Prof. Ravi Silva CBE

Professor Ravi Silva CBE is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Surrey, Director of the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), and the scientific co-founder of Silveray — the deep-tech company commercialising his breakthrough nanoparticle-based X-ray conversion material. His research career has focused on nanotechnology, nanomaterials, and energy applications, and he has been instrumental in establishing Surrey as a world-leading centre for advanced materials science.

In 2018, Ravi founded Silveray to spin out the X-ray detector technology developed in his laboratory. The core innovation — a semiconductor ink made from nanoparticles that converts X-rays directly into digital images on a flexible backplane — enables high-resolution X-ray imaging in a thin, flexible, and cost-effective format that rigid conventional detectors cannot match. He successfully raised pre-seed funding in 2019 to validate the technology.

Dan Cathie joined Silveray as CEO in 2022, and the company subsequently relocated from Surrey to Greater Manchester to access the region's talent base and academic partnerships. Silveray has since raised £4 million in seed funding led by Northern Gritstone to launch its Digital X-Ray Film product for industrial radiography, with longer-term ambitions in medical imaging including mammography. Prof. Silva's foundational research continues to support Silveray's scientific development as the company progresses towards commercialisation.