Jake Li

About Jake Li

Technical fellow–level innovator with 25+ years of deep technical expertise in polymer synthesis, emulsion polymerization, and advanced coatings technologies.• Dynamic technical leader with a proven record of success driving innovations from concept through commercial launch of highly profitable coatings and resin products.• Motivated R&D leader with strong organizational and prioritization skills, including laboratory management and modernization, complex problem solving, and employee supervision, mentoring, and development.• Accomplished director of coatings and raw materials development, with extensive experience in product innovation, strategic sourcing, vendor negotiation, and raw material development.• Demonstrated success in developing and applying resins and paint additives that deliver significant cost savings and performance improvements.• Subject-matter expert in emulsion polymerization, colloid and surface science, surfactant chemistry, and rheology, with extensive hands-on formulation and scale-up experience.

Experience

1. Research Fellow

   Behr Paint Company

   Apr 2015 — Present · Santa Ana, CA, US

   Initiated and led the Behr Polymer Synthesis Program, managing a 14-member team of scientists and chemists across U.S. and India laboratories to develop innovative polymers and additives for advanced paint and coatings applications.• Oversaw laboratory infrastructure development, including instrument setup, capability upgrades, and recruitment, training, and mentoring of technical personnel.• Managed polymer resin and additive portfolios end-to-end, from ideation and formulation through scale-up, validation, and commercial rollout.• Developed and commercialized novel resins for primers, interior and exterior architectural paints, and floor coatings, improving performance and formulation flexibility.• Innovated and implemented high-performance paint and coating additives—delivering superior wetting, dispersing, anti-mar and burnish resistance, and extended open time—achieving up to 55% cost savings versus incumbent technologies.• Designed and synthesized a unique cationic acrylic latex polymer enabling exceptional stain-blocking performance in architectural coatings.• Developed advanced rheology modifiers with very high zero-shear viscosity, providing excellent anti-settling and sag resistance in paints and pigment slurries.• Implemented in-situ monomer conversion analysis using optical fiber Raman spectroscopy to improve polymerization control and process insight.

Skills

• R&D
• Polymer Science
• Formulation
• Polymer Chemistry
• Polymer Characterization
• Emulsions
• Resin
• Surfactants
• Polymers
• Raw Materials
• Tga
• Paint
• Chemistry
• Product Development
• Materials Science
• Additives
• Coatings
• Rheology