Our Management
Dr. Robert C. Schucker is founder and President of Trans Ionics
Corporation. He received his PhD degree in Chemical Engineering
from the Georgia Institute of Technology focusing on non-equilibrium
chemical kinetics. After graduate school, he spent three years with
Procter and Gamble Company studying separations using zeolites
molecular sieves and carrying out advanced mathematical modeling
as a consultant to P&G’s various divisions. Following his tenure with
P&G, Dr, Schucker joined the newly-formed Reaction Engineering
Laboratory at Exxon’s Corporate Research Labs in Linden, NJ in
1977. He spent most of his career with Exxon, becoming an expert in
petroleum processing, with a focus on separation-based
technology. He has a broad background in heavy oil chemistry and
characterization, membrane development/processing and
electrochemistry. He retired from Exxon after 23 years of service in
January 2000 to found Trans Ionics Corporation.
Dr. Schucker is an acknowledged expert in membrane systems with
a particular focus on pervaporation. He has a demonstrated track
record of creativity as demonstrated by the 42 US patents he holds,
most of which are in the membrane area. He has worked in both
organic (polymeric) membranes and inorganic membranes and has
carried out successful programs in (1) organic liquid separation by
pervaporation and perstraction, (2) low pressure hydrogen
separation using carbon molecular sieve hollow fiber membranes and
(3) separation of residual oils using high temperature ultrafiltration.
Over the last five years of his career with Exxon, he carried out
fundamental studies of novel electrochemical treatment processes
for various petroleum applications. He has presented his research at
National and International meetings and was elected to the National
Board of Directors for the North American Membrane Society in 1998
for a three-year term.
Since forming Trans Ionics Corporation in January 2000, Dr. Schucker
has led the company through its formative years during which time
the Company has been awarded $2 million in Federal Small Business
Innovation Research (SBIR) grants, primarily from the U. S.
Department of Energy.
About Trans Ionics
Advisory Board
Trans Ionics has an excellent Advisory Board which contributes in
many ways to the successful operation of the Company.
Dr. Allan J. Jacobson, University of Houston, Houston, TX
Dr. Allan J. Jacobson serves as Trans Ionics’ Science Advisor,
particularly in the area of Ion Transport Membranes (or ITMs). Prof.
Jacobson received a D. Phil. Chemistry from Oxford University in the
U.K. in 1969 and spent from 1976 through 1990 on the staff of the
Exxon Corporate Research Laboratories in NJ, where he and Dr.
Schucker first met. He is an acknowledged expert in solid state
inorganic chemistry and holds the Robert A. Welch Chair of Science in
the UH Chemistry Department. Dr. Jacobson is the Director of the
Center for Materials Characterization and the newly appointed
Director of the Texas Center for Superconductivity (TcSCUH) at UH
and was formerly the Regional Editor for the Americas for the journal
Solid State Ionics. He has a total of over 300 publications and 45
patents and maintains collaborative efforts with major universities and
national laboratories in the U.S. and abroad.
Douglas R. Courville, President of ENPAL LC , Houston, TX
Mr. Courville advises Trans Ionics in matters of domestic and
international business and marketing. He is co-founder and co-owner
of ENPAL, L.C. (Energy Projects Alliance), a privately held project
development entity with expertise in global energy. Prior to ENPAL, he
had founded several other energy related entities: Energy World
Trade Inc. (EWT) in 1984; Supra Corporation, a venture development
corporation involving US and Middle Eastern interests in 1980; and
International Training Company (Intraco) in 1972, which specialized in
technical services and was later sold to Gulf Publishing Company. Mr.
Courville began his energy career with Schlumberger, Ltd., serving in
several engineering and management capacities from 1965-1972.
C. Douglas Wilson, VP of KCD Services , Houston, TX
Mr. Wilson advises Trans Ionics in all financial matters and serves as
the Corporate Treasurer. He is founder and principal of KCD Services
of Houston, TX (a professional services firm). He holds a BS in
Business Administration from Northwestern University and an MBA
from Harvard University. Mr. Wilson also serves as the Financial
Advisor and Treasurer for Trans Ionics Corporation. He has more
than 33 years experience with companies ranging in size from
Fortune 500 members down to start-ups. His experience during the
past 20 years has been primarily in the oil and gas business; and,
because of this, he is able to provide critical input on business and
financial decisions that need to be made.