Senior Scientist,
Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, 1976 to 2005.
Senior physicist with over
40 years of experience in solar energy conversion, light
scattering, processing of materials, instrumentation, and
electro-optics. Invented and developed a new class of solar
receivers using particles as radiant absorbers for
electricity generation, chemical reactors, thermochemical
storage, and space propulsion and power systems. Installed,
operated, and analyzed data from four automatic circumsolar
telescopes to quantify the solar resource. Initiated
projects to develop aerogels for high performance thermal
insulation for DOE, new composite materials, space dust
catchers for NASA, and solar collectors. Pioneered new
applications of light scattering in biophysics and studied
unicellular marine organisms to predict the optical
properties of the ocean for ONR. Discovered new processes
for supercritical drying of aerogel, thermodynamic engine
cycles, nanophase composites, and methods to produce fine
particles. Invented a variety of devices, including the
polarization-modulated nephelometer, environmental and
magnetic instrumentation, holograms for daylight control,
and a novel wind electric generator.
Created and led the
Microstructured Materials Group at
LBNL. Established an international reputation as a
researcher in solar thermal energy, light scattering, and
aerogel development. Conceived and developed ideas from
proposals to funded projects. Acting as a principal
investigator directed scientists, engineers, students, and
technicians on scores of diverse projects. Directed and
supervised five Ph.D. students and many Master's theses at
U. C. Berkeley. Established international collaborations in
Germany, Switzerland, Israel, Sri Lanka, and Spain to carry
out solar energy conversion research using small particles.
Awarded a Senior Fulbright Fellowship to study industrial
applications of solar thermal energy in Africa. Received the
Technology Transfer Award from Federal Laboratory Consortium
and Excellence Award from LBNL for the development and
commercialization of aerogel. Won the
Energy 100 Award for the development of the Diesel
Particle Scatterometer as one of the 100 most significant
scientific accomplishments in the history of DOE. Initiated
and carried out a multinational project to build and test a
solar receiver based on small particle absorption.
Co-principle investigator on a current project to design a
prototype Small Particle Heat Exchange Receiver at San Diego
State University under the sponsorship of
Google.org.
Authored 14 patents and
over 120 publications.
President, Particle Technology
Associates, 1979 to 2005
Founded an independent consulting and research/development firm
involved in advanced energy conversion devices instrumentation, and
materials.
Member of the Board and Consultant, Thermalux, Inc., Richmond,
California, 1986 to 2007
Co-founder and director of a company to commercialize the production
of silica aerogel.
Senior Fulbright Research Scholar, Sub Saharan Africa, 1985
Proposed and carried out a research program to study the application
of solar thermal energy to various industries in the developing
countries of Kenya, Botswana, and Togo.
Post Doctoral Research Associate, University of Arizona, Optical
Sciences Center, 1974 to 1976.
Performed experimental and theoretical studies of the electric field
penetration into metals and detection of the resulting band
structure perturbation by reflectance spectroscopy. Participated in
the design, fabrication, and characterization of thin film selective
coatings for solar thermal applications.
Research Associate/Teaching Assistant, University of Arizona,
Physics Department, 1968 to 1974.
Invented and developed the polarization modulation nephelometer to
measure the complete Mueller scattering matrix that was used to
study the optical properties of ocean water, cancer studies, and
virus identification. Thesis advisor: Donald Huffman, discoverer of
solid C60.
Peace Corps Volunteer Teacher Ibrahim School, Sungei Patani,
Malaysia, 1965 to 1968.
Taught first year University Physics courses.
Project Physicist, Stanford Research Institute, 1964 to 1965.
Directed a project to study shock-induced changes in alkali halide
crystals to study their high pressure and temperature optical
properties.
Assistant Research Physicist, Univac Corporation, St. Paul,
Minnesota, 1959 to 1963.
Designed and built several instruments to measure the magnetic
properties of thin magnetic films.
Cooperative Student-Instrumentation, White Sands Missile Range,
1957 to 1959.
Worked in the standards and instrumentation section and gained
experience in instrumentation, electrical standards, shock and
vibration standards, and missile telemetry. |