Dr. Donnell Walton is director of the Corning West Technology Center in Palo Alto, CA. In this role, he leads research and business development to match Corning’s existing and emerging capabilities and opportunities in the western United States, in particular, the Silicon Valley region of California.

Walton joined Corning’s Science and Technology Division after serving as a physics professor at Howard University. At Howard, Walton won the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award and established a laboratory for optical fiber based lasers and amplifiers. After conducting and leading research programs, Walton joined the Corning Gorilla Glass Division where he built and developed a global team of customer-facing engineers.

Walton earned a Ph.D. in applied physics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor after graduating summa cum laude with bachelor’s degrees in physics and electrical engineering from North Carolina State University. Walton has authored or coauthored 19 patents and more than 50 technical reports.