Sean M Christian

About Sean M Christian

I have over two decades of experience with the design, development, and commercialization of advanced sensors and systems for industrial process control and remote field-based applications within multiple industries. While my primary focus is technology and intellectual property development, I have a strong program, operations, and supply-chain management background with extensive financial and business development expertise. Throughout my career, I have founded or acquired several companies, where I have served as VP of R&D, CSO, CTO, COO, and CEO. I was the founding Chair of the Applied Industrial Optics (AIO) Division of the Optical Society of America (OSA) and I\'ve served on a number of industrial advisory boards in the photonics industry. I was both a National Science Foundation NSF-STC and a Charles E. Minor doctoral fellow at Virginia Tech, in addition to an ARCS Foundation and DOW Chemical Scholar at Texas Tech. I hold a B.S. in Chemistry from Texas Tech University with minors in Physics and Mathematics and a Masters of Engineering (M.Eng.) in Materials Science & Engineering from Virginia Tech. In total, my research has resulted in millions in federal funding, numerous joint ventures, and dozens of US and international patents, some of which are currently pending.My management philosophy is simple. I focus on applying technology to solve \"real\" problems and I rank and order every problem through the lens of the \"FOUR\" T\'s: Team, Timing, TAM, and Technology. To summarize, it\'s my belief that the right Team with proper leadership will consistently succeed at delivering innovative technical solutions by focusing on solving problems within ready, sizable, markets.Moreover, I believe Team is paramount and team dynamics trumps all. I stive to build teams that work well together as opposed to teams that know everything. I believe teams should work near the limits of their capabilities and in do so, failures should not be penalized. I\'ve heard it said that it is okay to fail often as long as you fail fast, but I don\'t subscribe to this belief. It\'s leadership\'s role to leverage experiences and past failures to avoid future failures. If my team fails, it\'s not the team\'s fault, it\'s my fault. I own it. We learn, quickly regroup, and move forward as a team. And, equally important, we succeed as a team. There is no place for ego within a dynamic team and if, as a manager, you allow for it, productivity and innovation will suffer.

Experience

1. Chief Technology Officer

   Neolitics

   Jan 2016 — Present · Baltimore, MD, US

   Neolitics is an Analytical Technology (AT) company that is commercializing a new breed of patented optical analyzers (OAs) which utilizes adaptive optics to enable long-term unattended monitoring of industrial processes. Specifically, Neolitics technology significantly reduces the cost associated with installing, commissioning, and maintaining industrial OAs; which will open the door to a new era in industrial process control and automation. As CTO, my responsibilities center on: 1) technology commercialization, 2) IP creation, and 3) development of the company\'s technology roadmap.

Education

• Loughborough University

  BS, Chemistry

  1991 — 1992

• Virginia Tech

  Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), Materials Science & Engineering, MSE

  1995 — 1997

• The University of Texas at Austin

  BS, Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering

  1988 — 1990

• Texas Tech University

  BS, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics

  1990 — 1995

Skills

• Coaching
• Chemistry
• Management Consulting
• Online Advertising
• Team Building
• Management
• Renewable Energy
• Business Planning
• Operations Management
• Sensors
• Team Leadership
• Strategic Planning
• Project Management
• Commercialization
• Energy
• Marketing
• Optics
• Product Management
• Integration
• Program Management
• Business Development
• Product Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Manufacturing
• Training
• New Business Development
• Process Improvement
• Creative Entrepreneurship
• Business Strategy
• Entrepreneurship
• Early-Stage Startups
• Strategy
• Marketing Strategy
• Start-Ups
• R&D
• Leadership
• Product Development
• Physics