And the recent news (link above) is quite a statement when a professor leaves a cushy benefits loaded job as a professor and joins a not yet profitable technology start up, MVTG. She obviously believes MVTG has a major, immediate future!!!
Mantra Venture Group Ltd. (OTCQB: MVTG) and its subsidiary, Mantra Energy Alternatives, have announced the addition of two new personnel to its team. Drs. Ashwin Usgaocar and Christina Gyenge have joined Mantra in its new facilities in Vancouver.
Dr. Ashwin Usgaocar (Ph.D.) is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Professor John Madden at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He has joined the Mantra team supported by a Mitacs grant designed to bridge the gap between academia and industry. Dr. Usgaocar’s research experience is well suited to Mantra’s work, and includes the fabrication and characterization of lithium-ion battery electrodes, the development of electrodeposited Schottky barrier hydrogen sensors, and the initiation of a project on innovative photogalvanic solar cell designs. He is also a talented software developer, and has worked for three years as a software engineer leading projects such as the development of a SIM application toolkit for Fortuna Technologies Ltd. At Mantra, Dr. Usgaocar will be working on advanced electrode fabrication.
Since receiving her Ph.D. from UBC in 2000, Dr. Christina Gyenge has worked extensively in chemical and biological engineering. This experience includes postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Bergen and Stanford University and a position as a research associate at Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials. In 2009 she returned to UBC as a teaching faculty, in which capacity she developed and delivered numerous courses such as Energy Engineering. Dr. Gyenge combines an interdisciplinary and innovative background with a broad overview and vision related to the practical applications of alternative energy technologies and novel chemical technologies in general.
“I am excited to join Mantra Energy Alternatives, a company that is developing unique and innovative solutions to some of the most challenging problems of the 21st century; namely, mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable energy conversion,” said Dr. Gyenge. “I am happy to be part of a dynamic team that strives to create a paradigm shift in the manner with which we address future energy needs, through leading edge chemical and electrochemical technologies.”
Dr. Gyenge will join Mantra in the role of VP of Technology, Marketing and Innovation. She will be focused on the positioning of Mantra’s technologies in the market and the strategic expansion of the company’s technology portfolio.
Said Patrick Dodd, Mantra’s VP of Corporate Development, “The addition of Ashwin and Christina, two highly talented engineers, reflects on Mantra’s success in attracting the crucial skill sets that will propel the company to the next stage.”
About Mantra Venture Group
Mantra Venture Group Ltd. (OTCQB: MVTG) is a clean technology incubator that takes innovative emerging technologies and moves them towards commercialization. The Company, through its subsidiary Mantra Energy Alternatives, is currently developing two groundbreaking electrochemical technologies designed to make reducing greenhouse gas emissions profitable, ERC (Electro-Reduction of Carbon Dioxide) and MRFC (Mixed-Reactant Fuel Cell).
ERC is a form of “carbon capture and utilization” (CCU) that converts the polluting greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into useful, valuable products including formic acid and formate salts. By utilizing clean electricity, the process offers the potential for an industrial plant to reduce emissions while generating a salable product and a profit.
The MRFC is an unconventional fuel cell that uses a mixture of fuel and oxidant, thereby greatly reducing the complexity and cost of the fuel cell system. Ideal for portable applications, the MRFC is cheaper, lighter, and more compact than conventional fuel cell technologies.
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