John Farina, Chairman

Mr. John Farina received his B.S. in Education and Mathematics from Villanova University, and his M.A. in Communications Management from the University of Southern California. Mr. Farina has a demonstrated history of identifying, building, and running successful hardware, software, and professional services businesses in technologies, including digital imaging, software development, e-commerce, computer graphics, and electronic publishing. He has served as President and/or CEO of Vidyah, Inc., IXL, Inc., Quintar Co., Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc., and the Quintar Division of Bell and Howell. After leading a venture-backed buyout of the Quintar Division, he merged the company with Splash Technology, helping to build a computer graphics powerhouse with an $80M/year revenue stream in less than one year. As a senior partner and Managing Director of IXL Ventures, LLC, a $300M venture capital fund with 29 companies in its portfolio, Mr. Farina was responsible for deal selection and review, selection of board members and senior management, monitoring of company activities, and strategic relations with major Venture Capital firms including Chase Capital Partners, Flatiron, GE Capital, Intel Capital, and others. Mr. Farina has served on the Boards of Quintar, IXL, Splash, and Vidyah, and the Digital Coast Roundtable.

Robert Lieberman, Ph.D., President

 

Dr. Robert Lieberman received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Michigan with an emphasis on solid-state physics and biophysics. After working at AT&T Bell Laboratories for 10 years, Dr. Lieberman joined Physical Optics Corporation (POC), where he became General Manager of Research and Development. In 1998, his division of POC became Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc. Two years later, he co-founded and served briefly as the Chairman of Optinetrics, a venture-funded IOS spin off. Dr. Lieberman guides the scientific and technological strategy of IOS, and has been the Principal Investigator on key projects with the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense.

Dr. Lieberman holds 30 U.S. patents, and is the author of numerous scientific articles on optical sensor technology and other subjects. He has chaired more than 25 sensor conferences, and has presented invited talks around the world on biological, physical, and chemical sensors. He is the Chairman of ASTM Subcommittee E13.09 on Fiber Optics, Waveguides, and Optical Sensors, a Fellow of SPIE, and a Senior Member of IEEE. Dr. Lieberman has served on the boards of IOS, OpTech Ventures LLC, SPIE, Optical Engineering magazine, the Journal of Measurement Science and Technology, and AFL-CIO Local Union 3550.

 

Reuben Sandler, Ph.D., CEO

 

Dr. Sandler, who joined IOS in 1999, has extensive experience in both the business and academic worlds. He received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago, and is well known in the corporate management world. Dr. Sandler has been a corporate officer at various organizations, including IPA Information Systems, Inc., R&D Laboratories, Inc., and MediVox, Inc. He has authored numerous research papers, articles, and technical books and held professorships at Victoria University of Wellington, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois, the University of Hawaii, and Technion University of Haifa. His major interests include corporate management, innovation management, and international travel.

 

 

Aaron Cohen, Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Aaron Cohen is the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Founder of NTS, and has previously held the position of Chairman of the Board and President of NTS. In his current role, he manages all acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, land development and strategic planning for the corporation. He is the President of Smithway Associates, Inc., and serves on the boards of the National Osteoporosis Institute, Intelligent Optical Systems, Tetragenex, and Optech Ventures, LLC.

Mr. Cohen holds a B.S. in Engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles, where he is a member of the Dean's Cabinet of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Mr. Cohen is a Registered Professional Engineer (State of California) in the field of Quality Engineering and an American Society for Quality Control - Certified Quality Engineer. Mr. Cohen's professional memberships include the National Association of Professional Engineers, American Society for Quality Control, International Conference of Building Officials, and the Institute of Environmental Sciences.

Lothar Kempen, Ph.D., Chief Technical Officer, Vice President, R&D

Dr. Lothar Kempen has been developing advanced optical systems for more than 18 years.  He received a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, while performing his research on integrated optical sensor modules at the Paul Scherrer Institute Zurich (now part of CSEM), Switzerland.  He holds an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Aachen University of Technology (RWTH Aachen), Germany.  He joined Physical Optics Corporation in 1996 and was a founding member of IOS in 1998 when it formed in the spin-off of the R&D Division.  In 2000, he co-founded and built up Optinetrics, a venture capital-backed IOS spin-off for applied planar lightwave circuit (PLC) technology with over $22M investment.  In 2004, he returned to IOS to head its R&D operations. 

Dr. Kempen’s research has focused on establishing novel concepts and components for creating advanced miniature optical systems for biological, chemical, and physical sensors, and for integrated communication modules.  He holds 22 U.S. patents, covering ultra-sensitive bioarray readers, embedded vibration sensors, fiberoptic pressure sensors, and novel optical integration concepts.  He has been principal investigator and key contributor to a wide field of optical sensor developments for NASA, DoD, NIH and various industrial customers, and described the successful operation of his systems in numerous papers and invited presentations.  Several spin-off companies from IOS are based on his designs and patents, including the core patents to form Maven Biotechnologies (www.mavenbiotech.com).  Dr. Kempen is a member of IEEE and SPIE, and regularly serves as a reviewer for their scientific journals.  He serves as co-chair of SPIE’s Conference on Photonic Applications for Aerospace, Transportation, and Harsh Environment.

Jay Olins, JD, Vice President, Legal and Administration

Mr. Jay Olins is an expert in structuring and financing large and small companies, and in managing counsel and underwriters. His formal education includes a J.D. from the University of Southern California School of Law and a B.A. (with honors) from the University of California, Los Angeles. As a practicing California attorney, he has represented private schools in Sacramento and Washington, DC. He has also served as a Vice President of Operations for International Industries and has served on the LA County Citizens Planning Council and the California Postsecondary Education Commission. At IOS, Mr. Olins' legal responsibilities include contract administration and intellectual property protection. In addition, he oversees general corporate administrative matters.