San Diego, California, United States
• Executive R&D leader experienced at working at the interface of business, technology, and manufacturing. • Focus on leading teams in new product/process development in the specialty materials space. • Demonstrated innovation portfolio management and project management skills. Technical Expertise - Battery Cathode Materials - Pharmaceutical Excipients - Polymer/Materials Science - Organic/Inorganic Solids Processing - Process/Equipment Hazard Analysis - Intellectual Property - Cost Modeling Business Expertise - Innovation Processes - Portfolio Management - Technology/Business Strategy - Technology/Market Assessments - Customer/Supplier Collaborations - Technical/Business Writing and Presentations Anything I say, post, or express on LinkedIn are my views and opinions alone and does not reflect the intentions, strategies, views or opinions of my employer.
- Responsible for strategic and operational leadership of the Cathode Process R&D/Scale-Up, High-Throughput Research Laboratory, and Mechanical & Electrical Engineering teams. - Maintained and optimized the high throughput platform (HTP) research operations by streamlining, expanding, and improving capabilities in material synthesis, chemical/physical characterization, and battery testing. - Built cathode pilot production capabilities and led process development of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and disordered rock salt (DRx) cathode materials. - Worked with external EPC firm translating process development to manufacturing plant design. - Developed raw material sourcing strategy to maximize the domestic options for key cathode raw materials. - Established Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) system, incorporating HAZOP/PHA tools, near-miss reporting, incident reviews, and regular training sessions to reduce safety risks/incidents/injuries. - Integrated AI tools into process research efforts to accelerate learning, add data management/analysis capabilities, and improve scale-up process design.
- Continued leadership role through the acquisition of DuPont Nutrition Biosciences division by International Flavors & Fragrances. - Successfully led organization through separation and integration activities, ensuring talent retention, organizational continuity, and business resilience—while simultaneously managing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. - Represented Pharma Solutions business as part of the senior R&D leadership team reporting to IFF Chief Technology Officer and continuing to lead global Pharma Solutions team. - Managed innovation project portfolio through close partnership with Portfolio Management Office, Strategic/Product Marketing, Manufacturing, and Quality leadership to protect and grow the business. - Led cross-functional team across Pharma Solutions business to respond to emerging FDA regulations on nitrosamines in drug products. - Continued to drive Pharma Solutions Innovation strategy while also supporting broader IFF platforms with our world class polymer design and characterization capabilities.
- Led global R&D organization of Pharma Solutions excipients business (annual revenue ~$800MM) within DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences division. - Represented Pharma Solutions business as part of the senior R&D leadership team and led global team across three continents to develop innovative excipient technologies, provide customer technical support, and support cost reduction/quality improvement initiatives in manufacturing assets. - Managed innovation project portfolio through close partnership with Portfolio Management Office, Strategic/Product Marketing, Manufacturing, and Quality leadership to protect and grow the business. - Negotiated with the Dow Chemical Company to retain ownership of critical intellectual property for Pharma/Food/Industrial business as it entered DuPont. - Created new global R&D organization from heritage Dow Chemical and FMC Pharma excipient divisions defining key centers of excellence and consolidating laboratory footprint. - Revamped business' innovation strategy and execution practices based on historical delivery of innovation products, regulatory constraints, and market attractiveness. - Site leader for Larkin Laboratory facility housing R&D/Application Development teams from three divisions of DuPont.
DOW FOOD, PHARMA & MEDICAL - Led team responsible for new excipient technologies for oral immediate/controlled formulations, drug solubilization, and topical/transdermal delivery. - Setting and tracking progress against goals, providing coaching/performance feedback, identifying development opportunities. - Developing and driving a portfolio of innovation projects designed to deliver short and long term value for the business. - Launched METHOCEL™ DC2, METHOCEL™ K200M, ETHOCEL™ HP, and AFFINISOL™ products. - Designed online formulation portal to modernize customers' technical information access and access modeling tools to facilitate drug formulation. - Led design and construction of Pharma applications laboratory in Dow Northeast Technology Center (Collegeville, PA) and designed new Customer Innovation Center (Auburn, MI) to house research and applications teams of Dow’s Consumer Solutions division.
DOW PHARMA & FOOD SOLUTIONS Innovation portfolio manager responsible for both Pharma and Food & Nutrition market segments: - Establishing and driving the new product development (i.e. stage gate) process. - Interfacing with marketing, research and development, and sales to evaluate projects and insure project deliverables are of consistent quality and accuracy to support informed decisions. - Evaluating overall innovation portfolio for proper allocation of resources against short and long term opportunities, elements of risk associated with projects, and acceleration opportunities to drive growth in the business. Responsible for leading a team of scientists and technologists dedicated to developing new excipient technologies for modified release pharmaceutical formulations: - Setting and tracking progress against goals, providing coaching/performance feedback, identifying development opportunities. - Providing technology representation to market business team responsible for setting and implementing business strategy. - Serving as conduit with technical sales team to identify new product opportunities and facilitate communication across functions and geography.
- Served as R&D project manager within three divisions of The Dow Chemical Company. - Worked closely with commercial counterparts to complete market segmentation, value chain analysis, and voice-of-customer engagements insuring opportunities are real and worth pursuing. - Served as main technical contact for teams anywhere from 3 to 15 full time equivalents across multiple disciplines including materials synthesis, manufacturing process development, application development, environmental health & safety, and customer engagement. DOW WOLFF CELLULOSICS – PHARMACEUTICALS R&D Immediate Release Technologies - Led R&D projects dedicated to developing new excipient technologies for immediate release pharmaceutical formulations. - Partnered with Marketing & Communications group to generate key promotional information for METHOCEL™ VLV in tablet coatings and drug layering. DOW ENERGY MATERIALS – R&D Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP) Cathode Technology - Led global (NA, EU, China) team focused on optimizing LMFP material synthesis routes improving full cell performance while simultaneously developing a multigenerational manufacturing plan. - Enhanced internal product development by maintaining select customer relationships, providing valuable feedback to guide program. VENTURES & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Filtration Platform Leader - Led global team (NA, EU) for new business development initiative based on nanofiber filtration technology. - Accelerated technology development by bringing in external capabilities (consultants, contract research, theoretical modeling) to supplement internal capabilities. - Collaborated with commercial leader to complete market segmentation, value chain analysis, and focus technical team on demonstrating a competitive value proposal.
• Identified opportunity and compiled the business case for a new business platform within Merchant Gases business with potential revenues of $200 MM in five years. Key information included: Target Markets and Amenable Revenue, Value Chain Positioning, Potential Offerings, Competitive Analysis, alignment with Air Products Capabilities, Resources, and Market Presence. • Collaborated with start-up company, APJet, Inc., to validate opportunities for atmospheric pressure plasma technology within Merchant Gases markets.