Team

Dr. Jerome Palaganas
Lead Automation and Process Engineer
  • Former CEO/CTO position with Nanotronics, Inc.
  • 16 years of experience in technical leadership and management roles in R&D, process engineering, and program management in a high-tech, high-volume manufacturing setting.
  • 9 years of experience in deep tech, clean tech and advanced nanomaterials syntheses, functionalization, production, and commercialization.
  • Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Mapua University; Doctor and Master of Business Administration from De La Salle University.
Dr.Erika Brown
Lead Project Engineer
  • Served as Principal Investigator and Program Manager for rapid development and long term research partnerships with the DoD, DOE and private partners
  • Multiple publications and patents on novel materials
  • Ph.D in Chemical Engineering in 2016 from the Colorado School of Mines
Marie Phelps
Head of Operations and Finance
  • Lead a merger of two tech companies
  • Focused on building the foundation for scalability and provide financial accountability for our investors
  • Interests include travel and spending time with large extended family
Dr.Sean Walsh
Lead Research Chemist

  • Application development and laboratory management
  • Product Development Scientist for Lumadyne developing control and data collection system for lab-scale scientific instrumentation
  • Created and patented an adhesive conversion coating for aluminum metal
  • B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame , Ph.D. in Chemistry from Rice University
Ryan Holtschneider
Lead Data Scientist

  • Researched applications of deep learning based Computer Vision to Radar at Parsons
  • Developed machine learning models for test evaluation, hardware to model correlation and simulation enhancement for advanced manufacturing at Northrop Grumman
  • Masters in Applied Mathematics from UMBC
Dr.Saber Naserifar
Senior Computational Research Scientist
  • 13 years of research experience using computational and data driven methods in material science resulting in 24 publications, 16 conference presentations and 8 invited talks
  • Established strategies to combine artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and computational molecular science to produce fuels from sunlight for a $60 million Department of Energy project.
  • Ph.D in Chemical Engineering in 2009 from University of Southern California
David Chaparro
Automation Engineer

  • Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering at Cal State Long Beach
  • Recent work in Butane Gas Production via distillation of desalted crude oil
Matt Bednar
Engineering Lead - Business Development
  • Ph.D in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Virginia.
  • Product Development Manager at  Seraphic Group Inc for seven years.
  • Technology Commercialization Manager at University of Virginia. 
Tannaz Tayyarian
Automation Engineer

  • Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering and MS in Materials Science from The Catholic University of America
  • Lab Manager and Postdoctoral Fellow at The Catholic University of America's Intelligent Materials Lab in Washington, DC.
  • Professional Graduate Certificate in Additive Manufacturing
Adriana Fish
Operations Assistant

  • BA in Pure Mathematics and Math Education from Sonoma State University.
    In Progress: MS in Mathematics from CSU Channel Islands.
  • Research in Algebraic Geometry and Math Education support for first-generation college students.
  • Adriana loves baking, crafting and walking her dog on the beach.

Advisors

Dr.Alex Zettl
LBNL Senior Scientist


  • First to theorize BNNT in 1994
  • Professor of physics at UC Berkeley
  • Senior Scientist at LBNL
  • R&D 100 Award winner
  • LBNL Outstanding Performance Award winner
  • Fellow of American Physical Society
Dr. Aidin Fathalizadeh
Co-Inventor of the EPIC process
  • Managing scientist at Exponent
  • Co-Inventor of EPIC BNNT synthesis process
  • Holds multiple patents for BNNT materials and processes
  • BS, MS, and PhD in Physics, UC Berkeley
Dr. Toby Sainsbury
Director of Future Manufacturing Ireland
  • Interim Director of Future Manufacturing Ireland
  • Responsible for National Industry 4.0 Strategy
  • Member of The Royal Society of Chemistry
Dr.Boris Yakobson
Professor of Nanoengineering at Rice
  • Leading expert in BNNT and carbon nanotube research, particularly in theory and modeling of structure, kineticsm and properties
  • Professor of NanoEngineering at Rice University
  • Recipient of the DoE R&D Award
  • Recipient of the Nano 50 Award from Nanotech Briefs
Junaid Islam



  • 30 years of experience in secure communications
  • Designed protocols, algorithms and architectures that have been incorporated into a broad range of commercial and national security systems
  • Research Fellow of the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and Co-Chair of the SDP Zero Trust Workgroup