SmallTech
Consulting Advisory and Extended Team
 Nasreen Chopra, Ph.D |
Nanotechnology, Management, Alternative Energy |
| Mike Daneman, Ph.D. |
MEMS, Optics, Packaging, Alternative Energy |
| Neha Choksi, MSEE |
MEMS, Nanotechnology |
| Dominic Massetti, MS |
Intellectual Property, Semiconductors, Nanotechnology |
| Minnie Sarwal, MD, MRCP, DCH, Ph.D. |
Medicine |
| Carolyn Carhart-Quezada, BSEE, MS |
Semiconductors, Management |
| Byron Shaw, Ph.D |
Sensors, Energy, Automotive, Management |
| Elizabeth Carr, Ph.D. |
Materials Characterization, Semiconductors |
| Liz Lison, BS Medical Science |
FDA Regulatory Affairs |
| Theresa Lober, Patent Agent, MS |
Intellectual Property, MEMS |
| Tamara Barr, RN, MPH |
Medicine |
Nasreen Chopra, Ph.D
Dr. Nasreen Chopra is an entrepreneur with ten years of experience in discovering, developing and transferring new materials technology into application. Dr. Chopra was co-founder and CEO of Koila, Inc, a venture backed start-up company addressing cooling of microelectronics, where she generated core IP in thermal application of nanotubes, raised Series A funding from top tier venture capitalists, and built a multi-disciplinary team of engineers establishing world's leading expertise of nanotube growth on copper. Nasreen's experience also includes work at Agilent Laboratories on nanopore synthesis (10 - 100 nm diameter) and fast x-ray imaging systems to inspect printed circuit boards. At Applied Materials, she was core member of the team that developed Black Diamond, a leading low-k dielectric film currently in manufacture. Dr. Chopra earned Ph.D., M.A. and B.S. degrees in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley. She is an inventor on numerous pending patents, and has authored 20 technical publications.
Mike Daneman, Ph.D.
Mike Daneman brings a broad range of experience, including over 13 years experience in MEMS design and development, optical design, and fiber-optic packaging, as well as experience in small and large group and project management. Mike has published a number of technical journal and conference papers in the field of optical MEMS. Mike received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, then went on to receive an M.S. and PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, specializing in adaptive Optical MEMS and Fiber-optics components. Mike has worked at Silicon Light Machines, co-founded Onix Microsystems, and most recently, has managed chip-assembly and packaging of MEMS-based miniature Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells at Lilliputian Systems.
Neha Choksi, MSEE
Ms. Choksi earned an MS in Electrical Engineering with a MEMS specialization from Stanford University and a BS in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics from Vanderbilt University. Ms. Choksi teaches a course on Nanofabrication at Foothill College. She has worked for startups and premier firms as an Engineering Manager and a Director of Business Development, and as a Strategic Management Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company. Ms. Choksi is active in multiple IEEE chapters including serving as treasurer of the San Francisco Bay Area Nanotechnology Council and past treasurer of IEEE Women in Engineering. She has published technically, and enjoys working to balance market/business and technical perspectives.
Dominic Massetti, MS Solid-State Physics
Mr. Dominic Massetti has over 30 years of industry experience spanning multiple applications of Integrated Circuit device and fabrication technology. Most recently he directed technology related assessments of intellectual property for IPValue Management. He mined and evaluated the patent portfolios of Fortune 500 high-tech companies. He previously served as Senior Director, VLSI Manufacturing Technology, for HDD industry leader Seagate Technology where he ensured mass market commercialization of state-of-the art IC fabrication technology. Prior to that, he was Director of Technology Development & Quality Systems at Texas Instruments. There he developed and applied high speed analog BiCMOS manufacturing technologies to products used in high capacity storage systems, wireless communication components, and PC processor interfaces. Earlier in his career he developed CMOS logic and non-volatile memory technologies, and managed pilot fabrication lines at NCR Microelectronics and Philips Semiconductors. He has been active in promoting nanotechnology by organizing forums and speaking on the subject. He has published related on-line articles for NanoInvestorNews. As an NSF peer reviewer he continues to support investments in small high tech businesses. Mr. Massetti holds a Master of Science degree in Applied Solid State Physics from the University of California, San Diego. He also earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics.
Minnie Sarwal, MD, MRCP, DCH, Ph.D.
Dr. Sarwal is a pediatric transplant physician and research scientist, trained in the UK with a DCH from London University and an MRCP from the Royal College of Physicians. London. She also holds a degree in Molecular Biology from Christ's College, Cambridge University, from the Molecular Genetics Unit Laboratory of Nobel Laureate Sydney Brenner. She is the recipient of Medical Research Council and National Kidney Foundation grants in the UK and NIH and Industry grants in the US for her efforts in translation research in transplantation, and has spearheaded the first steroid-free kidney transplant immunosuppression approach for children. She is an Associate Professor at Stanford, where she is involved in patient care and running a laboratory focusing on DNA microarray technology, genomics and proteomics research. She has authored 6 book chapters and over 50 publications and holds 2 patents. She has chaired numerous transplant symposia and transplant committees, is an Ad Hoc member of 4 NIH Study Sections, and has given over 100 lectures nationally and internationally.
Carolyn Carhart-Quezada, BSEE, MS Management
Ms. Carhart-Quezada has more than 20 years of high-tech engineering, sales and marketing experience in the semiconductor industry. Her last position was with Intel as Director of Marketing in the Network Processor Division. Previously, she was one of the founders of Basis Communications, developer of wide area network (WAN) system building blocks, which was acquired by Intel in 2000. In the1990s she held various management positions at Cirrus Logic and was head of marketing for the Personal Computer Products Division. She also spent numerous years as an engineering manager at National Semiconductor. Carolyn holds a MS in Management from Stanford University and a BSEE from UC Davis.
Byron Shaw, Ph.D.
Dr. Shaw received his B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT, as well as a B.S. in German language and literature. He earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering/controls from UC Berkeley. He worked at BMW managing advanced technology, for which he coordinated all university research in the US and was the technical manager of a 30-person engineering and marketing team and a $4 million budget.
Elizabeth Carr, Ph.D.
Dr. Elizabeth Carr is an applied physicist with experience in solving processing and device problems using surface analysis and other materials characterization tools. She worked as part of the materials characterization group at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories/Agilent Laboratories, focusing on the use of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) to speed projects such as GaN LED’s, DNA microarrays, and advanced semiconductor devices within HP/Agilent Laboratories and product divisions. For her doctoral thesis, she studied electrical and structural properties of thin silicon oxides for high-density CMOS. Liz received a B.S. in Physics from Brown University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Applied Physics from Cornell University.
Liz Lison, BS Medical Science
Ms. Lison has more than 20 years experience in the diagnostics industry, having held various senior management positions in regulatory affairs, quality assurance, operations management, customer service and sales and marketing. She has experience working with companies governed by FDA, ISO, CLIA and HIPAA regulations. Most recently she has worked with a number of entrepreneurial diagnostic companies to define their regulatory strategy and implement operational infrastructure to bring cutting-edge products from concept to commercialization. This has included implementing design control systems and facilitating meetings with the FDA. Ms. Lison also has experience of the regulation of healthcare products in the EU and has worked with several companies to achieve compliance with the In Vitro Diagnostics Directive and ISO 13485 certification. Ms. Lison has a BS in Medical Science from the University of Bradford (UK). She is a member of the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society.
Theresa Lober, Patent Agent, MSEE
Ms. Theresa Lober is a registered patent agent and founded and runs her own patent services firm, specializing in U.S. patent prosecution services for a electronic, electrical engineering, and software inventions. Prior to starting her own company, she has served as an Industrial Liaison Officer for MIT, and a Staff Scientist/Patent Agent for Choate, Hall & Stewart and Fish & Richardson. Ms. Lober is an inventor on two patents and an author on several technical publications. Ms. Lober received her B.S. in electrical engineering and applied physics from Case Western Reserve and her M.S. in electrical engineering from MIT. She is active professionally, with affiliations and including past IEEE secretary; Chairperson of the IEEE Professional Awareness Conference; Boston Patent Law Association; National Association of Patent Practitioners; Patent and Trademark Office Society; New England Women's Business Association; National Association of Female Executives; DigitalEveBoston; MentorNet Engineering Mentor Program; MIT Enterprise Forum; and Case Tech Recruiting Advisor.
Tamara Barr, RN, MPH
Ms. Barr is especially interested in working with SmallTech Consulting as a medical consultant, advising on materials likely to hold up to the rigors of infection control regimens, and providing perspective based on her medical nursing experience. Ms. Barr is a Registered Nurse and worked as an infection control nurse at Stanford for 6 years and in public health for 3 years. Ms. Barr has a BS in nursing and a Masters in Public Health, focusing on epidemiology, biomedical sciences and bio statistics.