CMI's Most Valuable Assets
OUR KEY PEOPLE:
SCientific Team
Russell Biagi, Ph.D., Principal Scientist rbiagi@cellularmaterials.com![]() Dr. Biagi earned his PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Virginia in 2010. His graduate work focused on the analytical prediction, numerical modeling and experimental testing of the mechanical response of sandwich structures. Dr. Biagi has been called on to review scholarly publications pertaining to sandwich structures for the Journal of Mechanics of Materials and Structures (JMMS) and the Journal of Applied Mechanics (JAM). In 2011 he held a post-doctorate position at the University of Virginia researching the performance of a biologically inspired artificial pectoral fin for underwater propulsion. Since joining CMI his efforts have focused on the development of cellular materials for blast mitigation and for a variety of multifunctional applications.
Les Gonda - CEO and President les.gonda@cellularmaterials.com![]() Les Gonda came to CMI in 2008 with over 25 years experience as founder, and CEO of Ohio based, Sun Seed Company, Inc. Under his watch, his company was staffed with over 150 employees with a spectrum of jobs that included manufacturing, production, packaging, sales, product development, marketing and trucking. In addition to Mr. Gonda’s primary responsibilities of overseeing financial, regulatory and new product development, he was directly involved in the modernization and engineering. After the sale of his the company in 2002, Mr. Gonda enjoyed retirement in Charlottesville Va. until was retained as a management consultant for CMI and now he continues to offer his expertise as CEO. Mr. Gonda was a member of the highly regarded Young Presidents Organization and in 1996 was nominated and finalist for North West Ohio Entrepreneur of the Year. He attended Bowling Green State University, graduating in 1972 with a BS, majors in biology and chemistry.
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Haydn Wadley, Ph.D., - Scientific Advisor - Founder![]() CMI is fortunate to have as a part of its management team a number of researchers who have been instrumental in developing cellular materials technology, including Professor Haydn Wadley, an advisor to the company. Dr. Wadley is the University Professor and the Edgar A. Starke Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. .He has published 415 papers, co-authored a book on cellular materials, holds 19 US patents, and is a fellow of the American Society for Materials
MORE>>>> Doug Long - Director of Engineering gdlong@cellularmaterials.com![]() Doug Long received his B.S. Mechanical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University in 1988. Mr. Long is Senior Engineer at CMI,
responsible for solid model development, cellular material design, and product fabrication documentation using SolidWorks CAD/CAM software. Mr. Long is the liaison between the R&D and Manufacturing teams and helps guide/create the fabrication processes and activities that impact product quality. His technical and teamwork skills have been instrumental in the company's growth and success since joining CMI in 2004. |
Scott Kasen, Ph.D., SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR. skasen@cellularmaterials.com

Dr.. Kasen earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Virginia. His doctoral work is focused on the development of high temperature, high thermal conductance heat pipes for thermal management as part of the MURI Revolutionary Materials for Hypersonic Flight program. He has been an invited speaker to the National Space and Missile Materials Symposium and has won several awards for his research on leading edge heat spreaders. As a NASA Research Fellow (2005-2007), he studied a cellular (porous) shape morphing composite for aerospace applications.
Kerry Elzey - Production Manager
rkelzey@cellularmaterials.com

Mr. Elzey has over 30 years manufacturing experience in electronics, bio-medical equipment and metal fabrication. Mr. Elzey has served these various industries as a fabricator, product engineer, sales engineer and as a manufacturing engineer. Mr. Elzey is responsible for the CMI manufacturing facility and product fabrication. He contributes to design functionality and manufacturability and serves as lead engineer for various projects.