Successful innovation is not a single breakthrough. It is not a sprint. It is not an event for the solo runner. Successful innovation is a team sport, it's a relay race.

Nguyễn Quyền

PI Energy employees include R&D scientists and engineers with expertise in a wide area of fields including materials science, device physics, chemistry, plasmonics, nanotechnology, nano-engineering, testing, and fabrication. The team has veterans in commercial development coming from aerospace, battery development, and biotechnology.

The technical advisory board includes university and industry experts with a broad expertise in nanoengineering, plasmonics, device physics, chemistry, and nano fabrication. The business advisory board includes seasoned C level executives from utilities, solar financing, and international finance.

 

Michael Allman - Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Allman is an experienced business executive and investor in energy and technology. From 1998 to 2012, he worked for Sempra Energy, as Chief Development Officer, VP of Corporate Strategy, and CFO; and later as CEO of Sempra Renewables, with multi-billion dollar utility-scale energy assets.

He later became the CEO of Southern California Gas Company, the nation’s largest natural gas distribution company. Prior to joining Sempra, he was a partner with the international management consulting firm LEK, with postings in the US, South Africa and UK.

Since 2012 Mr. Allman has been an investor, board member, and executive for public and private companies in the energy and technology sectors. He has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

 

Phil Layton - Chief Operating Officer & Founder

Mr. Layton has over 25 years in technical development, management and research in early to mid-stage companies. His expertise includes building technical teams, leading complex, cutting-edge technology through development and into commercial products, and intellectual property development and protection. Prior to forming PI Energy, he was co-founder and CEO of Clear Technologies, an early developer of machine vision based human interface, and spent 15 years in the satellite/aerospace industry. Mr. Layton’s technical expertise includes plasmonics, nanotechnology, radiation effects on semiconductors and satellite systems, solar energy, and plasma physics. He has taken multiple products from early-stage development through successful commercialization. He also served in the US Navy reserve as an engineering duty officer. Layton has a MS Physics, a Juris Doctorate, and multiple patents.

 

Mike Fennell - VP Engineering

Mr. Fennell has over 25 years’ experience in design and construction of solar technology development and testing, spacecraft electromechanical assemblies, design of manufacturing techniques for products such as lightweight, high-strength panels made entirely from recycled fibers, development of directional gamma ray detectors, and testing of electronic components for resistance to ionizing radiation.  At PI Energy Mr. Fennell has developed much of the equipment used to fabricate and test prototype solar cell devices. Mr. Fennell has an M.S. Applied Physics.

  • Dr. David Keogh, Advisory Board

    Dr. Keogh research background spans materials synthesis and characterization to device design and fabrication. Dr. Keogh has extensive experience in driving the development of a range of technologies, including high-brightness LEDs, solar cells, lithium-ion batteries, and flow batteries for grid-scale energy storage. Dr. Keogh holds an M.S./Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, with over 20 peer publications and 10 patents.

  • David Andresen, Board Member & Cofounder

    Mr. Andresen has over 20 years’ experience in corporate finance, with a focus on cleantech (renewables, efficiency & storage). He served in management at hedge funds (Summit Global and YAGI) and cleantech practice of two US investment banks. He has private equity transactional experience in the US, Europe, Japan, China, and South America. Mr. Andresen served on programs advising the USAID, US DOE, and the IFC, on clean energy and sustainability issues. Formerly worked in physics (QSO absorbers) and materials science (superconductor precursors) research, funded by NASA and US DOE.

  • Rodrigo Marquez Pacanins, Board Member

    Mr. Marquez has more than 20 years of experience working in the energy industry, including solar, wind, oil and gas. In 2016, he joined Faro Energy, a solar developer focused on distributed generation in Brazil, where he served as General Counsel and interim CEO. Faro was sold in 2020 to Modern Energy, a US private equity firm. Mr. Marquez has a JD and a dual MBA from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and BI Norwegian Business School. He is based in London and is fluent in English, French and Spanish.

  • Dr. Isaac Ruiz, Advisor

    Dr. Ruiz's research background includes Solar PV, thin film materials synthesis and characterization, device design and semiconductor process integration. Dr. Ruiz has extensive experience in driving the development of a range of technologies, including plasmonic optical filters, 2D material-based optical sensors and radiation detectors. Dr. Ruiz holds an M.S./Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, with over 20 peer publications.

  • Dr. Scott Cushing, Advisory Board

    Scott Cushing is an Assistant Professor at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Dr. Cushing research includes the development of new ultrafast characterization tools to understand energy, charge, and heat transfer in solar energy devices. His instrumentation work has led to multiple fundamental findings that are driving PI Energy’s technology development. Dr. Cushing has garnered multiple awards, including a US Dept. of Energy EERE Fellowship. Dr. Cushing has a Ph.D. in Physics.

  • Mark Juergensen, Board Member

    Mr. Juergensen has over 25 years of experience in developing, building and managing power generation projects, based on renewable and traditional technologies. His specialties include: power generation, asset management, project finance, venture capital, start-ups, technology commercialization, product development, mergers & acquisitions, cleantech, sustainability, and renewable energy. He directly supported renewable development and/or finance of 710 MW solar PV and CSP projects in the western US resulting. He is a retired naval officer and holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering.

  • Lee Krevat, Board Member

    Mr. Krevat worked as a Director at Sempra Energy, where he led the award-wining Smart Grid program. In 2012, Krevat was named one of the top 100 movers and shakers who are influencing the smart grid market by GreenTech Media for the second time, and recognized as a Top 12 “Mover and Shaker” in the utility industry by Intelligent Utility Magazine for the second time. Krevat a BS in applied mathematics/computer science.

  • Sergio Mejia, Board Member

    Mr. Mejia is a financial services professional with technology investment experience. He serves as an International Wealth Advisor with Merrill Lynch. Sergio is a Vice President and junior partner of the SG Group, one of Arizona’s largest wealth management teams at Merrill Lynch. Sergio advises corporations, small businesses, family offices and high net-worth individuals; both domestically and internationally; on investment matters. He is also President and co-owner of SEER Holdings SAS, which focuses on investing in clean energy, electric vehicles and energy storage.

  • Dr. Edward Beardsworth, Advisory Board

    Dr. Beardsworth has over 30 years of experience in the electric utility and energy industry, advising startups, investors and corporate clients. Dr. Beardsworth is Associate Director at Jane Capital Partners and serves on the Advisory Board for Garage Ventures. He worked as a manager at the Electric Power Research Institute, and previously served as an Associate Scientist at the Brookhaven National Lab, in studies involving analysis of developing country energy needs. He has a Ph.D. in Physics.

  • Charles Bayless, Advisory Board

    Mr. Bayless served as President and CEO of several utilities, including Illinova Corp. and UniSource Energy. Mr. Bayless also served on the board of Dynegy, Edison Electric Institute, and EPRI. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Bayless was President and Provost of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology. He holds an MSEE in Power Engineering, a JD and an MBA.