Meet the ZeoVator Team
Founders
Doctor Bo Wang
CEO
In 2016, Dr. Bo Wang received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from The Ohio State University with Presidential Fellowship. Dr. Wang developed an efficient synthesis of scalable zeolite particles of 30 nm dimensions during his research. As a result, Dr. Wang and his advisor, Prof. Prabir Dutta, co-founded ZeoVation to commercialize their invention to enhance medical and consumer products. From 2016 to 2018, Dr. Wang focused on product development. Based on zeolite colloidal particles, they developed a long-lasting, highly potent antimicrobial agent by encapsulating corresponding molecules/ions in the pores of zeolite colloidal particles. Beginning in 2019, he pivoted his focus to manufacturing scale-up, corporate management, market validation, customer discovery, sales, and fundraising.
Professor Prabir Dutta
CTO
Professor Dutta is an Emeritus Distinguished University Professor at The Ohio State University in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Before joining Ohio State, Professor Dutta worked as a scientist at Exxon Research and Engineering Company. He has published 266 refereed manuscripts as an independent investigator, including several book chapters, edited two books, and is the author of twenty issued patents and ten patent applications. He has been a mentor for about 100 postdoctoral and graduate research students. The Ohio State University has licensed several of Professor Dutta’s sensor inventions to companies. Professor Dutta has recently co-founded ZeoVation; an applied materials company focused on zeolitic microporous materials with added functionalities for environmental and consumer markets. On the pedagogical side, a significant contribution has been to develop an NSF-supported Ohio-wide effort to alter the curriculum of undergraduates taking chemistry courses to increase the number of Science and Engineering graduates in Ohio. The innovation was to introduce research into the laboratory curriculum, and this program has reached tens of thousands of students across Ohio. Professor Dutta is a Fellow of AAAS and the National Academy of Inventors.
Board of Directors
Bo Wang
CEO and Co-Founder
ZeoVation
Prabir Dutta
CTO and Co-Founder
ZeoVation
Dave Bergeron
Advisory Partner
Rev1 Ventures
Dan Robins
CEO
Capstone Development Services
Gary E Booth
Retired VP Research & Design
Proctor & Gamble
Advisors
Mark Ervin
Dr. Ervin retired from the Air Force as a Colonel with over 28 years of expertise as a practicing general surgeon, flight surgeon, and health care leader. His leadership and clinical experience include several headquarters positions. He also served as a senior physician–scientist exploring innovative new concepts and technologies to improve the health and safety of deployed war fights.
Victoria Scarborough, Ph.D
Dr. Victoria Scarborough worked in the coatings industry for over 40 years, including for Sherwin-Williams. She holds multiple national and international patents, has published numerous articles on innovation, product development, and commercialization, and has been an invited speaker to both national and international conferences.
David Shiels
After a period in foreign direct investment (FDI) with IDA Ireland, David Shiels worked in marketing management and business development in computer media. In 1991 he became the first Marketing Director at the Swiss contract research organization CSEM. David Shiels founded IRconsult Creative Strategies. He is also an EU Horizon Europe expert assessor for SMEs and technology transfer policy.
The ZeoVator Team
Doctor Sweta Shrestha
Manager of Operations
In 2017, Dr. Shrestha received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from The Ohio State University, concentrating on applied chemistry of zeolites in the fields such as heterogeneous catalysis and separation of gases. After her graduation, she joined ZeoVation in 2018 as a Senior Research Chemist and worked diligently in the product development for several zeolite-based consumer products in the R&D department. Since 2021, Dr. Shrestha has been the Manager of Operations. Her responsibilities include overseeing the daily operation of ZeoVation’s manufacturing and R&D facilities, services, and team management setting the strategic scale-up goals for smooth operational efficiency and increased productivity. She also manages establishing and implementing standard operating procedures (SOP) and quality control protocols used to identify and resolve issues during the processing following environmental and safety compliance. Dr. Shrestha works closely with the product development research team to meet production and customer service demands.
Austin Burns
Chemist
Austin Burns Joined ZeoVation Inc. in May 2022 as a Chemist. He graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland with degrees in Chemistry and Environmental Studies, where he performed organic and computational chemistry research.