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Our Team

Meet some of the managers, scientists, and sales people on our team!

Dr. Steven Oldenburg

Dr. Steven Oldenburg

Senior Vice President & General Manager

Ph.D. in Applied Physics, Rice University

Steve has over 25 years of nanotechnology experience beginning with his graduate work at Rice University where he discovered a method of fabricating gold nanoshells, a nanoscale composite material that consists of a spherical silica core surrounded by an ultra-thin shell of gold. This discovery led to the formation of Nanospectra Biosciences where the gold nanoshells are in clinical trials as a cancer therapy. After receiving his PhD in Applied Physics, he joined Seashell Technology where he developed commercial applications of nanotechnology, raised capital, and managed the scientific research team. In 2004 he founded nanoComposix to accelerate the commercialization of products based on precisely engineered and highly characterized nanoparticles. He is a co-founder of Sienna Biopharmaceutics and La Jolla Nanomedical, and is on the scientific advisory boards of COLR Security and Optoglo. Steve has 10 issued patents and over 40 papers in the area of nanotechnology.

Sepideh Forster

Sepideh Forster

Controller

Sepideh has over 19 years of Accounting and Finance experience, working with all sorts of different industries. She has worked with several startup companies implementing their financial operations and internal controls. Sepideh has several years of experience working in the manufacturing world. From setting up BOM’s to inventory management. After a few years of the consulting world, Sepideh joined nanoComposix in 2022 as the Controller.

Rebecca Hart

Rebecca Hart

Business Development & Sales Account Manager

rhart@fortislife.com · (+1) 858-565-4227 ext. 162

Rebecca graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a B.A. in Molecular Biology. Her previous sales experience includes bioconjugation reagents sales sold directly and distributed worldwide. As an Account manager she covers the western and mid-western region, supporting her customers in every stage of the sales process from product selection to final stages of product evaluation.

Jeff Hurst

Jeff Hurst

Nanomaterials Product Manager

jhurst@fortislife.com · (+1) 858-565-4227 ext. 13172
B.S. in Chemistry, University of Washington

Jeff earned his B.S. in Chemistry from University of Washington in 2010 with a focus electro-optics and analytical chemistry. Prior to coming to nanoComposix, Jeff held roles as a trace organics chemist, regional sales representative for solid phase extraction consumables, and technical sales lead for RF components in the aviation, defense, and telecom industries. Jeff leads product management efforts for nanomaterials at nanoComposix, focusing on nanomedicine, diagnostics, and optical technologies.

Damian Jackowski

Damian Jackowski

Director, Operations and Quality Control

Damian Jackowski is a seasoned professional in Operations management and Quality within the life sciences sector. Currently the Director of Operations and Quality Control at Fortis Life Sciences San Diego since July 2021, he previously held a similar role at nanoComposix for over two years. Damian's extensive experience includes leadership through six mergers and acquisitions, a dedication to operational efficiency, and a passion for integrating teams and sites across multiple business units. In addition to his current role, Damian has held senior positions at Cliniqa, Diagnostics Division site, and Nexus Dx, where he played a pivotal role in implementing automation and spearheading immunoassay projects. Earlier in his career, he worked at Nanogen, including roles in Management Information and Facilities and Operations.

Amanda Lietti

Amanda Lietti

Customer Service Supervisor

alietti@fortislife.com · (+1) 858-565-4227 ext. 13173

Amanda has 9 years of experience as a manager in customer service and joined nanoComposix in 2021. Her expertise in establishing customer relationships has helped her earn trust and confidence from our current customers. She leads our team of Customer Service Representatives guiding, supporting, collaborating and upholding them to the highest of standards that nanoComposix instills. Amanda has helped advocate to improve processes to ensure that our customers needs are met quickly, thoroughly and with excellent service along the way. She leads by example by emulating our companies’ promise of excellence, customer first, integrity, trust and entrepreneurship.

Rondii Lynberg

Rondii Lynberg

Director of Quality Assurance & Regulatory Affairs

rlynberg@fortislife.com

Rondii Lynberg has amassed over thirty years of experience in Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, working across highly regulated industries including medical, pharma, aerospace, automotive, and telecom. She holds an MS in Quality Assurance/Engineering from Kennedy Western University, with a master’s thesis focused on Process Improvements in Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Fabrication. Her educational background includes a BA from the University of Washington with a minor in Nuclear Engineering, complemented by foundational courses from the US Navy in Basic Electricity & Electronics, Radar, Shore Communications, and Surface Mount Technologies. Her career highlights include managing clinical trials for medical devices, expertise in 510(k) and PMA submissions for Class II and Class III devices, and a current focus on quality assurance and regulatory affairs, particularly in applications involving nanoparticles in devices and pharmaceuticals. Rondii's proficiency extends to regulatory standards like ISO 13485, cGMP’s, IVDR, and MDR, supported by certifications from ASQ and RAPS.


Scientific Team Managers

Andre Alfaro

Andre Alfaro

Senior Director of Assay Development

aalfaro@fortislife.com
B.S. in Human Biology & B.A. in Clinical Psychology, University of California, San Diego

Andre Alfaro earned his B.S. in Human Biology and B.A. in Clinical Psychology from University of California, San Diego, where he spent several years characterizing surface markers on cancer stem cells for potential use as targets for nanoparticle delivery systems of cancer vaccines. He then joined Astute Medical in 2008 where he began a career developing and commercializing dozens of in vitro diagnostic tests on both the lateral flow and ELISA platforms for multiple disease indications. His work on the identification of acute kidney biomarkers led to a successful de novo 510(K) submission and CE mark of the NephroCheck test. In 2018, he joined the nanoComposix team to bring his 10+ years of development, quality and regulatory training to the lateral flow group.

Josh Bart

Josh Bart

Senior Manager of Manufacturing Science & Technology

jbart@fortislife.com
B.S. in Biology, University of Arizona

Josh has over 10 years of experience in biotech operations after earning his B.S. in Biology from The University of Arizona in 2007. After initially working for Beckman Coulter in reagent manufacturing he joined Alere as part of the team responsible for transferring the newly acquired Cholestech in vitro diagnostic product line from the Bay Area to San Diego. After completion of the transfer, validation and integration of the product he transitioned to leading the production chemistry team with a focus on GMP manufacturing, Quality Management System (QMS) compliance, process optimization and process scale up. He joined nanoComposix to lead the manufacturing team in 2018.

David Garcia

David Garcia

Characterization Services Manager

dgarcia@fortislife.com · (+1) 858-565-4227 ext. 155
B.S. in Chemistry, Humboldt State University

David earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Humboldt State University in 2010 with a focus on materials chemistry and electrochemistry. He began working at nanoComposix in the fall of 2011 and quickly found his niche as an analytical chemist, becoming an expert on DLS, Zeta Potential and ICP-MS measurement and data analysis. As manager of the Analytical Services department, David has led the effort to establish the methodology and documentation necessary to grow and develop this department. David remains heavily involved with internal product QC and research characterization efforts.

Martin Miranda

Martin Miranda

Director of Production and R&D

mgmiranda@fortislife.com · (+1) 858-565-4227 ext. 127

Martin has 10 years of prior industry experience including organic small molecule synthesis, R&D of dye and pigmented ink formulation, and protocol development. Before coming to nanoComposix, Martin worked as a Chemical Technician at Hewlett-Packard. He joined nanoComposix in 2010 and as Director of Production and R&D is responsible for the development, production, quality control, and safety of product manufacturing. While at nanoComposix, he has overseen the launch of numerous standard products and has been a leader in establishing SOP’s & documentation guidelines, building a strong nanomaterial data base and staff development. He is listed as inventor in 2 submitted patents and has contributed to the generation of many of the documents in our ever growing knowledge base and NCX University.

Stephanie Smith Morris

Stephanie Smith Morris

Senior Scientist I

smorris@fortislife.com · (+1) 858-565-4227 ext. 13147
B.S. & M.S. in NanoEngineering, B.S. in Chemistry, UC San Diego

Stephanie earned her technical degrees from UC San Diego, and is currently pursuing her MBA at the Rady School of Management. Before starting at nanoComposix in 2018, she worked in several academic labs including Electrocatalysis and NanoEngineering labs at UCSD, a Biomedical Engineering lab at OHSU, and a Physics lab at Lund University. Once at nanoComposix, she found her niche in the nanomedicine & therapeutics space. She largely takes on projects in early-to-late stage R&D that require nanoparticle system optimization, effective functional characterization, and eventual transfer to GMP manufacture.

Dr. Philippe Saint Cricq Riviere

Dr. Philippe Saint-Cricq-Riviere

Senior Scientist III

priviere@fortislife.com
Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour (France)

Philippe did his Ph.D. on sol-gel chemistry applied to photooxidation of organic molecules. He then explored the synthesis of various inorganic nanoparticles (silica, silver, gold) as well as the antibacterial properties of core-shell materials at the University of Tokyo before specializing in the synthesis of mesoporous silica nanoparticles applied to drug delivery at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). After joining nanoComposix, Philippe’s main research focuses on synthesis and derivatization of silica nanoparticles for applications in nanomedicine.

Dr. Aaron Saunders

Dr. Aaron Saunders

Director of R&D

asaunders@fortislife.com · (+1) 858-565-4227 ext. 126
Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin

Aaron is a chemical engineer with more than 15 years of experience in the design, fabrication and integration of colloidal nanoparticles into applications ranging from diagnostics to photovoltaics. During his graduate work at the University of Texas at Austin and postdoctoral research at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, he developed new methods for synthesizing multi-component particles with novel optical and catalytic properties. As a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder his research group studied the synthesis and shape control of colloidal metal and semiconductor nanocrystals, focusing on energy harvesting and sensing applications. He moved to nanoComposix in 2011 and leads projects working with government and commercial clients to develop materials with tailored optical properties for diagnostic, sensing, security, and energy applications.

Kimberly Quart

Kimberly Quart

Senior Scientist II

kquart@fortislife.com · (+1) 858-565-4227 ext. 121
B.S. in Chemistry, San Diego State University

Kimberly earned her B.S. in Chemistry from San Diego State University, where she spent several years working in a bioanalytical separations lab developing a detection method for autologous blood doping in elite athletes. In 2011, she joined nanoComposix where she has focused primarily on internal research and development and custom nanoparticle formulation, with an emphasis on non-spherical and tunable plasmonic materials such as silver nanoplates and nanocubes. More recently, she has been leading the development of commercial scale GMP manufacturing of plasmonic nanomaterials.