COE Alum named Chief Technology Officer
UltraCell Corporation, a leading producer of reformed methanol fuel cells (RMFCs) for mobile power applications, today announced that Dr. Joe MacLeish has joined the executive team as vice president of engineering. The company also promoted founding team member Ian Kaye to chief technology officer.
MacLeish brings more than 20 years of experience in engineering, operations and customer service to the post. Prior to UltraCell, MacLeish served as vice president of engineering, operations and customer service at Gatan. MacLeish has extensive experience in the commercialization of revolutionary technologies, including roles as vice president of R&D for PRI Automation and Concept Systems Design, COO of Synthetica Technologies, president and founder of BlueSky, Inc., and vice president of engineering at several other leading semiconductor and industrial automation companies.
MacLeish holds an M.S. in Chemical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, along with a B.A. in Physics from the University Of California, Santa Barbara.
An active leader in the fuel cell industry for more than a decade with more than 45 fuel cell patents, Kaye is a founding member of the UltraCell team and invented the reformed methanol fuel cell technology platform that remains the core of the company's award-winning, flagship product, the UltraCell XX25™. In this new role, Kaye will continue to drive the company's technology leadership and guide the development of new fuel cell technologies to further increase performance of its fuel cells. He will also continue to work with the company's military and fuel components partners to this end.
Before UltraCell, Kaye served as senior engineer at Analytic Power Corporation, working on membrane electrode assembly (MEA) fabrication, fuel processing, high-pressure hydrogen generation and residential fuel cells. Ian has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston.
"We're thrilled to be expanding our senior team in this way," said Keith Scott, CEO of UltraCell. "I have every confidence that both Joe and Ian will continue to build on the strong foundation already in place, driving new enhancements and capabilities so that we continue to deliver the most trusted, innovative solutions to market."
"A technology pioneer, UltraCell has taken what was once an in-the-labs, futuristic technology to the fore," said MacLeish. "I'm honored to be a part of the UltraCell team, and look forward to helping to fulfill and surpass the next set of development goals."
About UltraCell
UltraCell is a leading producer of fuel cell systems for mobile devices. With an exclusive license with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories for micro fuel cell technology, the company has developed new technologies and intellectual property in the field of methanol-based fuel cells. Its patented, award-winning portable fuel cell, the XX25™, achieved Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 status, a significant U.S. Army milestone and certification for military use and commercial production. For more information about UltraCell, please visit http://www.ultracellpower.com/.