Advisors
Jim Katzer, Strategic Technology Advisor
As a Strategic Technology Advisor to Rive, Jim applies his extensive experience in catalysis, reaction engineering, and commercializing catalytic processes. Jim is currently a member of the National Academy of Engineering and is contributing to several panel studies on alternative energy for the National Research Council. He has been published over 80 times in technical journals, holds several patents, and co-authored and edited several books on energy, including the Chemistry of Catalytic Processes.
As a visiting scholar at MIT, Jim was Executive Director of the MIT study entitled, “The Future of Coal in a Carbon Constrained World.” Prior to his work at MIT, Jim was a Manager of Strategic Planning and Program Analysis for ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company.
Jim’s experience also includes Vice President of Technology for Mobil Oil Corporation with the primary responsibilities of developing forward-looking technology scenarios, identifying and analyzing technology and environmental developments, as well as identifying future threats and opportunities and strategies for handling them.
Jim joined the Central Research Laboratory of the Mobil Oil Corporation in 1981, later becoming Manager of Process Research and Technical Service and Vice President of Planning and Finance for Mobil Research & Development Corporation. Before joining Mobil, he was a professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware for 12 years and the first director of UD’s Center for Catalytic Science and Technology.
Jim received a BS from Iowa State University and a PhD in chemical engineering from MIT.
Iacovos Vasalos, Strategic Technology Advisor
As a Strategic Technology Advisor, Iacovos brings to Rive broad expertise in catalytic processes and, in particular, Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) and catalyst evaluation. His current roles include Professor Researcher Emeritus in CERTH (Center of Research and Technology Hellas) and Chairman of Technology Park of Thessaly. The scientific accomplishments of Iacovos include over 130 publications in refereed journals, numerous presentations in national and international conferences, invited lectures and seminars.
Iacovos started his career in the Amoco Research Center, where he worked from 1969 to 1979 and continued as a consultant through 1999. While at the Center, he authored or co-authored 17 U.S. patents. In 1979, he was elected as Professor to the Chair of Petrochemical Technology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He was one of the first researchers involved in the area of biomass for producing fuels and chemicals via catalytic pyrolysis and was actively involved in a series of EU funded projects with emphasis on catalytic reaction engineering and modeling. In 1985 with other colleagues, he founded the Chemical Process Engineering Research Institute (CPERI ). Over 20+ years, the research center became a nucleus of excellence in applied chemical engineering research and led to the establishment in 2000 of the CERTH.
Professor Vasalos served as national representative in the EU Programme Committee for Industrial Technologies and Energy, as a member of advisory group Energy EU DG Research. He has served for over 10 years as a member of Greece’s National Research Council and of an inter-ministerial committee which drafted the new Greek law for research policy.
Iacovos graduated from the National Technical University of Athens in 1963, holds Master’s and PhD degrees from MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering, and received an MBA from Northwestern University.
Ed Wolynic, Strategic Technology Advisor
Ed has more than 30 years of experience in managing technology, business development, licensing, and intellectual property for several global Fortune 500 companies. He served as chief technology officer and group vice president of strategic technologies at Engelhard Corporation, a leading surface and materials science company, from 2000 until its 2006 acquisition by BASF. As an elected officer of Engelhard, Ed was responsible for the corporation's overall technology investment and the Ventures/New Business Development group. He also served on the board of the Nippon-Engelhard joint venture.
Before joining Engelhard, Ed was vice president of research and development at International Specialty Products and at UOP, a Honeywell company. Previously, he held positions with Union Carbide and Merck.
Ed is a member of the board of directors of Immunomedics Inc. (NASDAQ: IMMU), Nanostellar Inc., and the Garden State Cancer Center Foundation, and he serves on the Franklin Lakes Environmental Commission. Ed also provides consulting and advisory support services to several Fortune 500 corporations.
Ed holds a BS in chemical engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and earned a MS and PhD in chemical engineering from Princeton University.
Stephen J. McGovern, FCC Technology Advisor
Steve McGovern advises Rive on technology scale-up, catalyst evaluation and refinery economics. Steve has over 35 years of experience in the refining and petrochemical industries. He is currently a principal of PetroTech Consultants, where he provides consulting services relating to refining technologies and refining economics. He has consulted with numerous refiners to evaluate gasoline and diesel desulfurization technologies, and on FCC operations and environmental issues. Steve has provided technical advice to DARPA and commercial enterprises for the production of biofuels. He is a member of a U.S. NCR committee evaluating the impact of biofuels on the US economy.
Previously, Steve was with Mobil Technology Company, where he was involved in process development and refinery technical support. Steve has 17 patents and many publications. He has lectured, published and consulted on refining technology and environmental issues.
Steve has a BS and MS in chemical engineering from Drexel University and a PhD in chemical engineering from Princeton University.
Marvin Johnson, Scientific Advisor
Marvin directed Rive’s initial experimental program and is currently serving as a Scientific Advisor. His areas of expertise include kinetics and catalysis, reactor design and refining processes.
Marvin had a 46-year career in research at Phillips Petroleum. He finished his career at Phillips as a Research Fellow, the top rung of the technical career ladder. Marvin has also served as a member of the Chemical Engineering faculty at Oklahoma State University, and he still lectures there periodically.
Marvin has more than 250 patents to his name, mostly relating to hydrogenation processes and catalysts. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and was awarded the National Medal of Technology for his work on metals passivation technology.
Marvin has a BS and PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Utah.
Frederick Krambeck, Scientific Advisor
As a Scientific Advisor to Rive, Fred Krambeck develops kinetic and economic models and advises the company on technology scale-up.
Fred had a distinguished career in research and management with the Mobil Oil Company. Early in his career, he co-discovered thermal nitric oxide decomposition technology, elucidated the mathematical structure of chemical kinetics, and led the development of Mobil’s kinetic reforming model. Later, Fred led the development and modeling of the Mobil/UOP fast fluidized bed FCC regenerator. He also led the development of closed FCC reactor cyclones, the fluidized-bed Methanol-to-Gasoline process, and of a new additive to reduce the potential hazards of the HF alkylation process.
Fred is now a Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University, where he has taught a graduate course in Chemical Reaction Engineering and is working on applying chemical kinetic principles to biochemical systems. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, is an AIChE Fellow, and is Treasurer of the AIChE.
Fred has a BS in chemical engineering from City College of New York and a PhD from City University of New York.
Professor David H. Olson, Scientific Advisor
David Olson has had a distinguished industrial research career focused on zeolite structure, chemistry and catalysis. He is currently a Visiting Scientist in the Department of Chemistry at Rutgers University in Piscataway, NJ.
David had a 33 year career with the Mobil Research & Development Corporation. He is an inventor on 42 U.S. patents and is the co-author of 55 papers and the Atlas of Zeolite Structure Types, which is a well-known handbook for researchers in the field of zeolites. David is co-winner of the 2003 Thomas Alva Edison Award, the ACS 2007 Heroes in Chemistry Award and the 2008 Catalysis Club of Philadelphia Award.
David has a BS from the University of Wisconsin and a PhD in physical chemistry from Iowa State University.
Mike Gonnerman, Consulting CFO
Mike has close to 40 years of business experience. He spent ten years with Arthur Andersen and has served as the Chief Financial Officer of two public and two private technology companies. He currently serves as a financial consultant and advisor to early-stage companies, and recently authored Ask Mike, an entrepreneurs’ guide to finance.
Mike received an AB in economics from Dartmouth College and his MBA in accounting from Northwestern University.
Allen Richmond, Consulting Counsel – Intellectual Property
Allen is a patent attorney with 30 years of experience at Phillips Petroleum. During his career at Phillips, Allen served as Chief Patent Counsel and led the technology licensing business unit.
Allen received his BS and MS electrical engineering and his JD from the University of Arkansas.
—Bill Wiberg,
Advanced Technology Ventures
