Meet Adam Polcyn, Ph.D.
Vice President of Research and Development, Vitro Architectural Glass
As the vice president of research and development at Vitro, Adam Polcyn, Ph.D., delivers products and processes that bring value to customers – whether that customer is an architect, plant manager or fabricator.
“It’s all about the specific needs of those three customer bases,” Adam said. “With architects, we want to deliver quality aesthetics and performance. With plant managers, we aim to provide low-cost, high-quality products. We want to deliver products and processes to fabricators that run efficiently and effectively. Sometimes it’s the same product that fulfills the needs of all three, and sometimes it’s targeted at one or the other.”
With a bachelor’s degree in physics from Princeton University and a Ph.D. degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Adam joined Vitro (then PPG Industries) in 2005 as the head of its government initiatives effort for glass research and development. Two years later, he pivoted to thin film product development and commercialized coated glass products for PPG in the solar energy and commercial glazing industries, including Solarphire® AR Glass, Solarban® R100 Glass and Solarban® 67 Glass. From 2012-2015, Adam led PPG’s float glass technology group and then PPG’s and later Vitro’s R&D effort in thin film coatings on glass until 2019, when he assumed his current role.
A typical day for Adam involves lots of collaboration, whether it be internally with his R&D team, peers and management, or interacting with outside collaborators to learn about new opportunities and technologies.
“Most of my time is spent talking with marketing and research colleagues, discussing projects we’re working on and goals we have for the year,” Adam said. “It’s my job to make sure those projects and goals stay on track while offering my thoughts on how to remove roadblocks so our team can continue moving projects forward.”
Currently, Adam’s R&D team is hard at work on several key product developments, such as new bending capabilities with Solarban® as well as another new Solarban® glass product and several other products coming down the pipeline soon. Despite the logistical and labor challenges associated with the pandemic, the innovative spirit of the R&D team has remained as strong as ever.
“The R&D team isn’t a huge group, but we’re all world experts in our fields,” Adam said. “About a third of our membership has a Ph.D., so our scientists are highly educated and very focused on prioritizing the most important needs of our customers.”
Using science and technology to develop exciting, sustainable products for customers is what Adam and his team strive to achieve every day.
“We encourage readers to bring their ideas to us,” Adam said. “The Vitro marketing and R&D teams are strongly aligned with each other, and we’re hungry for more opportunities and ways to help our customers grow.”
Outside of the office, Adam loves to spend time watching artists transform glass into their own beautiful creations at the Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC). He and his wife co-hosted the annual PGC fundraiser, “Art on Fire,” in September. The event is Pittsburgh’s only glass art auction and provides attendees with the opportunity to buy handmade, one-of-a-kind glass art while supporting the PGC and its artists.
Adam and his wife have three children, the youngest of whom left for college this fall. They live just 10 minutes from the Allegheny River and enjoy standup paddle boarding together. Adam also plays the fiddle. “I’ll play pretty much anything on the fiddle,” he said. “I was trained as a classical violinist, but these days I like to play bluegrass, folk, rock and roll, jazz -- you name it.”
Under Adam’s leadership, the Vitro R&D team is excited to deliver several new and innovative products that will bring value to customers in 2022 and beyond.
To get in touch with Adam, please contact him through your local rep. Your feedback could lead to Vitro’s next big idea.
