Navid Kazem co-founded Arieca after completing his PhD in computational mechanics at Carnegie Mellon, where he developed the core technology behind Liquid Metal Embedded Elastomers (LMEE). He is a former Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship Fellow at Tepper School of Business, with multiple high-impact publications and patents. His background combines a deep technical expertise with the capacity to convert cutting-edge scientific advancement into commercial technology. Navid leads product development of LMEEs, commercial strategic partnerships, as well as fund raising. As an avid soccer player (current coach and former player & President of CMU Men’s club soccer team with record breaking goal-scoring) and Manchester United fan, he takes lessons on the importance of passion and persistence in everyday life just like in sports.
Carmel Majidi is the Clarence H. Adamson Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, where he leads the Soft Machines Lab, a research group dedicated to the development of novel soft multifunctional materials for applications in wearable computing and robotics. Carmel is credited with the invention of the “Thubber” and regarded as a leading innovator in the development of soft, functional materials. His lab at Carnegie Mellon University has created two other companies that bring cutting-edge innovation to market. At Arieca, he is co-founder, CTO, and serves as Board Chairman.
Vivek Singh is an experienced Principal Scientist with a demonstrated history of working in structural, magnetic, optical, surface and electronic characterization of bulk and nanomaterials for over a decade. He is skilled in numerous material characterization techniques, including Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), ultra-high vacuum/cryogenic temperatures Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy (STM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), SQUID magnetometry, low temperature electron magnetic resonance, optical microscope, FTIR, absorbance and photoluminescence. Vivek has a strong research background, with a Masters of Science focused in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and a PhD in Physics from West Virginia University.
A Scientist (PhD Physics, University of Tokyo), Serial entrepreneur, and innovator in materials, semiconductors, and foods. Tomo has extensive experience in both US and Asian companies, ranging from small garage startups to large corporations. Tomo’s combination of rich experience with Asian companies, solid technological background, and business acumen is being applied as he works with innovative Asian companies exploring the commercial opportunities enabled by Arieca’s innovative LMEE technology.
Dylan Shah is a mechanical engineer and roboticist with over 8 years of hands-on experience in fast-paced research environments, publishing over 25 peer-reviewed publications in various fields including soft-material robotics, stretchable electronics, and agricultural robotics. He completed his PhD at Yale University in mechanical engineering and materials science, where he was a NASA Space Technology Research Fellow and was awarded the Henry Prentiss Becton Graduate Prize for exceptional achievement in research. Dylan began his research career at Iowa State University, where he completed an MS in agricultural engineering and BS in mechanical engineering. At Arieca, he leads research to characterize our LMEE formulations in their end use cases, including both in-package and on-package applications spanning the full range of mobile and consumer electronics markets.
Toby Mea is a chemical engineer specializing in soft materials for 3D printing and tissue engineering applications. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Messiah University, before completing his Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the University of California at Davis, where he was awarded the Best TA Award for his contribution to the university’s teaching mission. He brings both his affinity for research and working closely with others into his duties as an application chemist, where he generates solutions internally for the polymer and product teams at Arieca, and externally to meet customers’ needs.
Keyton Feller is a polymer scientist and chemist specializing in thermosetting polymer networks and polymer characterization, including thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and rheology. He holds a chemistry degree (B.Sc.) from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, where he performed research in small molecule synthesis of organometallic complexes. Keyton received his Ph.D. in Macromolecular Science and Engineering at Virginia Tech, focusing on material development and modeling of vat photopolymerization high-performance resins. Keyton serves as a polymer R&D scientist at Arieca, developing high-performance liquid metal embedded elastomers to serve as the next generation TIMs for high-powered semiconductor applications.
Benjamin Dorau has over 20 years of experience in the chemical industry, spanning from commercial scale-up and process optimization to safety and regulatory compliance. Ben has experience with polymer emulsions, phenolic resins, and controlled radical polymerization. Ben is a 2002 graduate of University of Wisconsin, Madison, holding a chemistry degree with a focus on organic synthesis. Since joining Arieca, Ben has contributed to production scale-up of TIM formulations, in addition to leading development of cure-in-place solutions for TIM2 applications.
Swagata Mondal is a synthetic polymer chemist with specialization in dynamic covalent networks, supramolecular networks, hydrogel, and controlled radical polymerization. Swagata completed her Master’s degree at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras in 2018. She earned her Ph.D. degree from the Organic Chemistry division at the University of Florida in 2023. At Arieca, Swagata is working as a Polymer Scientist to develop high-performance elastomers for the next-generation thermally conductive liquid-metal polymer composites.
Cara holds a degree in mechanical engineering (B.Sc.) with a minor in computer science from the University of Pittsburgh. Her experience spans multiple industries, including medical devices, autonomous vehicles, and machinery manufacturing. As an undergraduate research collaborator with NASA JPL, she facilitated the development of analysis tools for radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Passionate about community and innovation, she is involved in the Society of Women Engineers and founded UPitt’s American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics chapter. At Arieca, she designs test setups, coordinates and executes experiments, and performs data analyses to characterize products for end-use applications.
Peter carter is a product development scientist with expertise in a variety of chemistries, including silica-based thermal insulation, polyurethanes, epoxy/amine systems, and polyesters. His prior experience ranges from cofounding an advanced materials startup to working at Fortune 500 companies. At Arieca, he assists with R&D efforts to develop the next generation thermal interface materials (TIM1 and TIM2) for consumer electronics, as well as maintaining the lab equipment and supplies to ensure day-to-day laboratory functions run smoothly.