Team
Dr. Daniel G. Nocera Founder
Dr. Daniel G. Nocera is a founder of Sun Catalytix and the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy and Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Prof. Nocera is also Director of MIT’s Solar Revolutions Project and the ENI Solar Frontiers Center. A leading researcher in renewable energy at the molecular level, he studies the basic mechanisms of energy conversion in biology and chemistry, with primary focus on the photogeneration of hydrogen and oxygen from water.
Prof. Nocera received a B.S. from Rutgers University in 1979 and Ph.D. from California Institute of Technology in 1984.
Arthur L. Goldstein Chairman
Mr. Arthur L. Goldstein is the retired Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Ionics, Incorporated, a world-renowned business and technology pioneer in the field of water purification. During his 32 years as CEO, Mr. Goldstein led Ionics in its growth from a small R&D company to its position as the world leader in water desalination, purification and supply with over 4000 installations in 62 countries and 3,000 employees. General Electric purchased Ionics in early 2005.
Mr. Goldstein is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a senior trustee at the California Institute of Technology, a member of the MIT Energy Initiative External Advisory Board, a chairman of the Board of Overseers of the International Business School at Brandeis University and a director of Cabot Corporation and A123Systems, Inc.
Mr. Goldstein received a BS in chemical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an MS in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware, and an MBA from Harvard University.
Dr. Amir Nashat CEO
Dr. Amir Nashat is the CEO of Sun Catalytix and a general partner of Polaris Venture Partners. Representing Polaris, he acts as a Director of Athenix Corporation, aTyr Pharmaceuticals, Avila Therapeutics, Bind Biosciences, Fate Therapeutics, Living Proof, Pervasis Therapeutics, Promedior Pharmaceuticals, Selecta Biosciences and WaveRx. Dr. Nashat currently serves on the Board of the New England Venture Capital Association, on the Advisory Board of the Simmons School of Management Entrepreneurship Initiative, and is a Catalyst for the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT.
Dr. Nashat received his PhD in chemical engineering at the MIT in 2002.
Dr. Robert M. Metcalfe Director
Dr. Robert M. Metcalfe is a general partner of Polaris Venture Partners and serves on the boards of Sun Catalytix, 1366, Ember, Infinite Power Solutions, Mintera, and SiOnyx.
While an engineer-scientist (1965-1979), Dr. Metcalfe helped pioneer the Internet. In 1973, at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, he invented Ethernet, the local-area networking (LAN) standard on which he shares four patents. While an entrepreneur-executive (1979-1990), Dr. Metcalfe founded 3Com Corporation, the billion-dollar networking company. While a publisher-pundit (1990-2000), he was CEO of IDG's InfoWorld Publishing Company (1992-1995).
Dr. Metcalfe graduated from the MIT in 1969 in electrical engineering and in industrial management. He received a master degree in applied mathematics (1970) and a Ph.D. in computer science (1973) from Harvard University.
Scott Wilshire COO
Mr. Scott Wilshire is the COO of Sun Catalytix. He has over 25 years of experience in the energy sector, holding positions as President of Thar Geothermal, Inc., COO of HydroGen LLC, and various senior technical and marketing positions with Plug Power Inc. Prior to this, he spent two years with GE Nuclear Energy and thirteen years with GE and Lockheed Martin in engineering and senior management positions in the Naval Reactors organization.
He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Engineering/Nuclear Engineering from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, a Master of Business Administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and completed the U.S. Navy Nuclear Power Engineering School.
Mark A. Barnett VP Business Development & General Counsel
Mark Barnett is the VP Business Development and General Counsel of Sun Catalytix. Prior to joining the company, Mark co-founded and co-chaired the Energy Technology & Renewables practice at Foley Hoag LLP, helping to build it into one of the leading practices of its kind in the region. Previously, Mark served as Counsel to the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, a quasi-public state agency supporting the development of clean energy technology. Mark has spent over 15 years in the energy and environmental technology sector building and advising business enterprises in various capacities.
Mark received his J.D. from Yale Law School and B.A. from Yale University.
Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. John M. Deutch Chairman
Dr. John M. Deutch is currently an Institute Professor at MIT, and as a faculty member since 1970, has served the MIT community as Chairman of the Department of Chemistry, Dean of Science and Provost. He has published over 140 technical publications in physical chemistry, as well as numerous publications on technology, energy, international security, and public policy issues. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2007 and is also member of the National Petroleum Council. He serves as director for Cheniere Energy, Citigroup, and Raytheon.
Prof. Deutch has served in significant government posts throughout his career. From 1977 to 1980, Prof. Deutch served in a number of positions for the U.S. Department of Energy: as Director of Energy Research, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Technology, and Undersecretary of the Department. In May 1995, he was sworn in as Director of Central Intelligence following a unanimous vote in the Senate, and served as DCI until December 1996.
Prof. Deutch earned a B.A. in history and economics from Amherst College, and both a B.S. in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from MIT.
Dr. George M. Whitesides
Dr. George M. Whitesides is the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor at Harvard University. Prof. Whitesides joined the Department of Chemistry of Harvard University in 1982, serving as Department Chairman from 1986-89, and also the Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry from 1982-2004. Prior to Harvard, Prof. Whitesides was a member of the MIT faculty from 1963 to 1982.
Prof. Whitesides pioneers chemical research in molecular self-assembly and innovative nanofabrication techniques that have resulted in rapid, inexpensive fabrication of ultra small devices. In addition, he has helped found more than 12 companies and holds more than 50 patents, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.
Prof. Whitesides received an A.B. degree from Harvard University in 1960 and a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology (with J. D. Roberts) in 1964.
Dr. Mark S. Wrighton
Dr. Mark S. Wrighton is Chancellor and Professor of Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to moving to Washington University in 1995, he was a member of the faculty at MIT beginning in 1972. He was Head of the Department of Chemistry at MIT from 1987 until 1990 at which time he was appointed Provost.
Dr. Wrighton’s research interests lie in the areas of transition metal catalysis, photochemistry, surface chemistry, molecular electronics, and photoprocesses at electrodes resulting in > 300 peer-reviewed publications. He currently serves as a member of the Boards of Directors of Brooks Automation, Cabot Corporation, the Consortium on Financing Higher Education, Corning Incorporated, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise, and United Way of Greater St. Louis. Mark is a member of Civic Progress and an ex officio member of the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association's Board of Directors and the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Dr. Wrighton earned a B.S. degree from Florida State University in 1969 and the Ph.D. degree from the California Institute of Technology in 1972.
Dr. Kenneth A. Smith
Dr. Kenneth A. Smith is the Edwin R. Gilliland Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT. Prof. Smith served as the Associate Provost and Vice President for Research of MIT. His research is centered on the roles of fluid mechanics and of heat and mass transfer in a variety of engineering applications. His contributions to these subjects have led to his election to the National Academy of Engineering.
Prof. Smith received Sc.D., S.B. and S.M. degrees in chemical engineering from MIT. He also held a postdoctoral appointment at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge.
Dr. Henry S. White
Dr. Henry S. White is a Distinguished Professor and Chair in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah. Following a postdoctoral appointment at MIT, he was on the faculty of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota from 1984-1993.
Prof. White’s research encompasses both experimental and theoretical aspects of electrochemistry, with diverse connections to analytical, biological, physical, and materials chemistry. He serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Prof. White received a B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina (1978) and Ph.D. degree in chemistry from the University of Texas (1983).
Research Team
Dr. Steven Y. Reece
Dr. Steven Y. Reece is a co-founding member and Research Scientist with Sun Catalytix. He received a Ph.D. from MIT in 2007 working in Nocera’s lab studying physical inorganic and mechanistic biochemistry reaction mechanisms.
In 2008, Dr. Reece studied biochemistry at UC Berkeley as Postdoctoral Associate with Professor Michael Marletta. Dr. Reece received his BS in chemistry from Davidson College (Davidson, NC).
Dr. Arthur J. Esswein
Dr. Arthur J. Esswein is a Research Scientist with Sun Catalytix. Prior to co-founding Sun Catalytix, Arthur was a Postdoctoral Associate with Prof. T. Don Tilley at UC Berkeley, focused on energy conversion and electrocatalytic water splitting.
In 2007, Dr. Esswein received a Ph.D. from MIT with Prof. Nocera, studying multi-electron redox chemistry of transition metal catalysts as it pertains to solar energy conversion. Dr. Esswein’s research in solar energy conversion and renewable energy began with his undergraduate studies on dye-sensitized solar cells in the laboratory of Gerald Meyer at Johns Hopkins University, where he received a BA in chemistry and mathematics.