|
|
 |
|
DR. FRANCIS A. VIA SENIOR CONSULTANT FAIRFIELD RESOURCES INTERNATIONAL, INC. STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT via@frlicense.com Francis A. Via joined Fairfield Resources International, Inc. after more than 30 years experience in managing industrial R&D, intellectual property and market development at Stauffer Chemical Company, Akzo Nobel Inc. and GE. He achieved more than a dozen commercial successes with novel materials and with advances in process engineering, yielding hundreds of millions of dollars in new markets or savings, in specialty chemicals, catalysts, separations, petrochemicals, agricultural chemicals, polymers, and pharmaceutical intermediates. Dr. Via began his career with Stauffer Chemical Co. in 1970 and, with its acquisition by Akzo Nobel in 1987, he became part of that R&D leadership team. He directed Akzo Nobel's corporate research-US to capture emerging technology in catalysis, advanced materials including nanotechnology for composites, electronic chemicals, immuno-diagnostics and biochemistry. Utilizing external cooperative research programs at universities and national laboratories served as the keystone for this corporate research. In 1998, he accepted a challenge to build and manage a catalyst research group at the GE Corporate R&D Center to develop fuel cells, light-emitting diodes, combinatorial chemistry for catalysis, process technology and medical imaging agents. In 2001 Dr. Via joined Argonne National Laboratory as Program Development Manager to advance collaborative R&D with industry. Programs included: fuel cells, auto-thermal reforming for H2, advanced materials - diamond films, Nano-clay-polymer composites, advanced ceramic membranes for H2 & O2, bio-processing, etc. Dr. Via continues in this function today. Dr. Via is the recipient of numerous awards including two internal GE awards for technical excellence and productivity. In 1994 he was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is the recipient the first Department of Energy Office of Industrial Technology's (OIT) Industrial Partnership Award, 1999. He wrote a chapter for the American Chemical Society's millennium publication Chemical Research - 2000 & Beyond; co-authors included five Nobel Laureates. In addition, he serves as a consultant or on review committees for the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences and the American Chemical Society. In 1999, Dr. Via was selected to the Chemical Industry Executive Steering Group for the DOE - OIT. Dr. Via has 26 patents, 11 publications, and more than 25 invited presentations. He holds a BS degree from West Virginia University, a Ph.D. from Ohio State and attended management training at the Wharton School, Polytechnic U, and other programs. His activities with the Council for Chemical Research include serving on the Board of Directors '95-'97 chairing the Science Education Committee '93-'95 and serving on the Government Relations Committee '97-'99. He chaired the External Research Director's Network '95-'97 for the Industrial Research Institute and co-chaired several Vision 2020 committees, including Catalysis & Synthesis for the Chemical Industry, Ionic Liquids, and Separations Technology for the Chemical and Bioprocessing Industry. |
Principals Senior Consultants
|