Ahmet Tezel is Vice President, R&D for Ethicon, part of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of research and development efforts for the Ethicon business, driving the innovation strategy and delivering new and innovative products that benefit surgeons and improve patient care. Ahmet is a member of the Medical Devices R&D and Ethicon Leadership Teams. Ahmet joined Johnson & Johnson in 2020, with broad experience in the medical device industry including a strong history of delivering new products to the market. Prior to joining the company, he held various executive positions in research, development and tech transfer within Alcon and Allergan. Most recently, he was the Surgical Franchise Head of Research & Development for Alcon in Fort Worth, TX where he led all R&D activities for a broad portfolio of products including femto/excimer lasers, cataract, vitreoretinal and diagnostic capital equipment, digital health, consumables/disposables, and Class III implantables. Earlier in his career, Ahmet held increasing leadership roles at Allergan’s Medical Device R&D in Santa Barbara, CA working across a wide range of medical specialties. Ahmet holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from University of California, Santa Barbara in Transdermal drug delivery and vaccination, as well as a B.Sc., and M.Sc., Chemical Engineering from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey. He has been published in 16 peer reviewed publications in the areas of transdermal drug delivery, transcutaneous vaccination, and medical aesthetics. Ahmet holds 18 patents in the technology areas of biomedical polymers and electromechanical medical devices. He is also an Industry Board Member for University of California Santa Barbara Materials Research Lab.