Our Team

Yushan Yan, Ph.D.

CEO and Co-Founder

Yushan is a leading electrochemical engineer, inventor, educator and entrepreneur. He has worked in both industry and academia, and his 20+ U.S. patents have contributed to multiple startups, including Versogen and NanoH2O. He serves as the Henry B. du Pont Chair in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware, where Versogen’s research and development efforts began. His research has focused on developing AEMs and AEM fuel cells and electrolyzers for twenty years. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Among his many recognitions are Fellow of the Electrochemical Society, National Academy of Inventors, and American Association for the Advancement of Science, and recipient of the Electrochemical Society’s Energy Technology Division Research Award.

Balsu Lakshmanan, Ph.D.

Chief Technology Officer

Balsu has over 20 years of leadership experience in hydrogen and fuel cell technology, business development, and commercialization. As CTO, he leads the efforts to design, build and commercialize the Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) electrolyzer. Previously, he developed a 100kW scale Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer stack at Ohmium, and led the stack and system design effort for Gen3 fuel cell system (FCS) at GM. Balsu is an inventor on over 45 U.S. patents and has co-authored many peer-reviewed publications. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Technology in Chemical and Electrochemical Engineering from Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), India.

Tim Krebs, CFA

Chief Financial Officer

Tim Krebs is an experienced financial leader for companies in the energy sector. Tim has participated in +50 mergers, acquisitions, and capital markets transactions. Previously, Tim has been the CFO of three energy technology companies and earlier in his career worked at a search fund and as an investment banker. Tim holds degrees as an MBA, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Sharon Perl, Ph.D., MBA

Director of Membrane Production

Sharon has both the knowledge and experience in process development and scale-up of chemistry related products. Her deep understanding of organic chemistry, together with her extensive industrial knowledge in process optimization and scale up from bench to commercialization aid to scale-up Versogen membrane and Ionomer production. She has managed small and large teams. She earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Technion – Israel institute of technology and an MBA from Derby University.

Jim Prendergast

Director of Sales and Business Development

Jim brings significant experience in chemical sales and marketing to Versogen. He enjoys applying his experience to enable business growth in the dynamic market space of green hydrogen. His passion is connecting the needs of our customers with the significant capabilities of Versogen. He earned his degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and his MBA from the University of Delaware.

Junhua Wang, Ph.D.

Chief Scientist and Co-Founder

Junhua has extensive knowledge and experience in organic and polymer chemistry. His career interests lie primarily in organic and polymer chemistry to design, synthesize, and characterize new materials for clean electrochemical technologies, particularly for applications in energy storage and hydrogen utilization. He earned a Ph.D. Organic Chemistry from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry.

Brian Setzler, Ph.D.

Senior Chemical Engineer and Co-Founder

Brian dedicates his work to the development of enabling technologies for the deep decarbonization of the global economy. He invented a set of electrochemical separation technologies to remove carbon dioxide from air for use in fuel cell systems and direct air capture. His research focuses on polymer electrolyte fuel cells, electrolyzers, and electrochemical separators, emphasizing on modeling and device testing. Brian earned a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Keda Hu, Ph.D.

Senior Chemist and Co-Founder

Keda applies his expertise in organic/polymer synthesis and material characterization to polymer development, production, and membrane quality control. His work areas include polymer development and characterization, and establishment of quality control for membrane production. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of New Mexico.

Lisa Dunsmore, Ph.D.

MEA Development Engineer

Lisa uses her background in manufacturing and fuel cell fabrication to aid in her work as an MEA Development Engineer. She earned her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University where she researched PGM-free PEM fuel cells. Through combined modeling and experiments, she optimized cathode morphology and MEA fabrication to assist in the achievement of state-of-the-art performance for PGM-free PEM fuel cells. Now, she is turning to AEM electrolyzer development to promote the production of green hydrogen.

Lin Shi, Ph.D.

Chemical Engineer

Lin will apply his expertise in electrochemical engineering to Versogen’s AEM electrolyzer development. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware, where he optimized the performance and durability of AEM fuel cells and developed a shorted membrane electrochemical cell for CO2 capture. With knowledge and experience for MEA fabrication, fuel cell diagnosis, membrane casting, and device scale-up, Lin is currently concentrating on green hydrogen generation for a carbon-neutral economy.

Shule Yu, Ph.D.

MEA Development Engineer

Shule Yu has a strong background in electrode designs for water electrolyzers and is now dedicating his knowledge to the role of MEA development engineer at Versogen. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tennessee Space Institute, where he was deeply involved in investigating anodes and cathodes for PEM electrolyzers. His research areas include catalyst synthesis and electrode fabrication.

Archana Sekar, Ph.D.

Research Engineer

Archana applies her background from materials and electrochemical engineering towards the development of Versogen’s AEM electrolyzer. She earned her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Kansas State University where she developed durable PGM and PGM-free electrocatalysts for DMFCs, PEM and AEM based hydrogen fuel cells and water electrolyzers. Her expertise includes handling various characterization techniques and analysis. She has a Bachelor of Technology degree in Chemical and Electrochemical Engineering from CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), India. Her current focus is to apply her skills towards realizing green hydrogen economy.

Udari Kodithuwakku, Ph.D.

Research Engineer

Udari earned my Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Kentucky, where she was involved in understanding the effects of metal nanoparticles supported on heteroatom-doped carbon catalysts for ORR (oxygen reduction reaction) and copper- based electrocatalysts for bicarbonate conversion into valuable products. Her research areas included catalyst fabrication, characterization, and optimization of performance using three electrode tests and MEA.

Naajein Cherat

Finite Element Analyst

Sustainable energy master’s student at TU Delft, passionate about exploring the potential of renewable energy.  Masters in Solid mechanics from IIT Madras, with 12+ years of experience in finite element analysis of Battery and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles. Expertise in analysis procedures related to Structural, NVH, Multiphysics, Sealing Evaluation and System Modeling.

Sridhar Kanuri, M.B.A., M.S.

As a renowned figure in the fuel cell industry, Sridhar has written a book chapter on fuel cells, served on Connecticut’s Hydrogen Task Force, and holds more than 10 U.S. patents and 21 international patents. He began his career working on automotive PEM fuel cells, and his product development experience includes transportation fuel cells, stationary fuel cells and electrolyzers.

He currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer for HyAxiom, where he manages Global Research & Engineering and Service & Installation. In this role, he leads product development, cost reduction initiatives, sustaining engineering, product installation and field service. Previously, he had served as the Director of Cell Stack and Fuel Processing Engineering and the Technology Manager for UTC Power.

Under his leadership at HyAxiom, Sridhar’s team collaborates with universities, governmental and non-governmental organizations on technology development, prototype demonstrations and funding. Kanuri was elected to the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in 2018 for his contributions to fuel cell technology, and he holds a M.B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University as well as a M.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Florida State University.

Chuck Xu, Ph.D.

Chuck is a highly regarded global business executive with strong passion and track record for sustainable clean energy.  He is currently a vice president and general manager (VPGM) at DuPont leading strategy and M&A for the $5B Electronics and Industrials division, which has recently closed the $2.3B acquisition of Laird Performance Materials and signed the definitive agreement for the $5.2B acquisition of Rogers Corporation. Previously Chuck was VPGM of DuPont’s Non-Core division, a $2B portfolio of global businesses including photovoltaics (PV), biomaterials, environmental technology solutions, and advanced materials. Prior to Non-Core, Chuck was VPGM of DuPont’s $1B Photovoltaic and Advanced Materials business unit.

Chuck is recognized as a thought leader in PV and sustainable clean energy through more than 10 years of leadership of DuPont’s PV businesses, the world’s largest non-silicon PV material provider. Chuck was also an entrepreneur, and was Executive Director of Telephotonics, a U.S. based venture capital funded telecom startup. He played a key role in the development of the company, transforming it from an R&D organization to a commercial business and leading its acquisition by DuPont in 2002.

Chuck received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Peking University, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Columbia University.

Yushan Yan, Ph.D.

Yushan is a leading electrochemical engineer, inventor, educator and entrepreneur. He has worked in both industry and academia, and his 20+ U.S. patents have contributed to multiple startups, including Versogen and NanoH2O. He serves as the Henry B. du Pont Chair in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware, where Versogen’s research and development efforts began. His research has focused on developing AEMs and AEM fuel cells and electrolyzers for twenty years. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Among his many recognitions are Fellow of the Electrochemical Society, National Academy of Inventors, and American Association for the Advancement of Science, and recipient of the Electrochemical Society’s Energy Technology Division Research Award.

Shimshon Gottesfeld, Ph.D.

Shimshon has dedicated his career to fuel cell science and technologies and is widely considered a father of modern PEM fuel cells. He began his work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the 1980s when the global fuel cell effort was still in its infancy. In 2007, Shimshon co-founded the world’s first AEM fuel cell company, CellEra, in Israel. He is a recipient of the Olin Palladium Medal, one of the highest awards from the Electrochemical Society. Shimshon is an inventor on over 30 patents and an author of numerous publications. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Technion in Israel, and he serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware.

Mark Mathias, Ph.D.

Mark is an Energy System Development consultant with extensive expertise in Electrochemical Systems. His career work has been instrumental in commercializing global fuel cell development. At General Motors, he led the fuel cell research program with Honda that resulted in a manufacturing joint venture. He also served as R&D director of fuel cell and battery development and managed GM’s internal design capability for their MEA. Mark is an inventor on over 25 U.S. patents and an author of many peer-reviewed technical papers. He has received numerous awards, including GM Chairman’s Award and NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship Recipient. Mark earned a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin and currently serves as a consultant at Geojule, LLC.