Management

Dr. Steven Oldenburg- President and Founder

Ph.D. in Applied Physics, Rice University

Steve received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Rice University in one of the first graduate courses designed specifically to study and develop nanotechnology. At Rice, he discovered a method of fabricating gold nanoshells, a nanoscale composite material that consists of a spherical silica core surrounded by an ultra-thin shell of gold. By varying the relative dimensions of the core and shell, the nanoshells can be tuned to absorb or scatter light at nearly any wavelength in the visible and near infrared regions of the spectrum. In 2004 he founded nanoComposix to commercialize multi-functional, highly charcterized nanomaterials for industrial and research markets. He has over 20 nanotechnology publications and 5 issued patents.

Research Leads

Dr. Richard Baldwin- Research Lead in Bionanotechnology

Ph.D. in Organometallic Chemistry, Australian National University

After receiving his PhD, Richard completed postdoctoral research at UCIrvine working on homogeneous olefin amination catalysis and silsesquioxane materials. He then worked with silicon nanoparticles for solar energy collection at UCDavis, and developed novel fluorescent nanoparticles for in vivo imaging at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. Richard has a diverse background in both biological systems and synthetic inorganic chemistry and he leads bionanotechnology projects in drug delivery, molecular imaging, and wound healing.

Dr. Tom Darlington- Research Lead in Composites

Ph.D. in Macromolecular and Cellular Structure and Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute

Tom is a research scientist with 17 years experience in composite research, nanomaterial fabrication & integration, chemistry, analytical assay development, and molecular & cell biology. Tom is developing technology in the areas of self-healing carbon fiber composites, thermal interface materials, transparent conductive thin films, lightning strike prevention, and conductive morphable skins for UAVs. He joined nanoComposix in 2005 and leads multifunctional composite and nanomaterial production and synthesis efforts.

Dr. Matt Spencer- Research Lead in Molecular Detection

Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry, University of California, San Diego

Matt is a research chemist with a background in mass spectrometry, aerosol science, atmospheric chemistry and protein biochemistry. He has extensive experience using dual ion time-of-flight mass spectrometers, pulsed laser systems, high vacuum systems and aerosol characterization instrumentation. Matt is currently leading a biomolecular detection project where gold nanoparticles are being used as a high sensitivity low background matrix for MALDI tissue imaging of biomarkers that are not typically observed using standard organic matrices.

Dr. Arianne Neigh- Research Lead in Nanotoxicology

Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry/Zoology, Michigan State University

Arianne's background in toxicology and risk assessment of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems includes exposure and effects studies of endocrine distributing compounds, persistent organic pollutants, and organochlorines. Following her graduate work, she joined CDM Federal Servicesas a consultant on human health and environmental risk assessment to military, government, and industrial clients under the CERCLA and RCRA programs. At nanoComposix, Arianne evaluates the fate and transport of nanoparticles in the environment, and researches the toxicity of nanomaterials using in vivo, in vitro, and biological model systems.

Mr. Andy Siekkinen- Research Lead in Plasmonics

M.S. in Materials Chemistry, University of Washington

Andy's research focuses on exploring, developing, and optimizing the synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles. At the University of Washington he developed new methods of producing silver nanocubes and gold nanocages that are currently used in biomedical applications.  At nanoComposix, Andy is responsible for the development of a wide range of plasmonic nanoparticles that have scattering and absorbing properties that can be tuned to specific wavelengths in the visible and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Mr. John Holecek- Research Lead in Obscurants and Signature Management

M.S. in Earth Science from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography

John's background is in the effects of natural and anthropogenic aerosols on climate, and has researched atmospheric events ranging from brown clouds in the tropics to ozone loss in the Arctic. He has extensive experience with aerosol characterization instruments, mass spectrometry, chemi-luminescent instruments and pulsed laser systems. John is currently leading projects that utilize metal nanoparticles as novel obscurants to block or pass specific wavelengths in the visible, near-IR, and mid-IR regions of the spectrum.

Dr. David Sebba- Research Lead in Nanophotonics and Nanoparticle Optics

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University

Dave has a wide ranging background in plasmonics and nanoparticle optics, including particle synthesis and surface chemistry, design and assembly of complex multi-particle structures, and single particle spectroscopy techniques.  After receiving his Ph.D., he completed postdoctoral research at the La Jolla Bioengineering Institute where he developed novel bimetallic nanoparticle surface-enhanced Raman scattering tags for biosensing applications.  Dave is currently working on engineering plasmonic nanoparticles with specific and tunable spectral signatures in the visible and near-IR regions of the spectrum.