Advisory Team
Salim Ismail
Business Advisor
Mr. Ismail is a Canadian angel investor, speaker, advisor, entrepreneur and strategist. He is author of the Amazon bestseller Exponential Organizations, founding executive director of Singularity University and co-founder of Confabb, PubSub Concepts and Angstro, acquired by Google in 2010. Mr. Ismail had a background as an entrepreneur and was the head of Brickhouse, Yahoo's internal incubator for new products. He currently serves as Founding Executive Director & Global Ambassador for Singularity University.
Dr. Sara Ortega, D.V.M.
Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Ortega serves as Quotient’s attending Veterinarian, Laboratory Manager, and Biosafety Officer. Her
duties at Quotient include all aspects of mice and rabbit husbandry, animal handling, medical care, and
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) responsibilities, as well as writing Standard
Operating Procedures and protocols for Quotient’s federally licensed animal facility.
​Aziz Asphahani, Ph.D.
Scientific Advisory Board
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As one of the foremost authorities in materials science, metallurgy, and corrosion, Dr. Asphahani’s immense knowledge pertaining to the elemental effects of grain boundary degradation and molecular binding affinity and potential, directly corresponds to the immunological antibody-specific chemistry efforts of Quotient. Capitalizing on his capability of transforming technologies into successful new products, Dr. Asphahani most recently served as CEO of Carus Chemical Company. Prior to Carus, he served as president of Cabval, a joint venture between Haynes International and Vallourec. During his tenure there, he contributed significantly to the company’s success, increasing revenue by 193 percent and EBITDA by 300 percent in the first 5 years. Dr. Asphahani served on the Haynes, Cabval, and Carus Corporation boards of directors.
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Dr. Asphahani holds a “Diplome d’Ingenieur” in physics from the Ecole Central de Paris and a PhD. in materials science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He holds eight patents, has authored 61 papers, and contributed to more than 300 technical presentations at major conferences and symposia. Two of Dr. Asphahani’s patents won the 1984 VAALER Award and the 1991 R&D 100 Award.
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Among Dr. Asphahani’s patents is U.S. Patent #4,533,414: HASTELLOY alloy C-22 (e.g., alloy 22; UNS-N06022), the Nickel-Chromium-Molybdenum Super-Alloy offering excellent resistance to localized corrosion and mixed industrial chemicals. Notable projects using HASTELLOY C-22 include restoration of the Statue of Liberty, as well as the outer canisters containing nuclear waste for permanent storage at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. In addition to the wide-ranging practical applications of his experience and expertise, Dr. Asphahani is a leader in academic and professional circles.
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Dr. Asphahani is a Fellow of the American Society for Materials and the National Association of Corrosion Engineers; an American Society of Metals Past President and Past Chair of the Technical Awareness Council. He served as the Chairman of the Corrosion Committee of Materials Properties Council and the ASTM-G1 Corrosion Committee. He has also served on the board of directors of NACE International, the Board of Trustees of the Chemical Educational Foundation, the board of directors of the NACE Education Foundation, and the board of the American Chemistry Council. Dr. Asphahani is presently serving on the board of directors of both the Goldin Institute and MIT-AAA Association.
Richard Craig
Advisor Inventory & Plasma Systems Management
​​Mr. Craig has been active in the Service Merchandising Industry for over 45 years. He has held senior management positions as President, CEO or Chairman in over a dozen operating companies and is currently CEO/ Principle of Value Plus Service (VPS). VPS is a distribution company formed in 2003, providing merchandising services to Supermarket chains in California and Nevada. VPS operates a regional distribution center and services over 300 stores. Prior to VPS he managed and oversaw the acquisition and integration sixteen regional companies into a national company with revenue growth from $20 million to $430 million with operations and installation of over 1 million sq. ft. of warehouse and distribution facilities stocking over 50,000 items. He is an expert in operations and inventory management and plans to help Quotient set-up plasma inventory, manufacturing, work in progress (WIP) and traceability control systems and standard operation systems/protocols (SOP’s).
Michael Bellman
Financial Management
Mr. Bellman has had a career as an entrepreneur and founder / partner of many companies, across multiple industries, including retail, AI technology, graphic design, installation, distribution, auto sports, food service, and fitness, having run businesses in the US, Canada, China, and Japan. He most recently was a founding partner and President of SAS Retail Services, a retail merchandising organization operating in over 20,000 stores, with 30,000 plus associates, in four countries. In his role as President, Mr. Bellman grew the start-up to nearly $1B in sales over a 12-year period. Currently, Mr. Bellman serves on a number of industry boards, and board of directors for profit and non-profit organizations.