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Applied Materials has promoted Omkaram "Om" Nalamasu to the position of chief technology officer for the company. Nalamasu, who previously served as deputy CTO, will replace Mark Pinto, who will continue in his role as executive VP/GM of Applied's Energy and Environmental Solutions (EES) and Display groups.

Nalamasu officially takes over the CTO job on January 24 and will report to chairman/CEO Mike Splinter.

"Om's extensive experience in fostering innovation at global corporations, research universities and world-class R&D laboratories has served Applied well over the past few years in his role as deputy CTO and general manager for our Advanced Technologies group," said Splinter.  "His passion for innovation, demonstrated leadership skills, and a proven track record of excellence in research and commercializing science and technology will continue to be invaluable as he transitions to the role of CTO."

Nalamasu is a recognized expert in materials science and technology. As deputy CTO, he successfully led Applied's innovation efforts through funding and incubation of long-term R&D/product development investments; global research investments in academia and consortia and new business venture capital investments into start-ups; as well as through value-added partnerships with customers, supply chain partners, and government funding agencies, the company said.

Before joining Applied in 2006 as corporate VP/GM of the company's Advanced Technologies Group, Nalamasu was VP of research and a NYSTAR Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  He held various R&D leadership positions at Bell Laboratories and later Lucent Technologies for 17 years, including managing several generations of lithography development for the Lucent/NEC CMOS R&D alliance.

Nalamasu has made significant contributions to optical lithography and polymeric materials science and technology.  He received the prestigious American Chemical Society National Award for Team Innovation for his work on 193nm resists and successfully moving an innovative idea to a product now in commercial use.  He was CTO of the New Jersey Nanotechnology Consortium, which he co-founded to foster nanotechnology partnerships across academia, industry, and government using Bell Labs' $400 million device fabrication facilities in Murray Hill, NJ. He also pioneered deep-ultraviolet (UV) optical lithography materials and processes.  

He holds more than 25 patents, has edited two books, and contributed to more than 200 papers, review articles, and book chapters.  He serves on multiple national and international advisory committees and boards, and has been awarded several national and international awards.