Curriculum Vitae

Contact Information

  • +1.302.468.7321

Summary

  • Experienced leader and people manager, scientist, and instructor with a strong background in chemistry, data and instrumental analysis, materials science and engineering, and product and process creation and modification, while leveraging expertise in leadership training and interdepartmental communication.
  • Extensive experience in laboratory management, product development, and materials analysis for advanced technology and research applications in academia, aerospace/defense/military, corporate, early- and late-stage startups, government contractors, and medical research groups.
  • Well-versed in project management, creating and leading technical teams, business development, process development, writing and editing technical publications, and providing instruction in classroom/lecture and laboratory/manufacturing settings.
  • Authored more than 20 publications and presented a variety of technical subjects to local, regional, and international audiences at conferences for trades, universities, and other events.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Materials development, process development, and characterization of coatings for corrosion mitigation on electronics and other devices.
  • Design, synthesis, and analysis of functional coatings for charge storage, light-emission, sensor, and other applications.
  • Methods of rapid prototyping and manufacturing with 3D printing & laser cutting/etching.

EDUCATION

  • Certificate, Project Management, University of Delaware, Wilmington, DE, 2010
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Polymer Science, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, CA, 2005 to 2006. Synthetic and electrochemical research in conjugated heterocyclic polymer films for charge storage applications. Adviser: David Irvin, Ph.D.
  • Ph.D., Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 2005. Dissertation: “Design and syntheses of polymeric materials for visible and near-infrared emitting applications.” Adviser: Aaron Harper, M.D., Ph.D.
  • B.S., Chemistry, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, 1997. Undergraduate research in flow injection analysis (FIA) and ion exchange polymer membranes. Adviser: Stuart Chalk, Ph.D.

PORTFOLIO

  • Personal Website – SeanClancy.org – www.seanclancy.org – Collection of detailed information about my experience, interests, and skills, and copies of my presentations and publications.

CORE COMPETENCIES

  • Analytical, Organic, Physical, and Polymer Chemistry
  • Business Development & Value Creation
  • Chemical, Materials, Mechanical, Physical, and Instrumental Analysis
  • Continuous Improvement
  • Electronics Manufacturing
  • Functional & Protective Coatings
  • Laboratory Management
  • Marketing Research & Document Creation
  • Materials and Process Development
  • Multidisciplinary Team Building & Leadership
  • Optical Materials & Testing
  • Product and Project Management
  • Quality Control & Quality Assurance
  • Performance & Reliability Testing
  • Research and Development
  • Root Cause Failure Analysis
  • Surface Analysis & Modification
  • Technical Writing
  • Training – Instrumentation, Processes, & More
  • Technology Development

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Director of Materials Science, HZO, Inc., October 2020 to Present
  • Lead the Materials Science team in metrology for coating property characterization and performance, as well as the selection of material precursors and deposition processes for protective coatings for corrosion mitigation and reliability enhancement of electronic devices.
Director of Coating Technology, HZO, Inc., July 2019 to October 2020
  • Led the Coating Technology team in developing new and optimizing existing conformal coating materials and processes through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and other methods.
Chemical Engineer, HZO, Inc., Draper, UT, January 2018 to July 2019
  • Developed new materials and deposition processes for advanced coatings for protecting electronics, as well as served as technical consultant and resident Subject Matter Expert (SME) on coatings and electronics manufacturing industry best practices in cross-functional teams.
Adjunct Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, March 2018 to Present
  • Serve as an advisor to full-time faculty, students, and the Materials Characterization Lab (MCL) in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE).
CEO, Co-Founder, & Principal Consultant, Clancy & Associates Technical Services LLC, Draper, UT, October 2016 to July 2019
  • Provided consulting services in the STEAM fields (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) with practical solutions to development, manufacturing, and process issues, as well as advice, instrumental analysis, teaching materials, and training services.
Associate Director & Program Manager, Materials Characterization Lab, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, April 2017 to January 2018
  • Managed the MCL in the MSE Department at the University of Utah, including managing staff, scheduling, & billing; advising on, performing, & training of laboratory processes; maintenance, repair, and training on advanced scientific equipment.
Chemist and Project Manager, HZO, Inc., Draper, UT, April 2014 to July 2016
  • Developed new materials and deposition processes for advanced coatings, as well as served as technical consultant and resident Subject Matter Expert (SME) on coatings and electronics manufacturing industry best practices in cross-functional teams with Engineering, Intellectual Property/Legal, Marketing, Operations, Quality, Sales, Strategy, and Technology groups.
Research Associate/Chemist, ACI Technologies, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, May 2008 to January 2014
  • Managed high-value projects in electronics manufacturing for the US Navy and managed laboratory services for commercial customers, which included building and managing diverse, multidisciplinary teams, coordinating and planning analyses, and developing and selecting test methods.
Staff Scientist, NanoSelect, Inc., Newark, DE, May 2006 to March 2008
  • Designed, synthesized, and analyzed materials for functional coatings for electrodes on integrated circuits serving as electrochemical sensors for analytes in aqueous solution.
Postdoctoral Researcher, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, CA, February 2005 to May 2006
  • Designed, synthesized, and characterized electron-deficient (n-type) heterocyclic (nitrogen-containing) monomers and polymers for use in polymeric supercapacitors.
Graduate Research Assistant, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, August 2000 to February 2005
Graduate Research Assistant, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, August 1999 to August 2000
  • Designed, synthesized, and characterized conjugated polymers, metal-coordinating ligands, and lanthanide complexes for light-emitting applications, such as organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, chemical sensing, and optical signal amplifiers for telecommunications.
Research Technologist, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL, July 1997 to August 1999
  • Synthesized and characterized organic compounds for medicinal research as diagnostic tools and therapeutic candidates for muscular and neurodegenerative diseases in the form of carbohydrates, amino acids, peptides, monomers, and oligomers of peptide nucleic acids via solution or solid-phase synthesis, which led to multiple publications for the primary investigators.
Pharmacy Technician, Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., Jacksonville, FL, December 1992 to July 1997
  • Assisted pharmacists in the filling of prescriptions, along with instructing, operating, and providing support for a UNIX-based prescription filling system.

TEACHING/TRAINING EXPERIENCE

Director of Materials Science, HZO, Inc., October 2020 to Present
Director of Coating Technology, HZO, Inc., July 2019 to October 2020
Chemical Engineer, HZO, Inc., Draper, UT, January 2018 to July 2019
  • Train teammates on chemical safety and the operation of cleanliness testing, contact angle measurement systems, environmental chambers, handling, microsectioning, microscopy, root cause failure analysis, spectroscopy, sample preparation, and other equipment.
  • Provide guidance on RoHS, REACH, California Proposition 65, PFOA, and PFOS testing for compliance and safety testing.
  • Managed a team of summer internship students working on a data analysis project from the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University.
Adjunct Professor, Department of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, March 2018 to Present
  • Serve as an advisor to full-time faculty, students, and the Materials Characterization Lab (MCL) in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE).
Associate Director and Program Manager, Materials Characterization Lab (MCL), Department of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, April 2017 to January 2018
  • Trained students and other lab users on chemical safety and the operation of contact angle measurement system, handling, microsectioning, optical & electron microscopy, spectroscopy, sample preparation, and other techniques.
Chemist and Project Manager, HZO, Inc., Draper, UT, April 2014 to July 2016
  • Trained teammates on chemical safety and the operation of cleanliness testing, contact angle measurement systems, environmental chambers, handling, microsectioning, microscopy, root cause failure analysis, spectroscopy, sample preparation, and other equipment.
Research Associate/Chemist, ACI Technologies, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, May 2008 to January 2014
  • Trained teammates on the operation of chromatography, cleanliness testing, microscopy, solderability testing, spectroscopy, sample preparation, and other equipment.
  • Wrote “Failure analysis techniques for electronics” instructional and technical marketing book with a case studies companion presentation for commercial services and professional skills training courses.
  • Updated curriculum and delivered instruction for professional skills training courses: Failure Analysis and Reliability Testing in Electronics and Electronics Manufacturing Boot Camps.
Staff Scientist, NanoSelect, Inc., Newark, DE, May 2006 to March 2008
  • Wrote SOPs and helped train users to operate the electrochemistry equipment and perform electropolymerizations, as well as organic chemistry methods for surface passivation.
Postdoctoral Researcher, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, CA, February 2005 to May 2006
  • Wrote SOPs and helped train users to operate the NMR spectrometers.
Organic Chemistry Tutor, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, January 2001 to December 2004
  • Provided personalized instruction for undergraduate organic chemistry lecture courses.
Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, August 2000 to May 2001
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, August 1999 to May 2000
  • Instructed multiple laboratory sections of undergraduate organic chemistry courses with as many as 30 students per class.

SELECTED TECHNICAL SKILLS

  • Advanced Technology Manufacturing: Design for Manufacturability (DfM), statistical process control (SPC), quality management (ISO 9001), and standards usage (ASTM, IPC, MIL, etc.)
  • Communications: Articles, books, blog posts, ebooks, reports, proposals, presentations, posters, instructional materials, marketing documents, safety, standard operating procedures (SOPs), technical writing, training, web design, wiki, and work instructions
  • Computers: PC & Mac hardware, installation, networking, repair, selection, and troubleshooting. Advanced user of Android, Chrome OS, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, and software and services for office, graphics, Internet, ebook and web publishing, and other applications
  • Failure Analysis: Assembly, bare board, and component failure analysis; auditing production facilities, evaluating data sheets, and performing investigations, qualifications, quality assurance, quality control, and visual inspections; cleanliness testing, contamination analysis, and residue analysis; counterfeit component screening; destructive physical analysis (DPA): cross-sectional analysis, decapsulation, delidding, dye and pry / dye penetrant testing, fracture mechanics, microsectioning, solder joint analysis, and solderability testing; electrical testing: functional testing, I-V curve tracing, multimeters, and more; environmental stress screening (ESS): drop-shock testing, IPx3/4/7/8 water spray and submersion testing, salt fog testing, solvent immersion, temperature-humidity-bias, and thermal cycling; general manufacturing processes: cleaning, conformal coatings, handling, soldering, wire bonding technology, through-hole technology (THT), and surface mount technology (SMT); imaging: atomic force microscopy (AFM), conductive AFM, digital photography, metallography, optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, transmission X-ray and computerized tomography (CT) X-ray imaging; X-ray diffraction (XRD); non-destructive testing (NDT)
  • Instrumental Analysis: Chromatography/separations science: column, GC-MS, HPLC, IC, GPC-RI/MALLS, and SEC; data analysis and image analysis; electrochemistry: CV, EIS, galvanometry, and sequential electrochemical reduction analysis (SERA); spectroscopy: ATR-FTIR, EDS, fluorescence, FRET, NMR, phosphorescence, photophysics, UV-Vis-NIR, and XRF; structure and purity elucidation; structure-property studies; surface analysis: contact angle, surface energy, and more; thermal analysis: melting point determinations, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)
  • Management: Laboratory and project management experience with ongoing leadership and project management training

PUBLICATIONS

Book
Refereed Journal Article
Refereed Conference Papers
EMPFasis Articles, Company Newsletter and Navy Deliverable
Trade Magazine Articles
Patent Applications
patents
Guest Blog Posts

CONFERENCES, PRESENTATIONS, & SEMINARS

Podcast – Invited Guest
Webinars
  • HZO Webinar Series, August 12, 2020. Title: “Proven methods for achieving advanced product performance and protection from corrosive environments”
  • HZO Mandatory Chemical & Laboratory Safety Training. July 2020.
Oral Presentations
  • SMTA Intermountain Chapter March Meeting, Draper, UT, March 2016. Title: “Surface preparation is critical for conformal coating protection.” Presented with Robert “Dusty” Askin III.
  • IPC-SMTA High-Reliability Cleaning and Conformal Coating Conference 2014, Schaumburg , IL, November 2014. Title: “Protecting electronics from the deleterious effects of liquids and other contaminants at the molecular level.”
  • Custom one-day lecture course on “Failure analysis and reliability testing in electronics manufacturing,” New Albany, IN, September 2013.
  • Nano for Business 2010 Conference, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, May 2010. Invited panelist for Nanotechnology Health and Safety, focusing on tin whiskers and other unintended consequences of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive. Title: “Health, safety, and electronics manufacturing.”
  • The 48th SPIE Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, August 2003. Title: “Energy transfer from polyphenylene-type polymers to a series of Coumarins and other acceptors.”
Poster Presentations
  • The 2003 National Materials Research Society Meeting, San Francisco, CA, April 2003. Title: “Energy transfer from polyphenylene-type polymers to a series of dyes.”
  • The 31st Annual Stauffer Symposium, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, April 2003. Title: “Energy transfer from polyphenylene-type polymers to a series of dyes.”
  • The 30th Annual Stauffer Symposium, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, April 2002. Title: “Electron transport materials based on cyclodiborazane.”

Awards and Honors

HZO
  • Certificate of Appreciation for speaking at the SMTA lntermountain Chapter Meeting, Draper, UT, Mar. 2016. Presentation Title: “Surface preparation is critical for conformal coating protection.”
  • People’s Choice Award, October 2015. Awarded by a peer for excellence in teamwork.
  • People’s Choice Award, November 2014. Awarded by the head of Human Resources for excellence in teamwork.
ACI Technologies
  • Five Years of Service Award, December 2013
  • Invited Panelist for Nanotechnology Health and Safety, Nano for Business 2010 Conference at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, May 2010
Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division
  • American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Postdoctoral Fellowship, Polymer Science and Engineering Group, February 2005 to May 2006. Awarded for the ASEE/NRL proposal on the synthesis and computational chemistry of soluble electron-deficient (n-type) conjugated polymers.
University of Southern California
  • Beckman Foundation Research Fellowship, 2000 to 2002
  • Benson Endowed Fellowship, 2003 to 2005
  • Harold E. Moulton Graduate Fellowship, 2004
  • Research Assistantship, 2000 to 2005. Awarded for showing successful progress during my graduate studies.
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville
  • Above and Beyond Employee Recognition, 1997. Awarded for successful anti-sense (RNA-binding) and anti-gene (DNA-binding) experiments using the peptide nucleic acid (PNA) sequences that I synthesized.
University of North Florida
  • Dean’s List, 1997
  • Founding Treasurer, Student Affiliate American Chemical Society (SA-ACS) at UNF, 1997
  • University Honors Program, 1993 to 1997
Stanton College Preparatory School
  • Advanced Placement (AP) Scholar, 1993
  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Program Certificate, 1993

EXTENDED COURSEWORK/ CONTINUING EDUCATION

University of Utah
  • Radiation Safety Training for Analytical X-Ray, Radiation Safety Office, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 2017
HZO, Inc.
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Training, September to December 2020. Instructors: Katherine Turner, Global Citizen & Stan Kirner, Total Engagement Consulting. A. Introduction to DEI; B. Racial Equity and lntersectional DEI – Parts 1 & 2; and C. The Role of Management in DEI
  • IPC APEX 2016 – Failure Analysis for Improved Reliability. Instructor: Bhanu Sood, NASA, March 2016
  • IPC APEX 2016 – Robust Coating Processes in the Factory: Methods, Critical Parameters, Problems, and Remedies. Instructor: Douglas Pauls, Rockwell Collins, March 2016
  • IPC APEX 2016 – Cleaning for Reliability: How Clean is Clean? Instructor: Mike Bixenman, Kyzen Corporation, March 2016
  • IPC APEX 2016 – PCB Fabrication Basics: Process and Specifications. Instructor: Jim Vanden Hogen, Plexus, March 2016
  • Employment Law for Managers, February 2016. Instructor: Jonathan K. Driggs, Attorney at Law, P.C.
  • Leadership Training, Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders, January 2015. Instructor: Vallen Blackburn, HZO Corporate Controller
  • Leadership Training, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, November 2014. Instructor: Cindy McCollum, Outstanding By Design LLC
  • Engineering Best Practices, December 8, 2014. Instructor: Dan Triplett, HZO Principal Engineer
Google Analytics Academy
  • Certificate in Digital Analytics Fundamentals, October 2013
Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Short Course, University of California at Los Angeles
  • Certificate from the AVS Southern California Chapter Short Course Program (October 3, 2012). Instructor: Steven George, Ph.D.
University of Delaware, Certificate in Project Management Program (Fall 2010)
  • Project Management Fundamentals
  • Project Planning Using Microsoft Project
  • Finance and Resource Management of Projects
  • Project Teams and Communication
  • Project Presentations
  • Instructors: John Kmetz, DBA; Jo Kmetz; and Mike McNeel, MBA, PMP
Electronics Manufacturing Productivity Facility (EMPF) & Benchmarking and Best Practices Center of Excellence (B2PCOE) (ACI Technologies, Inc., formerly known as the American Competitiveness Institute)
  • IPC-A-600 Acceptability of Printed Boards Training and Certification (June 2013) – Certified IPC Specialist, Serial #: 600-S 4509, Expired June 2015
  • Benchmarking & Best Practices (February 2009)
  • IPC-A-600 Acceptability of Printed Boards Training and Certification (July 2008) – Certified IPC Specialist, Expired July 2010
  • Certificate of Achievement for successfully completing the factory training of RMD’s LeadTracer-RoHSTM XRF Inspection System, including, but not limited to the topics of Radiation Safety, DOT Regulations, and the Proper Use of the Instrument (December 17, 2009)
  • Failure Analysis and Reliability Testing in Electronics (June 2008)
  • Electronics Manufacturing Boot Camp A – Electronics Manufacturing Processes (May 2008)
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville
  • Hazardous Materials Technician Training for Chemical Spill Team at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (1998)

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Current Memberships
  • Global Association for Electronics Manufacturing (IPC)
  • Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA)
Previous Memberships
  • American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • American Vacuum Society (AVS)
  • International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE)
  • Materials Research Society (MRS)