Meet Our Team

Keith Evans, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, President & CEO, Member of Board of Directors

Keith has over 2 decades of executive experience in commercializing advanced semiconductor materials technologies including key roles at QED/IQE, Crystal IS (Asahi Kasei), Veeco Instruments, and Kyma Technologies. He also served as President of the Board for the US Power Electronics Industry Collaborative (PEIC). In 2019 he became an Entrepreneur in Residence at Spartan Innovations where he teamed with MSU professor Tim Grotjohn to co-found GLCT. His skills and experience include early stage startup financing and growth, winning federal grants, congressional support, intellectual property licensing, business turnaround, product diversification, mergers and acquisitions, and initial public offerings. He began his career at US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) where he built a world-class team which advanced the technology of crystal growth for manufacturing semiconductor devices for the defense sector. Keith received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Purdue University.

Timothy Grotjohn, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Technical Advisor, Member of Board of Directors

Tim is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Michigan State University (MSU) where he works on diamond process and device R&D. He joined MSU in 1987 and served for 9 years as the Department Chairperson and for six years as the R&D Director of the Fraunhofer USA Center for Coatings and Diamond Technologies located at MSU. His current research activities include diamond deposition reactor design; diamond process R&D for doped and undoped diamond; and diamond device R&D including diodes, transistors, quantum sensors and high energy particle detectors. He holds 13 patents with 9 related to diamond synthesis and processing. He has a total of 67 journal papers and over 250 conference papers/presentations. Tim received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University.

Mus (Mustafa) Chagal
Executive Chairperson of GLCT Board of Directors

Mus is an Entrepreneur In Residence & Faculty Coach at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Senior Advisor to Dentons, a Mentor for the Booth Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship, and a Mentor for the Duality Quantum Accelerator program which brought him and GLCT together. He has deep international business and startup experience with multiple successful exits and has held key roles including at FastWeb, Ameritech (now part of SBC Communications), UICO, and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Born and raised in Cyprus, Chagal came to the USA on a Fulbright Scholarship in 1984 and was admitted to the Lincoln Academy in 1988 as a Student Laureate. He earned a BS in computing and information science and math from Roosevelt University, and an MBA from Chicago Booth.

Paul Quayle, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist & Director R&D

Paul leads GLCT’s diamond materials and device R&D activities and is the Principal Investigator (PI) on multiple federal funding grants won by GLCT. He also has led the establishment of GLCT’s diamond manufacturing pilot line. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher advancing the manufacturing technology for diamond materials in GLCT co-founder Prof. Grotjohn’s group at MSU before joining GLCT, and he has three years of prior experience as a research scientist at Kyma Technologies. Paul received his Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics from Case Western Reserve University.

Ramon Diaz, Ph.D.
Director of Production

Ramon leads GLCT’s crystalline diamond manufacturing activities. He recently completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Michigan State University in GLCT co-founder Prof. Grotjohn’s group. His Ph.D. thesis is focused on development of processes for manufacturing large area diamond materials. Ramon has previous university teaching experience, and he has prior early stage high technology startup experience at Cutting Edge Superconductors.

Sandra Cita, M.S.
Lead Fabrication Engineer

Sandra has a master’s degree in Physics from the University of Puerto Rico focused on developing superconductive wires based on MgB2. She has worked on research related to other technologies including characterization by interferometry, and synthesis of cadmium selenide quantum dots. Sandra has previous university teaching experience and is a lifelong learner working with local non-profit organizations in Michigan while developing 3D printing technologies in her home country Colombia.

Danyell Morris
Data Science Engineer

Danyell is a recent graduate of Michigan State University with a BS in Computer Engineering. She worked with GLCT to test and experiment with their technology during her senior design project. She is experienced in a variety of programming languages, including Python, C++, and MySQL, as well as experience in topics such as cyber security, data science, and network communications. She is using her skills to build and improve GLCT’s database systems and computer systems.

Alex Grotjohn
Senior Technician and Facilities Lead

Alex recently completed his B.S. in Marketing at The Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. He is GLCT’s most senior technician and recently took on the facilities lead role for which he assists the company in maintaining its current facility while playing a lead role in carrying out GLCT’s expansion plans. Alex has prior experience in crystalline diamond growth technology at the Fraunhofer USA Center for Coatings and Diamond Technologies.

Ha Ninh Dang
Equipment/Hardware Engineer

Ha Ninh is a recent graduate at Michigan State University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He has experiences in design and manufacturing especially in CAD 2D/3D modeling, FEA, and CAE throughout his lab work, internship, and courses. He is using his skills to provide hands-on assistance in designing, assembling, and modifying equipment used in the development, use, and maintenance of the company’s R&D facility.

Will Cravitz
Special Projects – Academic Partnerships

Will is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago, a member of the class of 2024. His academic interests are widely varied, though he plans to major in mathematics and philosophy while gaining a good deal of exposure to physics and computer science. Professionally, Will’s experience is centered around graphic design, UX design, and web development. He currently works as a web designer for UChicago Creative—where he contributed to the redesign of the main UChicago website. Will also serves as a Quantum Research and Industry Analyst for Duality, a quantum technology accelerator based at the University of Chicago. In the future, Will hopes to leverage his web development skills and academic interests to promote quality free online education.

Thomas Sheppard
Special Projects – Commercialization

Thomas is an undergraduate in the 2024 class at the University of Chicago majoring in philosophy and mathematics. In addition to working for GLCT, Thomas is a Quantum Research and Industry Analyst for Duality Quantum Accelerator, the University of Chicago’s accelerator program for quantum technology startups. Thomas is an entrepreneurship enthusiast, and won UChicago’s ILC: Entrepreneurship and Technology pitch competition. He also has a passion for the environment and recycling and served on the Northeast Recycling Council’s Glass Model Legislation Committee in the Summer of 2021.

Angel Zhang
Special Projects – Federal Grants & Partnerships

Angel is a member of the University of Chicago Class of 2023, majoring in Public Policy and Economics. In addition to working for GLCT, Angel is a Quantum Research and Industry Analyst for Duality– the University of Chicago’s accelerator program for quantum computing startups and the first quantum accelerator in the US. After an introduction to cybersecurity and policy through the SolarWinds Hack and an internship with Cambridge Global Advisors, she developed an interest in the interaction of business, quantum, technology, cybersecurity, policy, and government. In the future, Angel hopes to continue in the policy and tech realm while also engaging in initiatives to support programs which empower minority students.

Victor Tyne
Special Projects – Advanced Analysis

Victor is an undergraduate second-year at the University of Chicago pursuing majors in physics and classics and a minor in quantum information science. He is excited about the fabrication of materials and hardware crucial for quantum communication, sensing, computing and simulation. Currently his work at GLCT is focused on the development of diamond materials for quantum applications. Victor is interested in the intersection of research and industry, and outside of GLCT he is conducting research in biophysics at Washington University in St. Louis.

Thanh Tran
Semiconductor Process Engineer

Thanh earned his bachelor degree in nanoelectronics materials and his master degree in Materials Science and Engineering. He is currently a PhD candidate in Materials Science and Engineering in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Michigan State University. His research focuses on ion source enhanced sputtering deposition of transparent conductive electrodes. At GLCT, he is helping to establish GLCT’s single crystal diamond R&D and pilot manufacturing line.

Aydin Chagal
Data Science Intern

Aydin is a member of the 2025 class at the University of Michigan, pursuing a major in Computer Science and a minor in Entrepreneurship. Outside of the classroom, Aydin worked with a smartwatch startup to improve the UX of their app, which accelerated their launch date by over a month. Additionally, Aydin is currently working on an independent project where he is implementing a program to open, scrape, and analyze the metadata of certain smart contracts. In the future, Aydin hopes to use his background in computer science to devise innovative solutions for struggling companies.

Logan Wolfe
Data Analysis/Software Engineer

Logan recently completed his BS in Computer Science at Michigan State University. Logan is knowledgeable in multiple modern programming languages and has experience in website development, website development, database management, and game development. He was the vice president of the VEX Robotics Club at Lansing Community College. He is working closely with GLCT’s digital data team to operate and continuously improve GLCT’s data collection and storage.

Luis Hernandez
Semiconductor Process Technician Intern

Luis is an undergraduate student in the Class of 2023 at the University of Notre Dame, majoring in Electrical Engineering. Along with working at GLCT, Luis has actively collaborated with faculty as a research assistant from the University of Notre Dame Department of Electrical Engineering. Luis’s research is centered on device fabrication and characterization of high-mobility wide band-gap semiconductors, and has experience with device processing at the Notre Dame Nanofabrication Facility. Luis hopes to continue working with semiconductor devices and aims to develop devices suitable for the technological demands of the future.

Siddharth Patel
Summer Intern

Sid is a rising senior at the Latin School of Chicago and has experience with various programming languages, as well as internship experience including an internship in analyzing data related to Covid-19 in Chicago at the Rush University Medical Center. Sid is currently working with GLCT’s technical team on various projects and subprojects. In the future, Sid hopes to continue his education through pursuing an engineering major in college.

Naveen Yalamuri Shamasundar
Full Stack Data Scientist

Naveen is currently a graduate student at the Walsh College of Accountancy and Business Administration doing an MBA with majors in Technology and Concentration in Data Science. He was born and raised in India and has a bachelor’s in computer science from The Oxford College of Engineering, Bangalore, India. He has overall 8+ years of experience in Software Development, Database migration, and Quality Assurance. He worked as Team Lead for Quality Assurance for a US Railroad company in Bangalore before quitting his job for his higher studies in US. He is very passionate about knowing everything related to data now. In the future, Naveen has plans to continue in the field of technology and has an aim to become an investor with some investment plans in tourism, food industry, stocks, sports, etc.

Tristan Sharma
Special Projects – Capital & Industry Partnerships

Tristan is a second-year undergraduate at the University of Chicago pursuing a double major in physics and computer science. To explore his academic interests beyond the classroom, Tristan actively engages in research with faculty from both the University of Chicago Department of Computer Science as well as the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. As part of the Large-Scale Systems Group, Tristan is researching the use of complex power grid data for advancing the sustainability of computing, and has built a fully automated application to digest and integrate various data sources from several US power grids.

Andrew Treglia
Semiconductor Process Intern

Andrew received his bachelor degrees in physics, math, and astrophysics and his master degree in physics.  He is currently pursuing his PhD in experimental condensed matter physics, at Colorado State University, with a research focus on the single-crystal growth and characterization of quantum magnetic materials.  At GLCT, he is working on several projects to optimize the single crystal growth of diamond through advancements in instrumentation.