Contact Us Place Order
Return to Quantum Sphere Home Page
Ask A Question
Name ::
Email ::
Question ::
  
About Us    >  Contact Us  

Our Team

 


LEADERSHIP

QuantumSphere has assembled one of the strongest business and scientific teams in the world to manufacture and sell leading metallic nanopowder products for the aerospace, defense, energy and other markets that demand advanced material applications. QuantumSphere’s seasoned industry veterans have consistently demonstrated an unparalleled ability to rapidly execute, build and scale businesses. The company’s diverse, world-class technology team has established a solid, proven foundation to manufacture and sell the world’s purest nano powders.

 

Kevin Maloney
President, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

Kevin Maloney has a long-standing history of starting, building and scaling successful businesses. Mr. Maloney’s seasoned investment, managerial, sales and marketing experience has significantly contributed to QuantumSphere’s global exposure and rapid business growth over the last three years. Prior to Co-Founding QuantumSphere, Mr. Maloney was Vice President of Institutional Marketing at First American Capital Management, an institutional investment advisory firm that services endowment funds, foundations and pension plans. Previously, Mr. Maloney served as a Compliance Officer and Registered Principal at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO). Mr. Maloney has raised funds for numerous private equity placements and holds NASD Series 7, 26, 63 and 65 securities licenses. Mr. Maloney has been awarded two U.S. patents and earned his B.A. from the University of California, Irvine and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.


R. Douglas Carpenter, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer & Co-Founder

Dr. Carpenter’s background includes over 30 years of senior technology and business leadership positions servicing military, industry and government research institutions. Previously, Dr. Carpenter served as the Chief Scientist of Technanogy, a nanomaterials manufacturing company focused on the production of nanoaluminum particles. Prior to Technanogy, Dr. Carpenter served as Staff Scientist at Hercules Aerospace Company and as Staff Scientist at Aerojet, a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader serving the missile, space propulsion, defense and armaments markets. Previously, Dr. Carpenter held a faculty position at University of the Pacific, CA and he was a member of staff at the Facility for Advanced Instrumentation at the University of California , Davis . Dr. Carpenter earned an M.S. in Organic Chemistry from University of the Pacific in 1974 and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California-Davis in 2000 where he concentrated on fracture testing and fabrication of functionally graded titanium/titanium-monoboride materials.

Selected publications:
Aumann, Christopher E.; Carpenter, R. Douglas; O’Neill, Edward H.; Pesiri, David R.; Walter, Kevin C. Synthesis, Characterization and Properties of Energetic/Reactive Nanomaterials. Materials Research Society Symposium – Proceedings, 2003; v800; 27-37.

Paulino GH, Carpenter RD, Liang WW, Munir ZA, Gibeling JG. Fracture testing and finite element modeling of pure titanium. Eng Frac Mech 2001; v68; 1417-1432.

Carrillo-Heian EM, Carpenter RD, Paulino GH, Gibeling JC, Munir, ZA. Dense layered molybdenum disilicide-silicon carbide functionally graded composites formed by field-activated synthesis. J Am Ceram Soc 2001; v84; 962-968.

Carpenter RD, Liang WW, Paulino GH, Gibeling JC, Munir ZA. Fracture testing and analysis of a layered functionally graded Ti/TiB beam in 3-point bending. Mater Sci Forum 1999; 308-311: 837-842.


Patrick Deane
Chief Operations Officer, Director of Finance

Mr. Deane has extensive hands-on experience working in public, pre-IPO, and established technology firms. His strong operations and financial leadership are evidenced in his over twelve years of senior executive experience. Mr. Deane has established a reputation not only as a dynamic team builder, but also as an implementer of processes that revolutionize organizational effectiveness. Prior to joining the team at QuantumSphere, Mr. Deane was VP of Finance, and later VP of Operations, of the number two Internet content distribution firm, VitalStream Holdings, Inc (OTC: VSTH). He also served as Controller of ITB, a Beneventure Capitol Portfolio Company. Mr. Deane holds a bachelor’s degree in Business from California State University at Fullerton and an MBA from Pepperdine University.


Kimberly M. McGrath, Ph.D.
Director of Fuel Cell Research
Dr. McGrath has over five years experience in the design of catalysts, membranes, and components for direct oxidation fuel cells. She has extensive knowledge of fuel cell performance evaluation and electrochemical characterization of anode and cathode catalysts. Dr. McGrath received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of Southern California, where she studied composite proton exchange membranes and new binary cathode catalysts with increased activity and methanol tolerance for direct methanol fuel cells.

Selected publications:
McGrath, K.; Prakash, G.K.S.; Olah, G.A., “Direct Methanol Fuel Cells,” J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 2004, 10(7), 1063-1080.

Prakash, G.K.S.; Smart, M.C.; Wang, Q-J.; Atti, A.; Pleynet, V.; Yang, B.; McGrath, K.; Olah, G.A.; Narayanan, S.R.; Chun, W.; Valdez, T.; Surampudi, S., “High Efficiency Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Based on Poly(styrenesulfonic) Acid (PSSA)-Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) Composite Membranes,” J. Fluorine Chemistry, 2004,125, 1217.

Munichandraiah, N.; McGrath, K.; Prakash, G.K.S.; Aniszfeld, R.; Olah, G.A., “A Potentiomentric Method of Monitoring Methanol Crossover Through Polymer Electrolyte Membranes of Direct Methanol Fuel Cells,” J. Power Sources, 2003, 117, 98.


Benjamin V. Mork, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist, Technical Liaison
Dr. Mork has over eight years of research experience in inorganic chemistry, including orgaonmetallic synthesis, main group chemistry, and heterogeneous catalysis. Prior to QuantumSphere, he worked for two years at Symyx Technologies, Inc. on collaborative projects with clients in the petrochemical industry. The focus of this work was to discover and develop selective heterogeneous catalysts for gas-phase partial oxidation of hydrocarbons. Dr. Mork received his B.S. in chemistry from the University of California, Davis, and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. His thesis work concentrated on the synthesis and unique properties of molecules that feature metal-silicon multiple bonds.

Selected Publications:
Mork, B. V.; Tilley, T. D., “Synthons for Coordinatively Unsaturated Complexes of Tungsten, and Their Use for the Synthesis of High Oxidation-State Silylene Complexes,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 4375.

Mork, B. V.; Tilley, T. D.; Schultz, A. J.; Cowan, J. A., “Silylene Hydride Complexes of Molybdenum with Silicon-Hydrogen Interactions: Neutron Structure of (eta-5-C5Me5)(Me2PCH2CH2PMe2)Mo(H)(SiEt2),” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 10428.

Mork, B. V.; Tilley, T. D., “Multiple Bonding Between Silicon and Molybdenum: A Transition-Metal Complex with Considerable Silylyne Character,” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2003, 42, 357.


Mark Fullerton
Senior R&D Scientist
Mr. Fullerton brings to QuantumSphere over twenty-five years of industrial experience in product development, analytical research and technical support for manufacturing and customers. Mr. Fullerton’s previous work included the formulation and process development of dry-film photoresists, operations experience with scanning electron microscopy, x-ray spectroscopy, IR and NMR spectroscopy. Mr. Fullerton held a variety of positions at Dynachem Corp., a Rohm and Haas (NYSE: ROH) specialty chemical company, where he served as: Senior Technician; Associate Chemist; Chemist; Senior Chemist; Project Leader; Associate Scientist; Scientist; and Senior Scientist. In his past position, Mr. Fullerton’s previous interested included: investigating the causes of variation in buried resistors for a Passives Materials group where he developed a statistical template for the measurement of process capability; and the invention of a non-destructive small-defect detection system for use in the high-speed web-coating process used to manufacture photoresist. Mr. Fullerton received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine.

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Marc H. Goroff, Ph.D., Director
Dr. Marc H. Goroff has 22 years of groundbreaking experience in business, technology and academia. Upon completing his Ph.D., Dr. Goroff remained at California Institute of Technology to perform advanced research in the applications of super computers to theoretical physics. Dr. Goroff left academia to found a company, Parasoft, to develop tools for parallel computing. Dr. Goroff also served as the Director of Development, Sandpiper Networks and RDI, Reliable Distributed Information Corporation. His diverse experience has ranged from developing embedded code for real time micro controllers to operating system development on the world’s fastest supercomputers.

Dr. Goroff earned his B.S. in Physics and his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from California Institute of Technology.


Jon Faiz Kayyem, Ph.D., Director

Jon Faiz Kayyem is Chief Technical Officer of Clinical Micro Sensors, Inc., a Motorola Company. Dr. Kayyem’s research in molecular and cellular biology, genetics and DNA analysis have been focused on the development of powerful tools for the emerging genomics field. While at the California Institute of Technology, Dr. Kayyem received several research awards including the Beckman Institute Research Fellow in Biology, the Helen G. and Arthur McCallum Fellow and the Office of Naval Research Predoctoral Fellowship. In 1995, Jon Faiz Kayyem, Ph.D., founded Clinical Micro Sensors, now an operating subsidiary of Motorola Inc., to commercialize technical innovations he developed while at The California Institute of Technology. Clinical Micro Sensors uses advanced electronics and biochemistry to create electronic detectors of specific DNA sequences. These "biosensors" have been used in the diagnosis of disease, the detection of environmental pathogens and in monitoring food safety. A novel use for these sensors is emerging in the field of personalized medicine, where these sensors are being used to identify genetic signatures in individual patients that can help determine the appropriate what drug and dosage best suit the individual’s need. As part of Motorola’s Growth Platform Businesses, Clinical Micro Sensors is emerging as an important player in the new field of applied genomics. The company plans to launch its first genetic carrier screen into the clinical diagnostics field in early 2005, followed shortly by additional tests for clinically relevant mutations and polymorphisms (SNPs).

Dr. Kayyem is a distinguished scientist with many research publications to his credit in such respected journals as the Journal of Organic Chemistry, Journal of American Chemical Society, Journal of Cell Biology, European Journal of Biochemistry, and Chemistry and Biology. Most of these publications address issues of electron flow in organic molecules. His other works have involved the development of new MRI contrast agents and studies of DNA using a novel chemical force microscopy system.

Since 1997, Dr. Kayyem has been awarded thirty-one U.S. patents in nucleic acid detection technology, all licensed to or owned by Clinical Micro Sensors. The intellectual property describes the bio-electronic detection of DNA and numerous methods and compositions for detecting and analyzing DNA. In addition to his role as with Clinical Micro Sensors, Dr. Kayyem serves as an advisor to four privately held startup businesses.

Dr. Kayyem earned a B.S. and M.S. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from The California Institute of Technology. Dr. Kayyem remained at Caltech as a Senior Research Fellow for several years before launching his own venture. Dr. Kayyem is a Caltech Associate and a Fellow of The Huntington.


Robert S. Venable, CFA, Director
Mr. Venable provides a unique combination of business development, financial, and engineering experience.  As Chief Investment Officer for First American Capital Management, an investment advisor providing services to institutional, endowments, foundations and high net worth clientele, Mr. Venable led all investment decision-making activities as well as the investment operations, securities trading, and compliance efforts of the firm.  Prior to joining First American, Mr. Venable served as Vice President in charge of Global Asset Allocation at PIMCO Advisors, L.P.  He also held the position of Vice President, Equity Portfolio Manager at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO).  Prior to returning to graduate school to obtain his M.B.A., Mr. Venable was a Manufacturing Development Engineer for Hewlett-Packard (HP).  At HP, Mr. Venable coordinated the manufacturing of Personal Computer products at divisions throughout the world.  He was the manufacturing team leader on several new product introductions, including one that, due to its time-to-market success, became the feature story of a trade magazine.

Mr. Venable received his M.B.A. in Finance, graduating with Distinction, from the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania and earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, graduating with High Honors.  He has held a number of securities licenses including the Series 6 and 66.  Mr. Venable is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the Los Angeles Society of Financial Analysts.  He is also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.

 

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY TEAM

George Olah, Ph.D.
Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry (1994); currently Director of the University of Southern California’s Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute and Distinguished Professor in Organic Chemistry

One of the world’s preeminent scholars of hydrocarbon chemistry, Professor George Olah received the 1994 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for groundbreaking work on superacids and his observations of carbocations, a fleeting chemical species long theorized to exist but never confirmed. Olah devised a way to “freeze” the chemical process in time, enabling chemists to study their properties. What he found has revolutionized organic chemistry, leading to new discoveries, new fields of research and countless applications. Olah has made significant research contributions to the practical development of improved lead-free gasoline, cleaner high-octane gas and other promising nonpolluting fuels, as well as many chemical processes now used in pharmaceutical and industrial chemistry.

Focus on Fuel Cells – Fuel Cells have long been a research interest of Dr. Olah. His discoveries have led to the development of a new kind of fuel cell, called the direct liquid methanol fuel cell, that is a highly efficient and convenient source of electricity. His most recent research centers on the conversion of two greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane, into useful fuels and products, investigations driven by his long-standing interest in energy and environmental issues. To find new solutions to these pressing issues, Olah is working to develop new, cleaner and renewable energy technologies, based on methanol, to replace diminishing oil reserves while reducing levels of greenhouse gases.

Dr. Olah is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a member of foreign academies and societies.  He has published some 1300 scientific papers, 15 books and has been issued some 120 patents.  In 2003, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun of Japan for his continued work promoting chemistry in Japan.  In addition he was awarded the Priestly Medal in 2005 from the American Chemical Society.


Robert Dopp
Robert is one of the foremost authorities on Zinc Air Fuel Cell and Air Electrode technology with 36 related patents bearing his name. During his 18 year career as an Engineer at Rayovac Corporation, he was a principal developer of the Zinc Air hearing aid battery and lead engineer in the development of the Air Cathode component.

Working remotely from his laboratory in Marietta Georgia as “Director of Research – New Products” for Electric Fuel Corporation of Israel, he designed a state-of-the-art cathode machine, making the highest rate air cathode in the world. This effort resulted in the highest capacity and highest power consumer battery.

As a consultant to the Fuel Cell and Battery related industries, he offers expertise in a wide range and depth of knowledge in battery systems. He has helped develop components and designs resulting in longer-life batteries with over four times the energy density of Alkaline cylindrical cells, and many tens of times higher energy than many rechargeable batteries. His onsite laboratory gives him considerable flexibility, consulting on the electrochemistry and design of gas electrodes and building cathode machines.

Partnering with QuantumSphere, Inc Robert is developing electrodes for the fuel cell and battery industry using cutting edge catalysts based on QSI’s nanomaterials. Phase two of the partnership encompasses the development of an apparatus for hydrogen generation through more efficient water electrolysis.

Robert has been a guest lecturer on University campuses across the country and at technical associations. He now offers consulting services to corporations seeking solutions to today’s power challenges, with a focus on IP opportunities.


H. Robert Harrison, MD, Ph.D.
Dr. Harrison holds a B.S. degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry from Yale University, a D. Phil. in x-ray crystallography from Oxford, where he studied on a Marshall Scholarship with Nobel Laureate Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, and an M.D. from Harvard University.  He is Board Certified in the practice of General Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases, and holds an M.P.H. in Epidemiology from the University of Washington School of Public Health. He spent nine years in academic medicine performing research, teaching, and doing patient care, three of which were in joint appointment with the Centers for Disease Control.  During that period he evaluated NIH grant requests and research proposals from universities all over the country as a member of the Bacteriology and Mycology study section of the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Harrison has been in the private practice of Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases for the last twenty years, and he is currently Consultant in Pediatric I.D. and hospital Epidemiologist at Children’s healthcare of Atlanta.  He is broadly familiar with many exciting research areas in medicine, and he will be lending his expertise in Science and Medicine toward helping QSI evaluate and develop applications of nanotechnology to medical diagnosis and treatment.  He also hopes to help QSI evaluate collaborative opportunities and research protocols with universities in these areas.


Amit Kumar, Ph.D.
Dr. Kumar has been President and CEO of Combimatrix Corporation(NASDAQ:CBMX) since September 2001. He has been a Director since September 2000. Previously, Dr. Kumar was Vice President of Life Sciences of Acacia Research Corp. (NASDAQ: ACRI). From January 1999 to February 2000, Dr. Kumar was the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of Signature BioSciences, Inc., a life science company developing technology for advanced research in genomics, proteomics and drug discovery. From January 1998 to December 1999, Dr. Kumar was an Entrepreneur in Residence with Oak Investment Partners, a venture capital firm. From October 1996 to January 1998, Dr. Kumar was a Senior Manager at IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., a biotechnology company. From October 1993 to September 1996, Dr. Kumar was Head of Research & Development for Idetek Corporation, which was later acquired by Idexx Laboratories, Inc. Dr. Kumar received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Occidental College. After joint studies at Stanford University and the California Institute of Technology, he received his Ph.D. from Caltech in 1991. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard University in 1993.

Dr. Kumar’s interest in nanotechnology started with his doctoral studies at Stanford University and the California Institute of Technology where he studied semiconductor solar cells. After completing his Ph.D. he served as a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University where, working with Professor George Whitesides, he was the co-inventor and author of several pioneering patents on a nanotechnology now known as Micro-Contact Printing and Soft Lithography. These patents have been licensed by Fortune 500 companies and younger public and private biotechnology firms. Since that time Dr. Kumar has worked as a scientist, a venture capitalist and company executive focused in the areas of miniaturization and nanotech. CombiMatrix is commercializing a semiconductor-based array technology that enables executing thousands of independent, chemical reactions in parallel in volumes of a few tenths of nanoliters. Commercial applications of this technology include highly parallel genetic analysis microarrays, materials synthesis, drug development, and biodefense detection systems. Dr. Kumar is a board member of the NanoBusiness Alliance and a member of the steering committee of the Washington Nanotechnology Initiative.

 

BUSINESS/LEGAL ADVISORY TEAM

Bill Collins
Managing Director, Starboard Venture Partners
Past President, Tech Coast Angels, Los Angeles

Bill Collins is a managing director of Starboard Venture Partners, LLC and is an executive committee member of the Tech Coast Angels in LA. Bill started his career at Intel Corporation, quickly becoming a lead sales person on the IBM account and helping to establish the Intel-IBM relationship. He was a key executive for International Rectifier, ramping the company from $60M to over $700M. Collins was instrumental in taking IR’s power MOS technology from the early adopter phase to global market leadership in multiple market segments. He then became an angel investor and is a prolific deal lead with a successful portfolio. He serves in multiple BOD and advisory roles and is a certified corporate director. He is a frequent industry panelist and guest lecturer at CalTech, USC and LARTA. Bill has an EE degree from Clarkson University.


Vincent C. (Vinny) Smith
Chairman and CEO, Quest Software
NASDAQ: QSFT

Due to his drive, team spirit, enthusiasm and motivation, Vinny Smith has been dubbed the “archetypal athlete of the business game” by a leading trade magazine. As chairman and chief executive officer, Smith leads one of the premier application management companies in the software industry. When he joined Quest as an investor and director in 1995, the company had 25 employees and $4 million in revenue. Today Quest has more than 2,250 employees in offices around the world and $389 million in sales.

Prior to joining Quest Software, Smith co-founded Patrol Software. He personally financed the company and ran North American operations, which included worldwide sales and marketing. After BMC Software acquired Patrol Software in 1994, Smith worked with BMC for one year to assist with the transition from a mainframe-oriented company to an open systems solution provider.

Before Patrol Software, Smith rose through the ranks at Oracle Corporation for five years in variety of sales and marketing positions. While at Oracle, Smith worked under Tom Siebel, where he managed over 60 sales representatives and the accompanying technical and operations staff required for the success of the division. In 1986, he graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in computer science and minor in economics.


Karen Winnett
Corporate Counsel
Preston, Gates & Ellis LLP
Ms. Winnett, a partner in the Orange County office, practices primarily in the areas of securities, mergers and acquisitions and finance. Ms. Winnett represents clients in public and private offerings of securities, ongoing Securities and Exchange Commission reporting and compliance, business sales and acquisitions, reorganizations, shareholder buy-sell agreements, limited liability company organization and general business and employment matters.

Ms. Winnett has served as counsel to public companies in SBIC debenture financing and initial and secondary equity offerings; to development stage companies in equity private placements; and to partnerships and limited liability companies engaged in public and private real estate syndications. Ms. Winnett has also represented numerous sellers and purchasers of manufacturing businesses involving complex structures, and has served as counsel to a nationwide franchisor in regulatory compliance and franchisee matters. Ms. Winnett also prepares general business and corporate documents for clients and counsels clients with respect to employment issues.

Ms. Winnett received her juris doctor degree from the University of Southern California . She earned a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in economics from California State University, Long Beach .


Vito Canuso
Intellectual Property Counsel
Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear
Vito A. Canuso III has been a partner with Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear since 1995. His practice includes both IP litigation and patent and trademark prosecution matters. He handles and has handled numerous IP litigation matters dealing primarily with the enforcement and defense of patent infringement and trademark infringement issues. The technology involved in those litigation matters has included semiconductor processing equipment, pharmaceuticals, telephony, motorized watercraft, medical devices, controllers, circuit board devices, manufacturing of nanomaterials and devices, golf balls and accounting business methods. He has litigated cases before district courts throughout the U.S. and before the ITC, as well as appeals to the Federal Circuit. Mr. Canuso has also litigated rights of publicity and unfair competition issues. His patent prosecution docket is focused primarily on medical devices for numerous life sciences companies in primarily cardiovascular and pulmonary fields.

Mr. Canuso received his juris doctor degree from the University of San Diego. He earned a master’s degree in Environmental Health Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a bachelors of science in Mechanical Engineering at Villanova University

 

 
Home l About Us l Partnerships l Applications l Technology l Products l QuantumSphere News
© 2006 QuantumSphere, Inc.
2905 Tech Center Drive, Santa Ana, CA 92705
Phone: 714-545-NANO (6266)    Fax: 714-545-6265   Email