Kate Stone

Born in Cheshire, England and the child of a continent-hopping engineer, Kate Stone was often left to her own devices among some of the world's most disparate cultures. Whether learning to cook rice from Gurkhas or spending time alongside a garageful of car repairmen in Borneo, Kate quickly learned that nontraditional problem-solving was often the very best kind.

At 20, Stone moved to Australia and eventually to the outback, where she was soon herding 22,000 sheep on a 120,000-acre farm. She then returned to England and began her studies in electronics at Salford University, before being recruited to do her PhD work in physics at Cambridge's famed Cavendish Laboratory, where her focus on moving electrons eventually led to the creation of her groundbreaking company, Novalia.

At Novalia, Stone says: "The work of my team and myself is the realization of my childhood fascinations. We put electronics into paper, and paper is all around us." Stone sees herself as a creative scientist, blending art and science to create startling fusions of new and old technology. In addition to her work with Novalia, Stone is on the advisory board of Lifeboat, a think tank dedicated to solving the ethical challenges brought about by scientific advances.

Novalia is an award winning technology company based in Cambridge, UK. We combine conductive print and capacitive touch to create smart surfaces that act as sensors and speakers. We wirelessly connect the digital world to the physical through the touch of your fingertips. Working across the media, advertising, music and healthcare sectors, we find innovative and exciting ways to connect brands to their target audience