Scientific team
Dr. Richard Russo, Ph.D. – CEO has studied laser ablation, LIBS and general atomic and molecular spectroscopy for over 30 years. He was a head scientist and department head at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and been published more than 175 times in a variety of places including the Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, Applied Physics Letters, and Talanta. He also has a number of patents, book chapters, and presentations to his name, and was given an R&D 100 Award in 2006. His technical and scientific expertise is a driving factor in Applied Spectra’s emerging role in the LIBS and LA-ICP-MS industry. Dr. Russo received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Florida in 1976 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Indiana in 1981.
Dr. Jong Yoo, Ph.D. is the Vice President of Technology and Marketing at Applied Spectra and is in charge of commercializing developed laser ablation-based analytical technologies for various industries. Some of the industries targeted include: semiconductor, semiconductor equipment, medical, storage and nanotechnology. Dr. Yoo worked as a Senior Process Engineer for Applied Materials in Santa Clara, CA and also served as a Visiting Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He has over 20 technical publications in journals including the Journal of Applied Physics , Applied Physics Letters, and Analytical Chemistry. He also currently holds two patents. Dr. Yoo received his B.S. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley and his M.S. from Stanford University, all in Mechanical Engineering.
Dr. Chunyi Liu, Ph.D. is VP of Product Engineering at Applied Spectra and leads the company’s product development and manufacturing efforts. He has managed projects for making prototype sensors in different form factors, as well as identification algorithm development and other research projects. Dr. Liu was an R&D Engineer for Advanced Thermal Technology and served as a Visiting Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He has over 10 publications in journals including Analytical Chemistry and the Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry. Dr. Liu received his B.S. and M.S. from National Taiwan University and his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, all in Mechanical Engineering.
Dr. Alexander Bolshakov, Ph.D. has 25 years of experience in the fields of laser spectroscopy and plasma physics. He was a Senior Research Associate at the NASA Ames Research Center and is now a Senior Scientist at Applied Spectra. He has been published in a variety of journals, including The Russian Chemical Review, Technical Physics, and The Journal of Applied Physics. His contributions have helped Applied Spectra create a transportable advanced stand-off LIBS spectrometer. His work helps Applied Spectra maintain and advance its standing in the LIBS and LA-ICP-MS industries. Dr. Bolshakov received his M.S. and Ph.D. from St. Petersburg (Leningrad) State University in Plasma Physics and Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectrometry, respectively.
Dr. Jhanis Gonzalez, Ph.D., Director of Applications and Laboratory Operations, has researched the chemical analysis of solid samples with laser induced breakdown spectroscopy and fundamental ablation mechanisms for close to 10 years. He was a Visiting Scientist, Chemist Postdoctoral Fellow, and a Project Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories and has been published in the Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry. His research, focused on understanding the mechanisms of laser-material interaction through the use of both LIBS and LA-ICP-MS, will help Applied Spectra remain on the cutting edge of laser chemical analysis. He received his B.S. in Chemistry and his Ph.D. in Area-Physics Chemistry from the Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas.