I currently serve as the Chief Investment Officer of Synonym, where I utilize my entrepreneurial background and deep technical expertise to engage with project development and project finance at a foundational level. I work to enable the commercialization of novel technologies in the climate space by creating the required commercial structures that enable first-commercial project financing. Over my career I have had the unique opportunity to review over a thousand project proposals across a wide range of technologies, geographies, and personalities. Many promised transformative impacts; some broke laws of nature; every single one taught me something about what does (or doesn’t) get a project over the finish line. I work to utilize that insight to advance the technologies of tomorrow.Prior to Synonym, I served in numerous executive roles at New Energy Risk (“NER”), a leading technology performance insurer, including chief science officer, chief commercial officer, and president. I'm incredibly proud of the impact we made: By the end of my tenure with NER, I had overseen the underwriting, structuring, and execution of every deal that New Energy Risk closed, representing over $2b in deployed insurance capital and $3b in total project capital. In addition to NER, I have experience as an independent engineer, tackling projects in failure root-cause analysis, manufacturing quality control, validation test design, engineering design review, and technology R&D for clients including Shell, Microsoft, BP, General Motors, and Columbia Sportswear. My entrepreneurial endeavors include founding Swift Calcs, a web-based technical computing platform for faster and more reliable engineering calculations, as well as EnergyFolks, a nonprofit professional network connecting energy students and professionals in their area. I received a Ph.D. from Stanford University in Mechanical Engineering, where I focused on solid fuel gasification and syngas utilization using solid-oxide fuel cell technology. I am the author of numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications, have presented at a variety of technical symposia, and have been honored as an NDSEG Fellow (2009-2012) and a Rohsenow Fellow (2007-2008). I hold Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from MIT.When I'm not geeking out on the latest gasification kinetic models, you can find me outside, hiking the East Bay hills or lounging on the deck with my daughters.