Barry Rosenbaum, Ph.D., President & CEO
Dr. Rosenbaum is the President & CEO of Akron Ascent Innovations and also works with the University of Akron Research Foundation in a pro-bono position as Senior Fellow focused on promoting wealth creation, Angel Investment, and regional innovation in Northeast, Ohio. Dr. Rosenbaum retired from OMNOVA Solutions in 2005, where he served as Technology Director from 2000 until his retirement in 2005. Prior to 2000, Dr. Rosenbaum served as Technology Director of GenCorp, the parent company of OMNOVA. Dr. Rosenbaum retired from Advanced Elastomer Systems in 1997 (an affiliate of Exxon Mobil Chemical Company) where he was Vice President of Technology. In 1991, he helped to found Advanced Elastomer Systems as a joint venture between Exxon Chemical and Monsanto. Dr. Rosenbaum worked with Exxon Chemical Polymers Division for about 25 years and was active in the ACS Rubber Division and the IISRP. Dr. Rosenbaum spent six years in Europe with Exxon Chemical and was responsible for the European VISTALON EPDM Business from 1986 to 1990. He was Technology Manager of Exxon Chemical’s EPDM Rubber Business and Exxon Chemical’s butyl and halo butyl rubber business and was responsible for developing Exxon’s bromobutyl technology for tire inner liners. He also initiated Exxon’s new Exxpro Butyl Polymers Technology Platform Development. Dr. Rosenbaum has extensive industrial manufacturing experience, working as a Senior Process Engineer in Exxon’s Elastomer Plants in France and Baton Rouge, LA. In Baytown, Texas, he was Operations Head of Exxon’s Butyl Rubber Plant. Dr. Rosenbaum graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University in 1967 and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from The Cooper Union in 1963.
Shing-Chung "Josh" Wong, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer
Since 1999, Dr. Wong has graduated 11 masters, 5 PhDs and 9 postdocs. In addition to pursuing bio-inspired materials research, he has worked on mechanical behavior and functional properties of polymers, electrospinning, processing-structure-property relationships, coatings, bio- and nano-materials and composites. Dr. Wong has authored and coauthored over 70 archived articles in book, journal and patent literatures. His work is widely cited with a Hirsh index ~ 23 as of 2014. One of his pioneering papers on graphite nanocomposites was cited well over 300 times. He was awarded the competitive Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Australian Research Council and in 2007 he was selected as a recipient for the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award.
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Elyse Ball, Esq., chief financial officer
Ms. Ball serves as Assistant Counsel and Project Manager for the University of Akron Research Foundation where she regularly works on technology licensing projects and supporting university startup companies. Ms. Ball is the co-author of How to Invent and Protect Your Invention: A Guide to Patents for Scientists and Engineers. She is a licensed attorney. Prior to joining UARF, Ms. Ball worked for Health Care for All in Boston, Akron’s Community Legal Aid, and on corporate defense and business law projects for Leiby, Hanna, Rasnick. Ms. Ball holds a J.D. from Boston University.
Kevin White, ph.D., Principal Scientist
Dr. White