Sean Taffler Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Bringing the next generation High Intensity Focused Ultrasound to the fight against cancer

Marina Del Rey, California, Us

uBeam, a revolutionary wireless power company focusing on ultrasound power delivery to mobile devices. Provided critical functions to the company’s success as the visionary Engineer, Systems Architect, and leader of a multi-disciplinary team. Constructing the largest phased array ultrasonic transmitter that can be sold to the general public.• Thought leader on technology and strategy for system and ultrasonic transducer assembly• Whilst reporting directly to the CEO, grew the team of engineers and scientists and ran the development of the power delivery and reception system from white board to prototype and EVT. • Translated business requirements into achievable product visions and timelines that were actionable • Designed the overall system architecture and responsible for the realization of that vision. • Managed departmental resources, staffing and mentoring to enhance and maintain a world-class engineering team whilst motivating them to realize the product.• Negotiated million dollar ASIC mixed signal design contract, separating design from supply – unusual but not unheard of – to give us more control and flexibility to meet demand. • Negotiating strategic partnerships with silicon packaging houses to keep the costs down • Key decision maker for hardware, firmware and programmable hardware (FPGAs) • Authored or was named inventor on numerous patents / disclosures critical to the success of the company

Conceived, developed and brought to market the lightest, most portable, car transport device for cyclists.

San Francisco, California, Us

Hashfast produced the worlds fastest, most efficient bitcoin mining chip (for a time) based on a 28nm ASIC process. There were a plethora of technical and business challenges to solve, the incredibly high-power needs of bitcoin mining hardware created unique engineering challenges, and the incredibly fast-moving market , with competitors arriving weekly, created a unique set of challenges. I strategically planned and managed the initial build, test and shipping of bitcon mining boards based on the Golden Nonce ASIC. This included supplier management for PCBs, components and assembly time / schedule to meet the unprecedented demand. The build was rapid; moving through pre-production and ramp to offshore in weeks. I structured the process to use on shore manufacturing with a partner that had significant capabilities offshore so that the migration path was expedient and as frictionless as possible. I coordinated test with software development for production. During this period I also was responsible for ASIC testing, moving from a simple go-nogo test to a more conventional vector test at a test house. Coupled with that I managed the design and packaging of a fourth generation board based on a variant of the same chip with significantly reduced COGs. This involved detail design work at the PCB level for component selection and evaluation and design of the packaging for the ASIC to meet the new cost / performance requirements. I directed the design and managed the external suppliers and consultants.On a daily basis at Hashfast I was working high speed digital design at the uW level for gate power consumption in the ASIC, at the KW level for package thermal management and at the MW level for spaces to construct a Bitcoin mine. It was extremely challenging and invigorating time. Market pressures came to bear on Hashfast and I was fortunate/unfortunate enough to close the doors after a bankruptcy fight.

Systems engineering director for Auxogyn, an In Vitro Fertilization tools company that is focused on improving the success of each IVF cycle. Auxogyn is a pre-IPO company that has a commercial presence in Europe and is currently in FDA review for US release. • Sustaining engineering of the current system, investigation of complaints, detailed failure analysis and CAPA resolution.• Support for current FDA de-novo submission and management of cleaning and disinfection testing for the current submission.• Innovation and development of a next generation inverted microscope, including optical specification, microprocessor selection, network connectivity and thermal management. On target to reduce component cost by at least 30%, part count by 50% and assembly time from multiple hours to under an hour. • Systems architecture design and specification for the next generation system comprised of cloud based analysis with distributed reporting and control. • Consumables development, injection molded micro-wells with specific surface wetting properties to facilitate cell loading and extraction.• Team building mentoring and management of junior engineers and consultants .• Managing the systems engineering budget, including high level planning and negotiation for the forthcoming years.

Sunnyvale, Ca, Us

Cross-functional engineering for Cepheid, a leading molecular diagnostics company that is dedicated to improving healthcare by developing, manufacturing, and marketing accurate yet easy-to-use molecular systems and tests. • Visionary in developing the next generation of Cepheids modular in-vitro diagnostic device, including the sample preparation methods, thermocycling, detection and the communication between the device and user. Pushed the vision of moving form the lab to the home. Sold the idea to senior executives. • Systems architecture development and planning for the next generation of networked machines leveraging cloud-based infrastructure to enable improved data processing, accessibility, scale, and security while reducing cost. • Micro fluidic / macro fluidic consumables development for target capture and enrichment for both bacterial and viral moieties with difficult samples such as whole blood. • Managing matrix teams and consultants for projects with considerable exposure at C-level (COO and CSO/CTO).• Innovating in an FDA / CE in vitro diagnostic device market with the attention to documentation and detail that this market requires.

Fremont, California, Us

Engineering and design (SolidWorks) for WaferGen, the leader in the development, manufacture and commercialization of next-generation systems for gene expression and genotyping using realtime PCR (RT-PCR) for the life science and pharmaceutical industries. • Engineered a ~5000 sample thermocycling fluorescent detection system (from whiteboard to production) that is more than 20 times as efficient as the closest competitor while reducing cost per sample by at least 20%. Responsible for initial engineering development including thermal modeling and FEA analysis of highly stressed components, optical lay out, camera and filter selection and electronics specification. • Development of patentable IP within first three months based on analysis of existing IP, avoiding potential infringement issues. • Managed internal electro-mechanical design team and external contractors for industrial design and firmware /software.• Developed a novel application for micro-molding, managed vendor relationships for manufactured parts, and led verification and validation testing. Developed and validated a disposable sample carrier including biologically compatible coating.• Analyzed competitive landscape of nano to pico liter sample delivery technologies for instrument incorporation. • Established transfer to manufacturing and quality control protocols (Fishbone, FMEA, etc), as well as supporting organizational operational systems (Document Control (PDMworks, Arena).

San Francisco, Ca, Us

Blue sky research fellow for implantable cortical prostheses for movement control.Designed and implemented the signal processing systems in MatLab and LabView to integrate into existing laboratory set up. Performed aseptic surgeries to implant sense coils and hardware to facilitate the data collectionAwarded Ruth Kirchestien Fellowship

Research analyst for the CEO, proviting inital assesment of prospective companies and further indepth research and opinion as needed.

Basic research and concept development for a startup in the non-destructive label free cell sorting device indusrty.Competitive analysis of competitors and evaluation of IP landscapeManaged simulation and analysis of potential microfluidic MEMs devices for sorting of cells

Worked closely with the founder of a start up venture developing a technology to package medicine in more convenient containers for multi-med multi dose regimes.Developed mechanical systems to fulfill ambitious design specifications. Developed ideas and generated proof of concept Designed and fabricated full scale system that was Alpha tested in a partners’ pharmacy

Various positions across University departments during Ph.D studyManaged the computing department for a small college of 500 people, supporting the staff and students alike and rolling out an improved network access and infrastructure throughout 600 rooms.Developed a high throughput Electrophoresis system for the Wellcome trust. This enabled the reuse of the agarose gells and thus achieved significant cost savings in the lab. Applied my Ph.D research in the Oxford Orthopaedic Engineering Centre to the study and treatment of Cerebral Palsey

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bio Medical Engineering

B.Eng., Electronics

Extension 2007, Business