Company News
Dr. Jong H. Yoo Appointed President & CEO of Applied Spectra, Inc.
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Applied Spectra, Inc. announced today the appointment of Dr. Jong H. Yoo as president and chief executive officer (CEO), effective December 9, 2016. Dr. Yoo is currently Executive Vice President of Applied Spectra and succeeds Dr. Richard E. Russo, who has served as the company’s CEO since its inception in 2004. Dr. Russo will serve the company as Executive Chairman and continue to advise on strategic direction, technology, and government business.
“As a co-founder of Applied Spectra, Jong has led the successful commercialization of highly innovative laser ablation chemical analysis technologies. He has played an instrumental role in developing and differentiating our products, and formulating strategy for market adoption. I am confident that his vision and ability to lead the team will take the company to the next phase of growth.”
“I am honored to have the opportunity for this leadership role at Applied Spectra. Thanks to Rick’s vision and drive, today Applied Spectra has the most innovative and strongest product portfolio of Laser Ablation (LA) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instruments for a wide range of analytical applications. Our next focus will be on streamlining our technologies and further positioning our products for high-volume commercial markets to accelerate our growth. I look forward to working with our team, who have shown tremendous dedication and passion at Applied Spectra.”
Dr. Yoo has served various roles at Applied Spectra since co-founding the company in 2004. As Director of Technology Development, he led several government contracts and SBIR/STTR projects to develop, deliver, and commercialize LA and LIBS technologies for different markets. As Vice President of Technology Marketing, he set the company strategy to validate prototype products against market requirements and to further streamline and enhance products for market adoption. In his latest role as Executive Vice President, he oversaw sales and marketing.
Dr. Yoo earned a BS degree from the University of California, Berkeley, an MS degree from Stanford University, and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, all in Mechanical Engineering.