This year’s iteration of the esteemed R&D 100 Awards features a judging panel comprised of 54 professionals from across the globe, who boast an impressive collection of accomplishments and honors. Finalists in this year’s 63rd R&D 100 Awards will be announced on August 1st at rdworldonline.com. Winners of this year’s R&D 100 Awards, along with the medalists in the Special Recognition categories and new Professional Award categories, will be announced the following week, also at rdworldonline.com. Details on the dates will be posted on this site shortly.
Following are short bios of our 2025 judges, who have worked tirelessly to review and rate all the entries received this year. Thank you to all of the judges!
Sheik Ahamed Azigar Ali, Senior Director of Technology, Advantage Solutions LLC
Ahamed currently works as the Senior Director of Technology and Engineering at Advantage Solutions, based in Clayton, Missouri. With over 20 years of Research & Development experience, Ahamed has led and solved technology and implementation challenges of numerous transformative projects for large enterprises, including AI Adoption, Digital Transformation, Cloud migration, Data management, API management, Identity verification, and Legacy modernization across various business and technology domains. As a TOGAF-certified architect, Ahamed possesses extensive expertise in architecting, designing, and delivering innovative and large-scale enterprise systems and solutions including complex event processing, event-driven high-performance systems, in-memory data grid systems, and ML-based predictive analytics. During his tenure at Ingram Content Group in Tennessee, he played a pivotal role in the Blockchain Steering Committee, architecting solutions to leverage blockchain technology for the self-author publishing business. As an avid researcher, Ahamed has authored and presented multiple technology white papers. He is the inventor of the patented ‘blockchain-based identity verification system’, a revolutionary identity verification system that is acclaimed worldwide and is being used in multiple identity- critical applications by different organizations. Ahamed is a champion of innovation and entrepreneurship among local communities. Beyond his professional endeavors, Ahamed dedicates his time as a mentor and innovation facilitator, mentoring middle and high school kids to identify real-world problems and innovate novel and patentable solutions to these problems, as a volunteer under DiscoverSTEM Innovation Programs. Under his mentorship, over 80 such kids have received patents for their innovations in the US and other countries in the last 3 years.
Gretchen Baier, Executive External Strategy and Communications Leader, Dow
Gretchen Baier is responsible for monitoring for disruptive technologies and being the R&D liaison to Dow’s sustainability goals. Previously, she was Associate R&D Director of External Technology, leading a group responsible for creating strategic external research collaborations. Earlier she was a technical leader in Ventures and New Business Development and a chemical engineer in the Process Optimization group and the Process Separations Skill Center. She is on the NSF Engineering Advisory Committee, the Visiting Committee for Chemical Engineering at MIT, the American Chemical Society Committee on Chemistry and Public Affairs, the Advisory Board for the MIT Practice School, the Standing Committee for the NSF Engineering Research Visioning Alliance, and Advisory Board for the Michigan Materials Research Institute at the University of Michigan. She has held Board positions for ASTRA and the Council of Chemical Research, as well as a member of the Industrial Research Institute’s External Technology Network. Prior to joining Dow, Gretchen was a Process Engineer at Dow Corning Corp. and later at Shell Oil Company. She has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from M.I.T. and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Paul Barton, Nuclear Engineer, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Dr. Paul Barton has been a nuclear engineer in the Applied Nuclear Physics group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory since 2010. He received his Ph.D in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Michigan where he designed and fabricated low-noise semiconductor detectors. Barton brings a strong background in analog and digital electronics and is currently responsible for the design and fabrication of low-mass front-end (LMFE) readout boards for the MAJORANA collaboration. Additional efforts in low-noise ASIC-based readout of semiconductor detectors attempt to uncover the potential for advanced portable detection technologies. Barton is currently working on the 5th edition of Glenn Knoll’s Radiation Detection and Measurement.
Tanmoy Bhattacharya, Scientist 5 and Laboratory Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Tanmoy Bhattacharya received his MSc from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India, in 1984 and a PhD in physics from the Tata Institute of Physics, India, in 1989. After holding postdoctoral positions at Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York, and Centre de Energie Atomique at Saclay, France, he joined Los Alamos National Laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher doing lattice quantum chromodynamics. He has worked on a variety of theoretical disciplines including nuclear and elementary particle physics; high-performance computing; fundamentals of quantum mechanics; quantum information sciences; phylogenetics of viruses; HIV, influenza, and COVID epidemics; vaccine development; machine learning; uncertainty quantification; and historical linguistics. He led the LANL team that was part of the 2023 R&D 100 award for CANDLE. He has co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications, and his 354 publications listed by Google Scholar have garnered more than 30,000 citations. He is currently the Coordinator of the Laboratory Fellows and the co-lead of the Nuclear and Particle Physics Pillar at the Laboratory.
Lewis Boyd, Parker Hannifin Corp.
Dr. Lewis J. Boyd is the Principal Investigator for new sensor technologies for the Fluid Systems Division of Parker Aerospace. He graduated from the University of Bath in the U.K. in 2004 with a Masters of Aerospace Engineering, and again in 2008 with a PhD in modelling and simulation of aircraft fuel systems. Lewis has 15 years’ experience in the Aerospace sector, having worked on several major aircraft systems developments before taking the lead on identifying new sensor technologies for aerospace applications. He specializes in optical sensors for harsh environments, is the named inventor on numerous patents in this field and is an industrial supervisor to PhD students from the University of Southampton. Lewis is a Member of the IET and a Chartered Engineer (U.K. Engineering Council).
Miles Budimir, Senior Editor, Design World
Miles Budimir is a senior editor covering motion control, automation, and test and measurement for Design World and an adjunct philosophy professor at Cleveland State University. Budimir has taught engineering technology courses as well as engineering ethics continuing education courses for professional engineers in the state of Ohio seeking to stay current with their PE licenses. He holds a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and an M.A. in Philosophy.
Brian Buntz, Editor-in-Chief, R&D World
Buntz is an experienced journalist with more than fifteen years’ experience covering an array of technologies including medical devices, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. He has held a variety of senior editorial roles over the past decade at Penton and UBM (both now Informa), before being named as Editor-in-Chief of R&D World in 2024. Multilingual, Brian has an M.A. degree in German from the University of Oklahoma.
Carlos Castillo, Senior Manager R&D Medical Devices, Envista Holdings Corp.
Carlos Castillo is focused, passionate, and inspires to promote a better future for all of us. He has more than 25 years of world-wide experience in medical devices, bio-systems, and clinical research. His experience includes research, development, production, support, training, sales, marketing, projects and program management for such companies as Envista Holdings, BIT Group, Beckman Coulter, Danaher, CareFusion, Siemens, EmhartGlass, Viasys HealthCare, SalterLabs, Cardinal Health, Dr. Max Harry Weil Institute of Critical Care, and others. Castillo holds three international degrees in engineering with emphasis in Bio-Engineering (MSEE), three MBAs (Finance, Marketing, and Global Management), has completed executive training at USC Marshall School of Business and Harvard Business School. He is also Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certified, hold eight US patents, 29 peer review publications in major medical research journals, IEEE Speaker and most recently, he is pursuing is PhD in Leadership at Phoenix University.
Victor Comello, Argonne National Laboratory
Victor Comello was trained as a theoretical physicist at the University of Notre Dame. He began working as a product development chemist, which led to his becoming the research director at the Minwax Company. Comello left that position to ultimately begin a career as a technical journalist, working at first for Semiconductor International magazine. That led to positions as senior editor and managing editor at R&D magazine. For the last 20+ years, he has worked as a senior writer/editor at Argonne National Laboratory. Comello has been a judge of the R&D 100 competition for more than 30 years.
Alexander Cordes, R&D Manager, Alva Industries AS
Alex Cordes is an engineer of all trades. Originally educated in aerospace engineering, he has developed a specialty in cutting-edge research and development.Professionally, he has worked on Ferrari F1 turbochargers, automated battery lab designs, hyperloop concepts, and currently works with Alva Industries, developing one of the world’s most efficient electric motors. His work continues at home, where he is committed to creating ingenious designs to solve big sustainability issues with sustainable materials. From solar cookers made with food wrappers and cardboard; to electric bikes made with recycled laptop batteries; to modular 3D printers that use plastic waste to print useful items. In addition, he is a volunteer lecturer, introducing young people to the usefulness of engineering and its impact on the world. Cordes has also been running a makerspace, both in real life and online where students learn about engineering with hands on projects. Whether at work or at home, he lives and breathes the engineering innovation that will shape the world to come.
Sudip K. Das, Butler University
Sudip Das is a professor of pharmaceutical sciences in pharmaceutical sciences at Butler University, College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the School of Medicine, Indiana University. Das has more than 30 years of teaching experience in the professional pharmacy and graduate programs in the U.S. and Canada. He has supervised close to 40 postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate research students, and was the key faculty responsible for the revitalization of the graduate program and research infrastructure in pharmaceutical sciences at Butler University. His current research involves targeted delivery of siRNA and nano-composites for the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Das has over 150 research publications, review articles, patents, proceedings, conference presentations, and book chapters, is a recipient of multiple awards/honors, and has secured extramural research funding from NIH, PDA, and several pharmaceutical industries.
Panos Datskos, Chief of Staff and Research Operations Director, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Panos Datskos is currently the Chief of Staff and the Research Operations Director Center in the Mechanical & Thermal Engineering Sciences Directorate at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). In 2018 he was named Fellow of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). At NREL his responsibilities also include engaging stakeholders to identify gaps and opportunities for future research. Prior to joining NREL, he was at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) where he led R&D programs covering a broad range of science and technologies in nanomanufacturing, nanomaterials, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and micro sensor. He has over 30 years of experience in scientific research and development that involve the physics of nanomaterials, micromechanical and nanomechanical systems, micro-mechanical physical and chemical sensors, the physics of electron transport and ionization in gases and liquids. His research interests include manufacturing, roll to roll processing, nanostructured surfaces, MEMS and NEMS and involve the development of physical and chemical sensors using microcantilevers, microcalorimetric spectroscopy, and uncooled MEMS infrared detectors. He has shown leadership strengths and has led multi-disciplinary research teams, and managed research teams consisting of senior and junior technical staff, postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students. He received a 2000 Discover award, and seven coveted R&D 100 Awards. He has 107 open literature publications, and 130 conference proceedings and presentations, 22 issued U.S. patents and 3 pending patents application.
Ken Day
Ken Day is a retired Engineer with a background in nuclear physics in the Navy. He holds two B.S. degrees in engineering, EE (variable speed drives and digital controls) and AgE (machine design). He started his engineering career after the Navy, working in R&D with Cessna’s Hydraulics Division. Her developed a couple of designs in hydraulic valves before Cessna sold to Eaton and moved to Minnesota. He entered the paper manufacturing industry as an EI supervisor then an Engineering and Maintenance Manager, with a specialty in new equipment design and implementation and training of maintenance technicians. His later years were reorganizing paper mills to improve uptime and manage costs while increasing production. Day retired in 2015 but remains active.
Siva Karthik Devineni, Database Consultant, Elan Technologies
Devineni brings a wealth of expertise to employer eLan Technologies and current Client Maryland Motor vehicle Administration (MVA). With a knack for optimizing data structures and ensuring seamless information flow, He is a driving force behind the efficient handling of critical data. He has evolved as an architect of meticulous data governance strategies, ensuring the responsible and ethical use of data across the agency. Devineni’s expertise extends to the orchestration of seamless database systems, optimizing the backbone of information flow. He is an AI enthusiast who has dedicated himself to becoming an expert in the field through relentless learning and skill refinement. In addition to mastering foundational AI concepts, he actively stays abreast of emerging AI technologies and advancements, such as deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and reinforcement learning.
Chetan Dharmadhikari, Technical Program Manager, Mercury Marine
Dharmadhikari is an exemplary technology leader and disruptive innovator with almost two decades in new product development and engineering across diverse industries. With expertise spanning research, product development, budget management, failure analysis, manufacturing, team leadership, and data analytics, he has made significant contributions to the marine, automotive, oil & gas, and electrification sectors. At the forefront of a crucial electrification program, Dharmadhikari drives the development of groundbreaking electric vehicles prioritizing innovation, safety, tranquility, and environmental sustainability. In this role, he formulates strategic initiatives, cultivates partnerships, devises comprehensive product roadmaps, and guides cross-functional teams spanning design, testing, sourcing, manufacturing, service, and customer engagement. Dharmadhikari’s proficiency extends across various domains including high-voltage systems, mechanical design, engine performance optimization, thermal management, infrastructure development, health & safety, and continuous improvement. He holds nine patents from the U.S. Patent Office and is a certified Design for Six Sigma green belt practitioner. Dharmadhikari holds a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s in Fluid & Thermal Engineering from the University of Munich, Germany. He is pursuing a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, focusing on battery technology.
Plamen Doynov, Chief Technology Officer, EMP Shield
Dr. Plamen Doynov is the CTO of EMP Shield, where he develops technologies for protection of electrical and electronic infrastructure from the effects of high-altitude nuclear blast and intentional EMI (directed energy). Doynov completed Diploma Engineering degree in Radio-electronics (Technical University of Sofia), followed by doctoral research in Biophysics (the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences). While a Visiting Research Scholar (the Physics Department of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.), Doynov completed Master’s of Electrical Engineering degree, followed by interdisciplinary doctoral studies and a PhD in Computer Sciences and Electrical Engineering at the University of Missouri in Kansas City (UMKC). Currently, as an Adjunct Professor at UMKC, he continues research in compact high-power microwave sources, high-altitude electromagnetic pulse, geo-magnetic disturbance, and mitigation of EMI. He was selected for Foundry 2022 of the National Security Intelligence Network. Doynov has multiple publications and patents.
Lisa Eitel, Executive Editor, Design World
Lisa (Elisabeth) Eitel is an Executive Editor at Design World magazine. She has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Fenn College (now Washkewicz College) at Cleveland State University and more than 20 years of experience as a technical writer. Her areas of focus include motors, drives, motion control, power transmission, linear motion, and sensing and feedback technologies. She is a judge for the FIRST Robotics Buckeye Regional competitions, an inductee of Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, and a member of the Society of Women Engineers.
Mirza Faizan, Founder and Chief Innovation Facilitator, DiscoverSTEM
Mirza Faizan is an aerospace scientist and the inventor of the Ground Reality Information Processing System (GRIPS), an advanced system designed to prevent runway incursions and excursions, and to detect foreign objects and debris on runways in real time. With extensive experience in the design and development of aerospace, defense, and mission-critical systems, Faizan has earned recognition from leading scientific and defense organizations. His pioneering research and algorithm on predicting collisions between random particles in semi-controlled environments have been highly regarded by experts at NASA, the Pentagon’s Army Missile Research, Development & Engineering Center (AMRDEC), and the U.S. Air Force. His expertise is frequently sought by global R&D communities in areas including innovation strategy, aerospace systems, and aviation safety. In addition to his scientific contributions, Faizan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, with a special focus on child learning and development. He is the founder of DiscoverSTEM, an elite innovation and research program that mentors school students to develop novel, real-world solutions. Under his guidance, over 700 students have filed for patents, with 331 patents granted to date and many more pending. A prolific innovator himself, Faizan holds 45 granted U.S. patents and over 50 pending patent applications.
Kaveri Gandhi, Indiana University School of Dentistry
Dr. Kaveri K Gandhi is a periodontal practitioner in Indianapolis and teaches pre-doctoral students at Indiana University School of Dentistry. She received her MSD in periodontics from the Indiana University School of Dentistry and has more than 10 years of extensive clinical experience in dentistry. Over the course of her career, she has spent time in India and the United States performing multiple periodontal surgeries and periodontal laser procedures. Along the way, her experiences include participating in research and publishing papers and textbook chapters. In addition, she serves as a reviewer for periodontal and dental journals. She has expanded her educational role in the public as well by utilizing social media to promote awareness about periodontal diseases on Instagram. She lives by the motto of practicing behaviors that she would like others to follow.
Mary Gannon, Editor-in-Chief, Fluid Power World
Mary Gannon is Editor of Fluid Power World. She has been a technical writer and editor for 15 years, having covered fluid power, motion control and interconnect technologies. Gannon graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in Journalism. In addition to serving as a technical editor, she has worked as both a daily business reporter and on the public relations side of the communications business.
Sudhanshu Gaur, Vice President, Hitachi America
Gaur is Vice President at Hitachi America and heads the IoT Edge R&D, with focus on innovation in Edge-AI space, addressing multiple industries including manufacturing. Additionally, he is also serving as Chief IoT Architect at Hitachi Astemo, and is responsible for digital transformation of Astemo’s global manufacturing operations realizing Industry 4.0 vision. His interests include distributed systems, 5G, Edge AI, federated learning, and robotics. He has authored more than 100 patents and peer-reviewed publications including a book on LTE-Advanced. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and was recently named among top 25 leaders transforming manufacturing by Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).
Christopher Gintz, Block Textiles, Inc.
Chris Gintz’s 40-year technology commercialization and product design career has spanned broad technology fields including instrument design, computer software and nanotechnology. His particular research interest is the practical application and effects of particles and waves on product design in batteries and corrosion prevention. He is the co-inventor of the first battery powered notebook computer. He has served for more than twenty years on the Industrial Advisory Board at his alma mater, the University of South Carolina College of Engineering and Computer Science. For more than ten years, he was active as a judge at the Intel Science and Engineering Fair. He has been an R&D 100 judge for the past six years.
Rajeev Goel, Vice President Technology, Asian Paints
Rajeev Goel is currently working as Vice President Technology at Asian Paints Limited, Mumbai India. Goel completed his B. Tech in Paint Technology in 1989 from Harcourt Butler Technological Institute. He completed his MBA Degree from James Cook University, Townsville Australia. Goel started his career with Asian Paints in formulation development of Protective & Marine Coatings and has worked in different geographies — Fiji, Australia, Singapore, and other Southeast Asian countries around formulation development of all types of decorative and industrial coatings. He also has extensive knowledge around formulations for auto refinishing, wood coatings, and color science. During a stint of overseas operation, Goel handled plant and has deep knowledge around processing technology. He played a key role in development of health and hygiene products and a waterproofing range of products at Asian Paints. Goel has authored and presented many papers in the area of waterproofing and coatings and has 11 patents to his credit.
Chandan Gope, Vice President of AI/ML, Element Energy
Chandan Gope is an engineering leader with 20 years of experience at the intersection of AI/ML innovation, scalable product delivery, and cross-functional leadership. He has a proven track record of developing production-grade AI systems across industries including energy, automotive, smart home, healthcare, and enterprise SaaS.Currently serving as VP of AI/ML at Element Energy, Chandan leads global teams building cutting-edge solutions — including the industry’s first Large Battery Model (LBM) for real-time lithium-ion battery health and safety monitoring. He has driven the adoption of GenAI, LLMs, and multimodal AI, while shaping strategy and forging key partner integrations.Previously, as Director of Engineering at Nice (North America), he led the development of intelligent automation systems, including edge-deployed facial recognition and audio analytics solutions. His earlier roles at IntelliVision involved engineering leadership and full-stack AI development for ADAS, video analytics, and healthcare applications such as epilepsy detection using wearable sensor data.He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Dallas, an M.S. in Data Science from UC Berkeley, and a B.Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He has authored over a dozen peer-reviewed journal and conference papers, is an inventor on six patents in AI/ML and computer vision, and serves as editor of the Journal of Real-time Image Processing. Passionate about mentorship and giving back, he actively contributes as an industry mentor at UC Berkeley.
Amit Goyal, Director, SUNY Empire
Dr. Amit Goyal concurrently holds the title of SUNY Distinguished Professor and SUNY Empire Innovation Professor at SUNY-Buffalo. He is Director, Laboratory for Heteroepitaxial Growth of Functional Materials and Devices. He is the Founding Director of the New York State Center for Plastics Recycling & Innovation, an externally funded multidisciplinary center. Goyal served as the Founding Director of the internally funded multidisciplinary, university-wide RENEW (Research and Education in eNergy, Environment and Water) institute from 2015 to 2021. He is the President & CEO of TapeSolar Inc., a private equity funded company and also the President & CEO of TexMat LLC, an IP holding and consulting company. He is an Emeritus Corporate Fellow at UT-Battelle/Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Goyal has more than 360 publications and 88 issued patents, most of which are licensed. He was the most cited author worldwide in the field of high-temperature superconductivity from 1999-2009. In 2010, he received the R&D Magazine’s coveted “Inventor-of-the-Year” award for sustained cumulative innovations over the years. In addition, he has received 10 R&D 100 awards over the years. He has received numerous accolades including the presidential level DOE’s E. O. Lawrence Award in the inaugural category of Energy Science & Innovation. The U.S. Department of Energy Secretary on behalf of the President of the United States bestows the award. He is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors. Goyal is member of the US National Materials & Manufacturing Board. He is Fellow of nine professional societies: AAAS, MRS, APS, IEEE, WIF, ASM, IOP, ACERS, and WTN.
Paul P. Guss, Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff, Mission Support and Test Services LLC, Nevada National Security Sites
Paul Guss is a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff working for Mission Support and Test Services, LLC (MSTS). Since November 2021, Guss has served as Program Manager for the Nevada National Security Site Site Directed Research and Development Program. Previously, he served as the Remote Sensing Laboratory Site Representative for the SDRD Program, a dedicated research program for the advancement of the technologies employed at MSTS and the NNSS. Guss has been an active MSTS team member developing unmanned aircraft system capabilities for the NNSS. Additionally, he has been a principal investigator of several nuclear detector research investigations and has served on several DOE National Nuclear Security Administration emergency response teams — he participated in the Fukushima response, as well as served as lead for the DOE Consequence Management planning effort for the 2011 NASA launch of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity. He maintains currency for several billets on the NNSA Office of Emergency Response Consequence Management Advance Command Team. Guss has more than 30 years of scientific and management experience with the NNSA Nevada Site Office Management and Operations contractors. His prior experience includes several leadership and technical positions, including operating the Joint Base Andrews Office of the RSL, and leading several operational and research projects. Guss earned his bachelor’s degree in physics at Gettysburg College and his doctorate in nuclear physics at Duke University.
Stephen F. Hahn, Retired Executive Dow Chemical Co.
Steve Hahn is an experienced chemist, materials scientist, and evaluator of new technology-based business opportunity. He was employed by the Dow Chemical Company for 35 years in a variety of research and new business development roles. Beginning in 2010, Hahn established Dow’s Technology Scouting presence in the North American West Coast Region to identify and evaluate strategically aligned business opportunities. Hahn has a B.S. in Chemistry from Michigan Tech and an M.S. in Chemistry from Central Michigan University. He holds 43 U.S. patents, 40 publications in scientific journals, and six chapters in technical reference books. He was Visiting Professor of Chemistry and IPrime Scholar at the University of Minnesota in 2002. Hahn received the American Chemical Society Cooperative Research Award in 2008 and the Council for Chemical Research Collaboration Award in 2010 and represented Dow on Advisory Boards at the University of Connecticut and Michigan Tech. He is a member of the Academy of the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Tech and served on the Advisory Board for the Global Social Venturing Competition at the Haas School of Business at UC-Berkeley. He is currently an Expert in the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships at the National Science Foundation, supporting the I-Corps and SBIR/STTR programs.
Cameron Hawkins, Senior Principal Engineer Scorpius Commissioning Control Account Manager Enhanced Capabilities for Subcritical Experiments Mission Support and Test Services LLC, Nevada National Security Sites
Hawkins has worked for the NNSS since March 2004. She is a Senior Principal Engineer and is currently working as the Scorpius Commissioning Control Account Manager (CAM) for the Enhanced Capabilities for Subcritical Experiments project. She is also the CAM for the C3 Launcher, a single-stage gas launcher experimental platform with diagnostics for shock physics experiments. Prior to being employed at the NNSS, Hawkins spent four years collaborating with scientists and engineers from Sandia National Laboratories on a Stockpile Stewardship project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 2013, she became a full-time instructor for three semesters at Boise State University in the Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering department before returning to Las Vegas. Hawkins has multiple publications pertaining to material characterization and analysis. Hawkins obtained a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2001 and her master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2003, both from UNLV. She completed her doctorate in mechanical engineering at UNLV in 2010.
Paul J. Heney, Vice President, Editorial Director, R&D World
Paul J. Heney, Vice President, Editorial Director for Design World and R&D World magazines, has a B.S. in Engineering Science & Mechanics and minors in Technical Communications and Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech. He has written about fluid power, aerospace, robotics, medical, green engineering, and general manufacturing topics for nearly 25 years. He has managed a variety of award programs, both corporate and industry focused, including the R&D 100 Awards and the LEAP Awards. Heney is well known in the b2b publishing world, with leadership roles on the national board of the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) and Trade, Association and Business Publications International (TABPI), an international b2b group. He has won numerous regional and national Azbee awards for his writing.
Marylesa Howard, Manager, Scientist and Mathematician Physical Sciences, Science and Technology Directorate Mission Support and Test Services LLC, Nevada National Security Sites
Award-winning mathematician Marylesa Howard leads a team of scientists in data analysis for physics applications in the Science and Technology Directorate at the Nevada National Security Site. She joined the NNSS as a Scientist in 2013 and has held the roles of Supervisor II, Principal Scientist and Manager. While maintaining a research portfolio in image segmentation method development and Bayesian reconstruction methods for the NNSS Site- Directed Research and Development program, Howard also led signal processing efforts for photonic Doppler velocimetry, a diagnostic for understanding the speed of a moving surface. Howard is an influential leader among scientists in Nevada, at the U.S. national laboratories and at universities across the country. She is a champion for women in STEM, helping to direct graduate research and guide the careers of women around the country. Howard also works with universities to bring real-world scientific problems to students nationwide. Howard earned a bachelor’s from George Fox University and a master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Montana, all in the field of mathematics.
Dr. Mark Jones, Creative Director, LLC
Mark E. Jones, Ph.D., retired effective April 2021 after a decade as Executive External Strategy and Communications Fellow for Dow Chemical. Jones is a frequent speaker at industry events on a variety of topics. He spent most of his career developing catalytic processes after joining Dow in 1990. Jones received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the University of Colorado-Boulder doing research unlikely to lead to an industrial career. He retired from the staff of Dow CTO Dr. A.N. Sreeram, where he developed strategy and facilitated communication around innovation. He played a large role in Dow’s next generation sustainability goals and retained responsibility for the innovation goal up to retirement. He provided technical support for Dow’s Renewable Chemistries Expertise Center and, until recently, was on the Board of Directors of the BIO Industrial and Environmental Section. Jones is a past co-chair of the Chemical Sciences Roundtable, a standing roundtable of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, where he continues to serve. He is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS), hosts ACS webinars on successful industrial applications of chemistry and material science, blogs for the ACS’s Industry Matters, represented Dow Chemical on Corporation Associates, is a member of the ACS Committee on Public Relations and Communications and is on the ACS Chemical Heritage Landmark committee. He is also past chair of the Midland ACS Section. Jones is now transitioning to Creative Director of MJPhD, LLC, a nascent consulting company.
Aimee Kalnoskas, Senior Editor, EE World
Aimee Kalnoskas serves as Senior Editor for EE World and WTWH online communities, EDABoard.com and Electro-Tech-Online.com and most recently, EngineersGarage.com. Kalnoskas began her career in electronics and technical publishing in 1984 and has served as a speaker and panelist at numerous industry events and as moderator for many webcasts serving the electronics industry. Kalnoskas’ interest in electronics began early in life thanks to her father, an electronics engineer who felt that oscilloscopes also made highly effective nightlights for his seven children.
Guosheng Li, Sr. Materials Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Dr. Guosheng Li is currently a Sr. Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). He received his B.S. degree from the Tsing Hua University in 1996, and later achieved his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Physical Chemistry from KyungHee University. He completed his postdoctoral training in Professor H. Reisler’s Laboratory at University of Southern California before joining PNNL in 2007. He has broad knowledge in Electrochemistry, Materials Science, Catalysis, and Spectroscopic Characterization. Currently, he is leading various battery R&D program at PNNL supported by the Department of Energy. His research focuses on materials development, battery design and validation for grid energy storage applications. Particularly, he is interested in developing and understanding advanced electrolytes, synthesis of cathode materials, the reaction mechanisms for cathodes, and various interfacial problems encountered in rechargeable batteries. He has also developed a strong industrial collaboration on grid battery scale-up and module testing to understand battery reliability and degradation in large battery modules under more realistic grid service operations. He has published more than 80 research papers in various professional journals and holds 7 U.S. patents, plus dozens of U.S. patent applications.
Babetta (Babs) Marrone, Scientist, Laboratory Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Marrone’s research career has spanned biomedicine, bioforensics, biosecurity, and bioenergy. Her current research interests are focused on sustainable biomanufacturing of biofuels and bioproducts, especially from microalgae and synthetic biology platforms. She is specifically interested in development of AI/ML tools for optimizing biomanufacturing processes and for accelerating biological solutions applied to health and environmental science, and climate resilience. Marrone has participated in entrepreneurial development programs sponsored by DOE: the Technologist in Residence Program (with Procter & Gamble) and Energy I-Corps. Over her career she has won numerous awards including two R&D 100 Awards, an NNSA Defense Programs Award of Excellence, a Federal Laboratory Consortium Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer, and several Los Alamos Laboratory Distinguished Performance Awards, including Distinguished Mentor, and Distinguished Patent. She received a B.A. from Hampshire College; a Ph.D. from Rutgers University, under an NSF Pre-doctoral Fellowship Award; and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin, under an NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship Award. She has more than 100 publications, six patents, and two copyrights.
Dustin Mcintyre, Structural Analysis Team Lead, NETL
Dustin L. McIntyre attended West Virginia University and pursued a dual degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering, graduating in December 1998. He completed his Master’s in Mechanical Engineering in August 2000. McIntyre completed his doctoral studies in May 2007 with his dissertation titled, “A Laser Spark Plug Ignition System for a Stationary Lean-Burn Natural Gas Reciprocating Engine.” He is currently a team lead and researcher with the geological and environmental systems directorate within the USDOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory, studying use of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy for use in down hole in-situ sensing applications. McIntyre is author/coauthor of more than 50 journal papers, 6 patents, 4 book chapters, and 2 books.
Tatiana Minav, Tampere University
Tatiana Minav is assistant professor in IHA – Innovative Hydraulics and Automation, Tampere University, Finland. She is a member of ASME and IEEE and has more 14 years’ experience working on improving the efficiency of non-road mobile working machines. She has authored in total 110 scientific publications. Her current interests include zonal hydraulics, sensorless position control with direct electric drive in hydraulic systems, failure and monitoring systems, thermal hydraulics simulation, energy balance, and energy recovery systems in off-highway mobile machines.
Raju Nagaiah, University of Central Florida
Raju Nagaiah, Ph.D., is a Technology Transfer Professional in The University of Central Florida Office of Technology Transfer. He has more than eight years of experience in commercializing and licensing university technologies. He is responsible for coordinating with faculty and researchers in evaluating, protecting, and licensing physical sciences technologies. Before joining the Office of Technology Transfer, Nagaiah worked as a market research analyst in UCF Venture Lab, conducting due diligence, technical competitiveness, commercialization, and market research for a range of technologies and products that are produced by UCF and early-stage technology companies in Central Florida region. Nagaiah holds double Master’s degrees — one in Mechanical Engineering and the other Industrial Engineering, and he received his doctoral degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida.
Arjun Naik, Technical Lead, First Citizens Bank
My name is Arjun Naik and I am a Technical Lead at First Citizens Bank.
I have 13 years of experience and a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering.
I have judged various awards and am a research oriented professional with multiple publications to my name. I have also represented my work at various international conferences as well.
Don Neuhaus, Aerospace & Defense, LLC
Donald Neuhaus is a Principal of Aerospace & Defense, LLC, He brings more than 44 years of aerospace and defense experience to his role. A&D focuses on research, development, and commercialization of advanced electric power and control technologies for the aerospace and defense markets. Previously, Donald was the Director of Research at Parker Aerospace’s Fluid Systems Division. He has held a variety of Engineering and Leadership positions within both the Fuel Measurement and the Avionics departments. In his position as the Director of Research, he was responsible for establishing the strategic direction of the research as well as leadership of the research team. The research team focused on intelligent power systems, advanced fuel gauging and fuel tank inerting technologies, hydro-mechanical and engine pneumatic equipment research, and advanced systems architectures. Prior to this position, Don had served as Chief Engineer, Company FAA Designated Engineering Representative (Power Plant, Electrical Systems and Equipment), Technology Team Leader in the Avionics Group, and as Principal Engineer in the Fuel Measurement group. Neuhaus has earned a B.S. and an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of New York, a certified Program Management Professional, and was appointed as a Parker Engineering Fellow.
Rachael Pasini, Senior Editor, R&D World
Rachael Pasini has a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering and a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from The Ohio State University. She has over 15 years of experience as a technical writer and taught college math and physics. As a Senior Editor of R&D World, Fluid Power World, and Design World, she covers research, technology, hydraulics, pneumatics, linear motion, motion control, additive manufacturing, robotics, warehouse automation, and more.
James T. Reilly, Principal, Reilly Associates
James T. Reilly, Principal of Reilly Associates, is an independent consultant in the electric power industry in the U.S. and internationally, with a focus on the integration of distributed energy resources with the grid for reliability and resilience and standards. He has completed numerous projects and workshops on research and development for advanced technology projects for clients in North America, Japan, and Europe. His clients include the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity, various National Laboratories, and the New Energy Industrial Development Organization (Japan). He has had project assignments across a broad range of topics: TSO-DSO cooperation, integration of distributed energy resources, microgrid planning and design, energy management systems, and standards. He has authored studies published by national laboratories and CIGRE; numerous articles published in IEEE Power and Energy, CIGRE, and CIRED. Reilly holds degrees from Georgetown University and Columbia University.
Dr. Catherine L. Riddle, Senior Research Scientist, Idaho National Laboratory
Dr. Catherine Riddle is a senior research scientist at Idaho National Laboratory and has 23 years’ experience in radiochemistry and radiochemical separations. Her radiochemistry research involves multiple areas and disciplines including actinide separations and speciation in the investigation of actinides and lanthanides for the expansion of new technologies for used nuclear fuel recycling and nuclear national security. Riddle is an esteemed scientist in both national and international research areas including isotope ultra-purification for the particle physics work using 100Mo for the Neutrino Ettore Majorana Observatory (NEMO) and SuperNEMO projects, an international collaboration, which investigates neutrinoless double beta decay. She has lent expertise to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chemical weapons and high explosives identification work and continues to design new technologies in areas such as oil and heavy metal remediation, advanced neutron/antineutrino detection scintillators, rapid actinide chemical detection for first responders and other technologies geared at making the world a safer, better place. Her expertise in the field of chemical detection of actinides has received acclaim through a 2020 R&D 100 award for her technology CoDeAc (Colorimetric Detection of Actinides) which has been licensed for commercialization under the CoDeAc Solutions company. Riddle has numerous patents and patents pending for her technologies. Riddle is a champion of mentoring young upcoming scientists through undergraduate and graduate programs and future scientists through volunteering her time, energy, and expertise to STEM programs for K-12 students.
Mirza Rizwan [sending updated photo and bio] Mirza Rizwan is Chief Innovation Officer with Bangalore-based MNC Si2microsystems. He carries a rich experience in the start-up and corporate worlds with a deep interest in business academia and consulting in the domain of sustainability, innovation, entrepreneurship, and Competitiveness. He has developed various modules on “Creativity and Innovation” to deliver online to students all over the world. Rizwan has also been on the panel of advisory board and as board members of several start-ups in Bangalore, Dallas and Singapore. He has been a growth strategy consultant for several MNCs, start-ups, private equity firms and higher education institutions. Rizwan holds an MBA in Marketing & Finance from Bangalore University, Advanced Management program from IIM-Bangalore and under the process of submitting his thesis for Executive-Ph.D. program from Aligarh Muslim University, where his research focus is on “Innovation and sustainability practices on firm’s competitiveness.
Rebecca L. Rosas, VP for Strategic Planning, Texmark Chemicals Inc.
Dr. Rebecca Rosas is VP for Strategic Planning for Texmark Chemicals in Galena Park, Texas. She was VP of R&D/Technology Center Manager prior to promotion in late 2018. Rosas has a B. S Chem (McKendree College) and an M.S. in Physical Chemistry (Eastern Illinois University). Rosas obtained a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry (Texas A&M). She was a Fullbright scholar, doing research at the University of Antwerp. Rosas has been with Texmark Chemicals for 22 years. As a Six Sigma Green Belt, she has worked on committees for ASQ Six Sigma Green Belt exams. She is on the board for ALMA and is chairman of the Houston area chapter. Rosas is married to a wonderful man, James Rosas and they have one daughter, Jacqueline, who is KTNU Administrator at Katoen Natie.
Kamal Sarkar, Professor, The University of Texas
Kamal Sarkar, Ph.D. (1980, Materials Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville) is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Mechanical Engineering department of the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg. He is the Co-Inventor of award-winning (2011 R&D 100, among many others) of Forcespinning technology that is being commercialized by Parker Hannifin, a multi-billion dollars global leader in filtration, among others. Research areas Sarkar is pursuing presently include commercial applications of glass micro- and nano- particles manufactured from waste glass and application of Artificial Intelligence and Peer-to-Peer technologies to enable physical, educational, and economic mobility for the Blind and Persons with Visual Impairment. Sarkar received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 from Marquis Who’s Who for his “career longevity and demonstrated unwavering excellence.” He is also a Lifetime Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Ryan Smith, Founder, Pordis LLC
Ryan Smith is the founder of Pordis, a privately held LLC established in 2012, offering hardware design and consulting services primarily to the photovoltaics portion of the renewable energy sector, enabling renewable energy breakthroughs through better data. Smith holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan and is an American Society for Quality Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, and Certified Quality Engineer. He has experience in both the semiconductor and renewable energy industries, has led ISO 17025 test laboratory program development, and has worked for major semiconductor manufacturers and at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Dr. T.S. Sudarshan, Materials Modification Inc.
Dr. T.S. Sudarshan is President and CEO of Materials Modification, Inc. He has a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech and has been responsible for driving the company’s technological leadership in the development of next generation materials, processes and techniques for the past 33 years. Sudarshan has been a passionate entrepreneur and provided employment to more than 400 individuals, given the first jobs for more than 180 students, and served on more than 10 thesis committees for M.S. and Ph.Ds. He has served on the National Materials Advisory Board, Ohio Third Frontier Committees, ASM International Board, Committees for the Army, NSF, NIH and DoE and Selection Committee for the R&D 100 awards. He has authored more than 180 papers, is editor of two journals — Materials and Manufacturing Processes and Surface Engineering — is coeditor of 34 books, holder of 30 patents, winner of two R&D 100 awards, Fellow of ASM International, Fellow of IFHTSE, Fellow of IMMM, UK, and Distinguished Alumni of IITM. He has been responsible for heading the development of 18 products and has worked in nanotechnology and surface engineering. Sudarshan has also been on the Advisory Board of ATI, South Carolina, and several other companies as a consultant.
Kelly Sullivan, Institutional S&T Investments, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Dr. Kelly O. Sullivan joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in 2001 and currently works with the Deputy Director for Science and Technology to provide leadership in developing PNNL’s long-term scientific vision and strategy for distinguishing PNNL within the scientific community and enabling its researchers to advance the boundaries of both scientific and engineering achievement. Sullivan has had multiple roles at the Laboratory. She has led the Laboratory’s S&T investments — a more than $80M annual investment portfolio for capability and business development — since 2012 and has stewarded the Linus Pauling Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship Program since its inception in 2009. She served as the Interim Director of Institutional Strategy in 2015. Prior to coming to PNNL, she was a chemistry professor at Mankato State University in Minnesota and at Creighton University in Nebraska. Sullivan’s research interests focus on the electronic structure of small molecules and ions. She received a B.S. in chemistry from Christian Brothers College and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Texas Tech University.
Ed Tan, Senior Hardware Electronics Engineer, Byte
After spending his college and initial career life on the East Coast, Ed moved to California’s Silicon Valley to develop novel lithography systems for the semiconductor industry. Since then, he has been working exclusively at early to mid-stage startups to enable these companies to release new or enhanced versions of their products. He is presently working on developing industrial automation controls for a robotic food preparation vending machine. Tan’s focus is on visible/IR and environmental sensors. He enjoys synthesizing his multi-disciplinary skills and cross-pollinating subject matter by practicing engineering, emergency medicine and the visual arts.
Peter Vollenberg, Chief Scientist, SABIC Specialties
After earning his PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology in The Netherlands, Vollenberg pursued a career in product development and polymer materials science with Dow Chemical, General Electric Plastics, and is currently with SABIC. Of his 36 years in the chemical industry, he worked in Europe 16 years and 20 years in the U.S. Vollenberg held various roles, all in research and development. Starting as an individual contributor, he moved to technical service and product development, interacting directly with major OEMs across Germany, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe. The next growth step was global technology management, followed by a Master Black Belt assignment, and six years as a Corporate Technology & Innovation programs manager. At the moment he is a Research Fellow with SABIC Specialties, stationed in Mount Vernon, Ind. Vollenberg has worked on a broad range of polymer materials innovations, as evidenced by the 37 granted (original) patents in his name. An additional 24 patent applications have been filed and are pending. Recent major achievements include winning multiple prestigious external awards, including a 2022 R&D 100 Award.
Scott Avery Watson
Watson has an MSEE with an emphasis on signal processing and has worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory for more than 30 years. During that time, he has built and operated major accelerator facilities like PHERMEX, CYGNUS, and DARHT. He is the world’s foremost expert in gas-cavity radiography, having pioneered the field and the modern, multiple-pulse version, which has enabled the United States to be a de facto signator to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Watson served two tours in Iraq as a subject matter expert for the Iraqi Search Group’s Nuclear Team. He is qualified in multiple, field-deployed positions in NEST/JTOT and presently serves on the Plutonium Verification Team. Watson holds 10 patents and has published more than 150 papers. He has been awarded 10 Defense Program Awards, six Distinguished Performance Awards, and three R&D 100 awards.
Mark Wehde, Mayo Clinic
Mark Wehde is chair of the Mayo Clinic Division of Engineering, assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, and fellow in the Mayo Clinic Academy of Educational Excellence. He is the executive leader of a team of engineers, software developers, and project managers with a focus on both product discovery and product delivery of solutions to problems faced by our healthcare providers. Wehde is also the Medical Device Innovation Fellow at the University of Minnesota Technology Leadership Institute and lecturer for the University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium. He is on the board of governors for the IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society and the IEEE Systems Council, is an affiliate of the University of Minnesota Medical Industry Leadership Institute and leads the Medical Device Innovation Consortium 5G-enabled Medical Device Landscape Analysis Workgroup. Mark is a Senior Fellow in the IEEE and a distinguished lecturer for the IEEE Systems Council. Wehde received a Master’s of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Iowa State University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from South Dakota State University, and a Master’s of Business Administration through the University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium.
Robert F. Williams, Bioscience Division, Biochemistry and Biotechnology Group, B-TEK, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Robert (Bob) Williams is bioorganic/physical organic chemist and a Scientist 5 at LANL. He is Team Lead for the National Stable Isotope Resource and Low Magnetic Field NMR Teams. Williams received his BS in chemistry/mathematics from Gettysburg College and a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry from Emory University under Dr. Fred Menger. Postdoctoral research in bioorganic chemistry was completed at UC-Santa Barbara prior to joining the University of Texas as an Assistant Professor. After promotion to full professor, he left UTSA and joined the University of Texas Health Science Center faculty with joint appointments in Biochemistry and Radiology. There, he was Chief of the Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Division of the Research Imaging Center and developed contrast agents for in vivo MRI applications using animal models. He joined the LANL staff in Biosciences in 2003 and has been an AAAS Fellow since 2021. Most recently his team received recognition by winning an R&D100 Award in analytical chemistry (2020) for SEDONA and R&D100 and Silver Market Disruption Awards for ERDE (2021). He is also the champion for LANL’s Emerging Threat Laboratory (ETL) which is a BSL2+ and select agent laboratory with a high hazard chemical laboratory for detection and study of the biological effects of Chemical Warfare Agents, toxins, and related materials.
Jian Zhang, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Jian Zhang is the Group Leader for the Building Simulation & Design Group in the Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). He is responsible for the BS&DG’s strategy development and implementation, staffing plans, facility and equipment refreshment, operational discipline, workplace culture, and external recognition of individuals and teams within the group. He focuses on developing and stewarding capabilities of the group’s 50+ staff in building energy modeling, software tool development, and analysis workflow automation for energy policy impact analyses and integrative building design processes. Zhang joined PNNL in 2009 after completing his Ph.D. degree in Building Engineering at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. He grew his technical career at PNNL to be a Chief Research Engineer and focused on the research areas of BEM, building energy codes, and energy efficiency. He has been a primary architect of PNNL’s prototype building model infrastructure to support the Building Energy Codes Program and other large-scale BEM capabilities and represented them broadly. Jian has served as the principal investigator on projects from multiple U.S. DOE Building Technologies Office programs and ARPA-E with an annual budget of $2-3M. He had a diversified project portfolio in BEM tool development, occupancy-based HVAC controls, building envelope, indoor air quality, and building performance standards.
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