Bob is a seasoned veteran of the energy industry with a technical and managerial background spanning downstream refining, chemicals, biofuels, waste plastic recycling and electricity storage, with a focus on the application of advanced technology solutions to global energy problems.
Prior to returning to Trans Ionics in April 2024 to realign the company with a new corporate strategy, Bob served as President and CEO of Circular Polymer Resources Inc. (CPRI), headquartered in The Woodlands, TX and was tasked with growing the business to become a premiere supplier of high quality waste plastic to companies in the Advanced (Chemical) Recycling industry.
Before joining CPRI he led an Exploratory Research Team at SABIC that was chartered with developing high valued, step-out ideas for the company’s chemical operations, one of which involved the conversion of plastic waste to liquids which could be further converted in SABIC’s liquid crackers to produce the chemical building blocks ethylene and propylene.
For 13 years prior to joining SABIC, Bob was the original founder of Trans Ionics Corporation and served as President and CEO during its formative years.
Prior to Trans Ionics, Bob spent 23 years with Exxon Research and Engineering Company from which he retired in 2000. He began his career in Exxon’s Corporate Research Laboratories in Linden, NJ and subsequently moved to the downstream R&D laboratories in Baton Rouge, LA, where he carried out Exploratory Research programs that focused on energy efficient Separation-based Technology for Exxon’s Downstream operations worldwide.
Bob received his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Carolina and his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech, where he focused on Reaction Engineering. He is a prolific inventor with 56 issued patents (plus another 10 in active prosecution), 17 publications in peer reviewed journals and 21 presentations to national and international conferences. He is a 50-year member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and a member of the American Chemical Society.