Robert J. Vander Zanden, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board
Dr. Robert J. Vander Zanden, Board Member since 2004, was elected Chairman of the Board in early 2009. Having served as a Vice President of R&D with Kraft Foods International, he brings a long and distinguished career in applied technology, product commercialization, and business knowledge of the food science industry to Spherix. In his 30-year career, he has been with ITT Continental Baking Company as a Product Development Scientist; with Ralston Purina's Protein Technology Division as Manager Dietary Foods R&D; with Keebler as Group Director, Product and Process Development; with Grupo Gamesa, a Frito-Lay Company, as Vice President, Technology; and with Nabisco as Vice President of R&D for their International Division. With the acquisition of Nabisco by Kraft Foods, he became the Vice President of R&D for Kraft’s Latin American Division. Dr. Vander Zanden retired from Kraft Foods in 2004. He currently holds the title of Adjunct Professor and Lecturer in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Clemson University, where he also is a member of their Industry Advisory Board. His focus on achieving product and process innovation through training, team building and creating positive working environments has earned him multiple awards for product and packaging innovation. Dr. Vander Zanden holds a Ph.D. in Food Science and an M.S. in Inorganic Chemistry from Kansas State University, and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville, where he was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 2002.
Douglas T. Brown
Douglas T. Brown, Spherix Board Member since 2004, is Senior Vice President and Manager of the Corporate Banking Government Contracting Group for PNC Bank N.A., Washington, DC. Mr. Brown has been with PNC and its predecessor bank, Riggs Bank, since 2001 and previously worked for Bank of America, N.A. and its predecessor banks for 16 years as a Loan Officer, as well as a manager of Loan Officers in the Mid-Atlantic region. Subsequent to 1990, the majority of Mr. Brown’s customers were companies that provided services to Federal and State Governments. Mr. Brown holds a B.A. degree in Political Science from American University and a graduate degree from The Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Delaware.
Claire L. Kruger, Ph.D., D.A.B.T.
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer
Dr. Claire L. Kruger has served as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and as a member of the Board of Directors since 2007. She also serves as Director of Spherix Consulting. Dr. Kruger is a toxicologist with more than 20 years of consulting experience. Her primary area of expertise is in pharmaceuticals, consumer products and foods, where she provides scientific, regulatory, and strategic support to clients in both the U.S. and international regulatory arenas. She has conducted toxicity evaluations of food contaminants, as well as health risk assessments and exposure assessments of drugs, cosmetics, and pesticides. Her clients include food, drug, and dietary supplement manufacturers, agricultural producers, biotechnology companies, trade associations, and law firms. In her role as a consultant, Dr. Kruger has been involved in the safety evaluation of a variety of consumer products, providing oversight of product compliance with current and emerging scientific and regulatory guidance. Dr. Kruger received her Ph.D. in Toxicology from Albany Medical College, and her B.S. in Biology from Clarkson College in Omaha, Nebraska.
Gilbert V. Levin, Ph.D.
Dr. Gilbert V. Levin founded Spherix Incorporated in 1967 and served the Company in a variety of capacities from incorporation until his retirement in August 2008. He is currently Adjunct Professor in the Beyond Center of the College of Liberal Sciences, Arizona State University, and is an Honorary Professor at Cardiff University, Wales, UK. Dr. Levin previously served in the public health departments of Maryland, California, and the District of Columbia and, subsequently, as a research scientist and corporate official. Among his inventions are low-caloric sweeteners; biological nutrient removal (BNR) for municipal wastewater, rapid detection and identification of microorganisms; and the Labeled Release life detection experiment that landed on Mars in 1976 aboard NASA’s Viking Mission. He holds a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and a Ph.D., all from The Johns Hopkins University, where he also served on the Board of Trustees and presently serves on the National Advisory Council for the Whiting School of Engineering.
Robert A. Lodder, Ph.D.
Dr. Robert A. Lodder has been a member of the Spherix Board of Directors since 2005 and has served as President of the company since August 2007. He has served as a Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky Medical Center, and currently holds joint appointments in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Division of Analytical Chemistry of the Department of Chemistry at Kentucky. He was a founder of InfraReDx, Inc. in 1998 and Prescient Medical, Inc. in 2004. Dr. Lodder received his B.S. degree cum laude in Natural Science and his M.S. in Chemistry in 1983 from Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio in 1981. He received his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry in 1988 from Indiana University.
Aris Melissaratos
Aris Melissaratos was elected to the Spherix Board of Directors in February 2008. He currently serves as Senior Advisor to the President of Johns Hopkins University with responsibilities for technology transfer, corporate partnerships, and enterprise development. From 2003 to 2007, he served as Secretary of Business and Economic Development for the State of Maryland. Prior to that, he worked for Westinghouse Electric Corporation for 32 years culminating as the corporation’s Chief Technology Officer and Vice President for Science and Technology and also served as the Chief Operations Officer for the company’s Defense Electronics Group. After Westinghouse, he became Vice President of Thermo Electron Corporation and CEO of its Coleman Research Corporation and Thermo Information Solutions subsidiaries. He was a founder of Armel Scientifics, LLC, which invested in over 30 start-up companies in Life Sciences and Advanced Technology. Mr. Melissaratos holds a B.E.S. in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Science in engineering management from George Washington University, and has completed the program for Management Development at the Harvard University School of Business.
Thomas B. Peter
Thomas B. Peter was elected to the Spherix Board of Directors in May 2009. He spent his entire 33-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently serving as a Regional Vice President for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Prior to that, Mr. Peter had significant experience dealing with managed care organizations, serving as Director of National Accounts Sales at GSK, and before that, worked as a Group Marketing Director. Mr. Peter is a biology major graduate of Gettysburg College and a Master’s graduate of St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.