Elif Balkas

Elif Balkas currently serves as Chief Technology Officer at Wolfspeed, having joined the company in September 2020 after a long tenure at Cree, where roles included VP of Research and Development in Materials. Elif's expertise lies in silicon carbide materials, driving innovation and maintaining industry leadership in SiC and GaN materials for power and RF devices. Previous positions at Cree involved directing research and development, as well as managing engineering initiatives in silicon carbide crystal growth and process development. Experience also includes a role as Research Scientist at INTRINSIC Semiconductor, focusing on epitaxial process development for power and RF semiconductors, and a research assistantship at North Carolina State University, contributing to GaN crystal growth research. Elif holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science from North Carolina State University and completed coursework at The Wharton School.