Dr Clapp spent 18 years with the Harlow, Advanced Technology, Laboratories of Nortel Networks. He was a research prime and Technology Council member within the High Performance Optical Components line of business, responsible for developing the technology that took Nortel Networks to leadership in the transmission system sector.
In 2001 he joined Cambridge University Engineering Department Division B to assist the creation of CAPE which he had instigated and advanced in the previous year (from Nortel Networks). During the period until April 2003 he created and shaped the strategy and framework agreement for CAPE; helped secure the SRIF grant, to build the new laboratory facilities; assisted liaison to industry; and helped secure grants such as the Platform Grant for liquid crystal research, to secure and build the centre's base competence.
A full employee of Dow-Corning Ltd since April 2003, he is a scientist in the S&T Siloxane and Si-Organic Materials group of the Dow Corning Business and Technology Incubator, with responsibilities to the liquid crystal business platform and the Optical Interconnect programme as well as to the lines of business especially the Advanced Technology and New Ventures line of business. He is currently an embedded researcher (on behalf of DC) and assistant to the Electrical Engineering Division in the creation and establishment of the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics within the University of Cambridge Engineering Department. In 2007 he accepted the role as Director of the Cambridge Integrated Knowledge Centre and has been given leave from Dow Corning to give 50% of his time to this role.
His research activities are in the evolution of optical technology and in the supramolecular sciences, and the application of advanced functional materials to photonics component technology.
As the Dow Corning Ltd Embedded Scientist/Researcher to the Cambridge Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics (CAPE), in the discharge of the duties of that role he is: Director CIKC; Chairman of the CAPE Enabling Materials Technology Focus Group; an EPSRC College Member; representative to the UK Displays and Lighting Knowledge Transfer Network (member of Flexinet, ET and LIghting); representative to the European Photonics Industry Consortium (Chairman of the Materials Working Group); and a Stakeholder member of the Photonics21 strategic planning group in the EU.