| Panelists | Bio |
|---|---|
|
Dr. Mike Biddle |
Dr. Biddle is the Managing Director of Evok Innovations, an entrepreneur-led CleanTech venture fund that aims to increase the scale, diversity and quality of early-stage innovations focused on clean energy, reducing the time it takes to commercialize technologies. Evok accomplishes this by connecting entrepreneurs with flexible capital, mentors and industry partners. Before Evok, Dr. Biddle founded MBA Polymers, one of the world’s leading multi-national companies recovering plastics from end-of-life durable goods, such as computers, electronics, appliances, automobiles and now household waste. Mike received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisville and a Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, both with high honors. He was also a Sloan Fellow at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, graduating with an MS in Management Science. |
|
Dr. Abdala Bashir |
Dr. Bashir is a polymer chemist at Danimer Scientific, a biotechnology company that produces and formulates polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). Before Danimer, he completed his PhD work on soy-based resins and fillers for thermosetting composites under the supervision of Dr. Coleen Pugh in the Department of Polymer Science at The University of Akron. He earned a BA in chemistry from the University of Minnesota - Morris. He is originally from Ethiopia and immigrated to the US in 2008. |
|
Dr. Joel Matsco |
Joel Matsco is a Senior Marketing Manager at Covestro, supporting the Electrical, Electronics and Appliance markets. With Covestro for over 12 years, Joel helps manufacturers and brands solve material, innovation and sustainability challenges. |
|
Dr. Coleen Pugh |
Dr. Pugh serves as the Dean of the Wichita State University Graduate School and the Associate Vice President for Research. Prior to coming to Wichita State University, she was a Professor of Polymer Science at the University of Akron (Ohio), a Professor of Chemistry and of Macromolecular Science at the University of Michigan, and a Visiting Professor of Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Pugh earned two bachelor’s degrees from the University of California - Davis, in Textile Science and Chemistry before going on to earn master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Macromolecular Science and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chemistry at MIT. Her research involves developing polymeric materials using both petroleum-based and sustainable chemistry and materials. |
