NearStar's management is comprised of some of the field’s leading researchers and innovators.

Dr. Edward J. Cruz, Nuclear Engineer

Dr. Edward J. Cruz

  • Senior Research Engineer and Manager
  • Plasma engineering, pulsed power engineering

Dr. Cruz is a polymath with broad interests, and his current research focus is on nuclear fusion concepts for power generation, specifically Plasma-Jet-Driven Magneto-Inertial Fusion (PJMIF) and Hypervelocity Gradient Field Fusion (HGFF). Dr. Cruz has over 10-years of research and development experience in multi-discipline technical fields: pulsed and DC electron sources, pulsed and DC plasma sources, high-power microwave technology, coupled oscillator systems, pulsed power systems, advanced materials, circuit design, and computer simulation and modeling. In addition to his work in the laboratory, Dr. Cruz also leads component design and fabrication at the company. Dr. Cruz received his PhD in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2011.

Dr. F. Douglas Witherspoon, President, CEO, Chief Scientist

Dr. F. Douglas Witherspoon

  • President, Chief Scientist
  • Plasma Physicist
  • Awarded over $40mm in grants

Dr. Doug Witherspoon is an experimental plasma physicist with 40+ years of research experience dedicated to applying plasma technologies to industrial, defense, space, and energy applications. He has extensive experience in pulsed-power and plasma-driven accelerators, with seven patents awarded.

Dr. Edward J. Cruz, Nuclear Engineer

Mr. Amit K. Singh

  • Chief Executive Officer

Amit is a successful entrepreneur who spent 25 years in the Intelligence Community (IC). Prior to working in the IC, Amit received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Virginia and worked at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center developing interfaces for space shuttle payloads. As the co-founder and CTO of Asymmetrik, Amit managed customer relationships, mentored engineering teams and led business development efforts. Amit guided Asymmetrik through a transaction with private equity and helped with the integration and transition into BlueHalo, a leading edge capabilities platform for space technologies, intelligence, missile defense and directed energy.

Christopher J. Faranetta, Vice President, Business Development

Mr. Christopher J. Faranetta

  • Vice President & Co-Founder

Chris is a veteran aerospace and cleantech entrepreneur with extensive experience in commercializing deep technology and has been focused on business development in plasma technology for the last decade. Prior to his work in fusion energy, he was one of the first three foreign employees of Rocket Space Corporation Energia (RSC Energia), where he coordinated international commercial/government space cooperation efforts. Mr. Faranetta also served as Vice President of Orbital Spaceflight for Space Adventures LTD where he sold and managed private crewed missions on the Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station.

Dr. F. Douglas Witherspoon, President, CEO, Chief Scientist

Mr. Randy Roy

  • Board Advisor

Randy is a cleantech entrepreneur and investor focused on developing and deploying technologies that improve energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. Randy has been leading entrepreneurial teams in the cleantech space for nearly two decades. Early in his career, Randy managed a team of analysts in developing strategies for an energy trading company and remains active in electricity market transactions.

Dr. Andrew Case, Plasma Physicist

Dr. Andrew Case

  • Senior Scientist
  • Plasma Physicist

Prior to joining HyperJet Fusion Corporation Dr. Case served as a Senior Scientist with HyperV Technologies Corp. Before joining HyperV in 2005, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher on the Maryland Centrifugal Experiment (MCX) at the Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland College Park. His work on MCX included designing, implementing, fabrication of components and analyzing data from magnetic diagnostics, including magnetic fluctuation probes and diamagnetic loops. At HyperV Dr. Case has designed and built a two channel quadrature heterodyne interferometer for plasma density measurements, as well as optical diagnostics for measuring velocity, and spectroscopic diagnostics to determine which species are present in the plasma. His interests outside plasma physics include space exploration, 3D printing, and history. Dr. Case received his PhD in plasma physics from the University of Maryland in 2001.

Dr. Edward J. Cruz, Nuclear Engineer

Mr. Marco A. Luna

  • Electromechanical Technician

Mr. Luna serves as an Electromechanical Technician at HyperJet Fusion Corporation and its predecessor company HyperV Technologies Corp. Mr. Luna’s work at both HyperJet and HyperV involved the manufacturing, assembly and testing of highly advanced plasma guns, and high energy pulse forming networks. Before joining HyperV Technologies Corp. Mr. Luna worked as an engineering technician at UTRON Inc. from 1997 to 2015. His work at UTRON Inc. included the development and testing of a laser trigger system for a high-performance Combustion Light Gas Gun (CLGG). He has a Certificate in Electronics from the Test Electronics Institute and has extensively studied mechanical engineering.

Get in touch to learn more about NearStar’s efforts to develop clean, safe and limitless energy for the planet.

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