods that are affordable, doable in-house, and reliable enough to trust.

    • Take ownership of the most cognitively demanding technical calls, freeing up founder headspace for everything else; mentor junior staff as part of that.

    • Sit at the intersection of science, strategy and lab operations, keeping the three in sync as priorities shift.

    • Identify funding that accelerates the company's existing R&D priorities - not funding that bends the roadmap to fit a call.

    • Align company goals with funder requirements and shape a staged, risk-appropriate technical narrative.

    • Bring in the right partners e.g. academic, industry, or RTO, to strengthen a bid's credibility.

    • Review and steer proposals technically, with minimal hands-on writing.

    • Stay on for delivery where it makes sense, as work package lead or materials science advisor.

    • Deep-dive troubleshooting on specific materials problems that need real expertise, not just hands.

    • Sounding board for big decisions when you need to share the load.

    • Due diligence on technical claims, IP, and manufacturability.

    • Fluency across disciplines and sectors - translating between chemistry, engineering, manufacturing and commercial teams that don't naturally speak the same language.

Flexible engagement models: Retainers, fractional support, or project-based. Hourly rates available if preferred.

I don’t offer generic packages, I prefer to build a proposal around what you actually need