Senior Advisors
QA-UK covers a wide range of applications, from healthcare, to energy (oil and gas analytics) and new ways of producing energy (plasma gas dissociation), to biofuels, and in the environment and into security. The underlying analytic tools we bring to bear are, however, the same. Our advisors reflect our diverse applications, and our unified dedication to innovation and execution.
Mr. Steve Johnson
Steve Johnson is acknowledged as a world expert in forensics and the detection of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) weapons. He is the Deputy Editor of CBRNE World and Business Development Officer for the Cranfield Forensic Institute at Cranfield University. CBRNe World sponsor his research into terrorism and CBRNe at Cranfield University as part of the CBRN Defence and Security Unit of Cranfield Defence and Security, including his PhD.
He was previously Principal CBRNE Scientist for Thales UK developing new detection systems. Prior to this he worked at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence in related fields including the Joint CBRN Regiment and 33 Engineer Regiment EOD.
He has served tours in Northern Ireland, Iraq, Belize, and the Falklands amongst others. He is an active member of a number of groups developing CBRNE standards, particularly for detection, in the US and Europe and supports a number of International bodies in law and humanitarian field in handling CBRNE threats. Johnson is a fluent Arabic speaker. He will advise us on our Security applications.
Prof. Tony Cass
Tony Cass is Professor of Chemical Biology, Deputy Director and Research Director (Bionanotechnology) in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He trained originally as a chemist with degrees from the Universities of York and Oxford. His research interests are in the field of analytical biotechnology and particularly in the use of protein engineering and design to produce new reagents for biosensors and bioanalysis. He pioneered the use of synthetic electron transfer mediators for enzyme biosensors and his work in this area led to the development of the first electronic blood glucose measuring system, commercialised by MediSense Inc. (now part of Abbott Diagnostics), and the award of the Royal Society’s Mullard Medal.
Most of his current research is focussed on using engineered proteins and peptides in a micro-and nano-structured materials and devices for both clinical and high throughput analysis. In addition to his academic research, he is a member of several Research Council Committees, a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Oxford Biosensors and has acted as a consultant to several European and US biotechnology companies. He is a member of the advisory board of International Pharmaceutical Training Ltd. He has published over 80 papers and edited 3 books and is on the editorial boards of Biosensors and Bioelectronics and IEE Proceedings Nanobiotechnology. In addition he is a Visiting Professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Cass will bring the full intellectual power of Imperial college into a number of our programs, in particular the biofuel project.
Dr. Michael Khalil Harvey
An analytical chemist with more than 45 years experience in trace organic and inorganic quantitative methods development and implementation in a wide variety of sample types. A recognized expert in the enabling technology of mass spectrometry and separations science employing high performance chromatographic inlet accessories.
Currently maintains a variety of consulting engagements and ongoing global collaborative research and commercialization activities in diverse areas including animal vaccine development, production of silica aerogels from green energy pilot plant wastes, biomarker and drug discovery from marine and terrestrial organisms, omics research including proteomics, metabolomics and lipidomcs, and novel scientific instrument development and applications.
Harvey has held academic posts at the University of Virginia ( chemistry) and the University of North Carolina (environmental sciences) and currently presents more than 30 academic lectures and conducts numerous invited training courses each year.
Co-founded or managed a number of technology start-up companies in the USA and Malaysia in areas such as green chemicals for semiconductor industry, trace organic analytical laboratories, alternate delivery systems for animal vaccines, field instrumentation for tropical forest drug discovery, aquaculture, and training centres for chemical analysis.
Held laboratory operations and management positions with the US Food and Drug Administration and Ford Motor Company Scientific Research Labs as well as sales management positions with VG Instruments (US) and Thermo Finnigan (Japan and Asia). Harvey will deploy to Qatar full time in January 2013.
