Our Team
Stephen S. Williams, Ph.D., President and CTO (co-founder)
Dr. Williams received his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of North Carolina in 1983. He has more than 20 years of experience in development and commercialization of chemical instrumentation and sensor products for Varian, Gas Tech, Inc. and Nanomaterials Research. His broad-based knowledge related to the analytical sciences helps drive the cutting-edge approaches embodied in Synkera's products. Dr. Williams has a particularly strong knowledge of practical instrumentation principles, spanning the usually separate disciplines of chemistry, advanced electronics, chemometrics, and software engineering. In addition to his central role in general management of Synkera’s short and long-term operations, he provides guidance in ensuring that Synkera’s product development teams provide the optimal value proposition for both the company and its business allies.
Brian Sperry, VP and CFO (co-founder)
Mr. Sperry has significant business experience with technology companies, and he is an expert in government contracting and accounting. Prior to founding Synkera Technologies with Dr. Williams, Brian founded Tech Biz Solutions, a services company for small business government technology contractors in 2000. He was cofounder of PBC, Inc, also a consulting company for small business government contractors from 1990 to 2000. He was a contracts manager for Ball Aerospace Systems from 1985 to 2000 and he worked for Beech Aircraft Corp from 1975 to 1985 as the Boulder Division’s Finance and Contracts Manager. Mr. Sperry earned a B.S. degree in engineering from the University of Colorado and an MBA from the University of Colorado.
Dmitri Routkevitch Ph.D., Product Manager
Dr. Routkevitch received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the State University of Belarus. In the mid-1990s he participated in the development of a pioneering approach in nanotechnology, templated "bottom-up" nanofabrication with anodic aluminum oxide (AAO), which has become widely recognized and extensively used by researchers worldwide. One of his accomplishments includes a new Ceramic MEMS technology that enables robust microdevices with functionality derived from the nanoscale. Dr. Routkevitch has over 15 years of experience in applied research and technology transfer. Currently he is focused on the development of advanced materials and devices through the synergy of emerging nano- and microfabrication technologies and the transition of these technologies into practical products. Dr. Routkevitch has numerous invited seminars, 4 patents and several invention disclosures, and has authored over 25 publications with outstanding citation impact. Dr. Routkevitch has served as the Principal Investigator for many successful SBIR and commercial contracts, and is working closely with Ms. Deininger on the application of nano- and microfabrication with AAO to a new generation of sensor products
Debra J. Deininger, Sensors Product Manager
Ms. Deininger has expertise in electrochemical methods, materials, and the design, development, and testing of chemical sensors. She earned a B.S. in Chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University and a M.S. degree in Analytical Chemistry from Colorado State University and has 16 years of experience in the gas detection industry, having worked for Mine Safety Appliances (MSA), a leading manufacturer of gas detection products, Nanomaterials Research and Synkera Technologies. Ms. Deininger has designed, developed and commercialized a wide range of innovative gas and liquid sensors based upon chemiresistive, catalytic, amperometric, potentiometric and acoustic designs. Ms. Deininger holds four patents related to sensor technologies, and has authored numerous additional provisional patents and invention disclosures. She has served as the Principal Investigator for many successful SBIR projects and manages Synkera’s research, manufacturing and commercialization efforts on sensors and related products.