Alexander Jantzen

Cofounder and COO of Aquark Technologies, Alex is passionate about science and its use for positive change. Alex grew up in Denmark on the outskirts of Copenhagen and at the age of 16 started to explore the world by choosing to study A-Levels in the UK. Away from the comfort zone of family and friends, this experience grew to become a strong appreciation for the value of diversity, teamwork and the opportunities the world has to offer.

Following a passion for how everything works, Alex obtained a first class Masters of Physics in 2015 from the University of Southampton, UK. From a desire to improve the world, Alex’s PhD research focused on creating optical devices for greener flying by reducing aircraft weight. He graduated in 2019 from Southampton and has 28 publications as of 2022.

Through outreach and public engagement, Alex found a love for sharing the wonders of science and has served as a STEM ambassador, taught undergraduate laboratories, and was the vice-president of the Southampton Optics and Photonics student chapter in 2016/17.

His dedication to science and outreach has been noted with awards such as the Sir David Payne Award in 2016 and winning first place at the SPIE Optics Outreach Games in 2018. In 2019, Alex served on the editorial board of the SPIE Career Labs and he continues to be an active mentor for others.

Through his professional career, Alex has worked for a mixture of industry, academia and start-ups with companies such as: Leonardo, Colgate-Palmolive, University of Southampton, Parker Aerospace and Lumenisity.

Having a dream and working towards it is at the core of what motivates Alex to push the boundaries of what is possible for him, his work, and others around him. Currently Alex is living between the UK and the Netherlands with his German wife. In his free time, Alex enjoys running, learning, exploring and meeting new people and cultures.