Our Team

Aligned on a mission, and with a genuine vision to bring new technologies and solutions to the world's biggest challenges around water.

Dhileep Sivam, Ph.D.

CEO

Chris Woodruff

Co-Founder & COO

Brian Pinkard, Ph.D.

Co-Founder & CTO

Mike Czerski

Senior Mechanical Engineer

Ariella Halevi

Engineering Project Manager

Cody Thomsen

Mechanical Engineer

Hilary Joyner

Senior Marketing Director

Calvin Rhodes

Project Engineer

Somnath Mukherjee

Senior Controls Engineer

Gus Millevolte

Research Engineer

Quinn Huelsbeck

Operations Manager

Angie Karsama

Marketing Manager

Conrad Austin

Test Engineer

Annie Heble, Ph.D.

Senior Research Scientist

Josh Arvin

Mechanical Engineer

Juliet Veskova

Lab Technician

Daniel Nelson

Director of Industrial Sales

Dennis Raison

Mechanical Technician

Board Members & Advisors
Steve Strickler
Board Director

Steve Strickler, as a physician, has a keen interest in the environmental impacts on the health of our present and future generations. Steve is a resident of Juneau, Alaska where clean glacial waters are a cherished resource. Steve was one of the initial investors in Aquagga as their first prototype in PFAS destruction came to fruition. He is proud to be on the Board of Directors for Aquagga, contributing to the mission of ending PFAS.

Igor Novosselov, Ph.D.
Scientific Advisor

Dr. Igor Novosselov is a Research Professor at the University of Washington's Mechanical Engineering Department and an adjunct at the School of Public Health. His research spans fluid and thermodynamics, supercritical fluids, nanomaterials, and aerosol sciences. Current projects include PFAS treatment in hydrothermal systems, metal-organic framework synthesis in supercritical CO2, and non-thermal plasma applications. His work also focuses on novel sensing technologies for particulate matter and low-cost sensor networks. Before UW, he developed aerosol sampling instrumentation and modeled pollution formation using computational fluid dynamics.

Timothy Strathmann, Ph.D.
Scientific Advisor

Timothy Strathmann is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. His research aims to develop more sustainable technologies for water treatment and waste valorization. Most recently, his research program has focused on developing innovative technologies for the treatment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including being the lead inventor of the hydrothermal alkaline treatment technology for PFAS (HALT-PFAS). Dr. Strathmann is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and his research is supported by the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and the Semiconductor Research Corporation.

Nigel Sharp
Founding CEO

Aquagga Co-Founder and former CEO (2019-2024). Nigel Sharp is a serial entrepreneur, and technologist, passionate about startups and their potential to make positive social and environmental impact. He has held successive management and community leadership roles at various US academic institutions and multiple startups.