Qualifying Team
$119M XPRIZE Water Scarcity Competition
Expert Team
World-class professionals driving breakthrough innovations in water technology, renewable energy systems, and AI-driven control architectures. Our team combines decades of experience from ARPA-E, leading research institutions, and successful technology development.
Each team member brings unique expertise essential to our mission of revolutionizing desalination deployment through modular systems, predictive AI control, and direct renewable energy integration.
ARPA-E Leadership
Direct experience managing $400M+ in advanced energy technology investments
Academic Excellence
World-class research partnerships with leading institutions
Technical Innovation
Proven track record in breakthrough technology development
Vision Voyager
Dr. Jonathan Burbaum
Founder & CEO
Harvard Ph.D. Chemistry, UCSD MBA | Former ARPA-E Program Director
Led breakthrough energy and water programs at ARPA-E (2010-2015), managing over $400M in advanced technology investments. Expert in translating cutting-edge research into deployable solutions for critical infrastructure challenges. Drives strategic vision and technology roadmap.
Water Wizard
Dr. Akanksha Menon
Academic Partner
Georgia Institute of Technology | Membrane Science Research
Leading membrane science researcher providing advanced testing facilities and technical validation for XPRIZE Phase 1. Specialist in high-performance filtration systems and water treatment optimization under challenging deployment conditions. Critical to prototype validation and performance optimization.
Modular Maestro
Dr. Amul Tevar
Systems Integration Lead
$7.7M ARPA-E & DoD Project Experience | Modular Systems Expert
Expert in modular system design and renewable energy integration for remote deployments. Specialist in rapid-assembly architectures that maintain performance under extreme operational constraints. Leads development of our containerized deployment approach and renewable integration systems.
Pressure Prophet
Dr. Quantum Wei
Core Technology Developer
Cambridge, MA | AI Systems Architecture
Predictive AI systems architect specializing in dynamic pressure optimization and control algorithms. Pioneer in machine learning applications for real-time system adaptation, enabling autonomous operation across diverse environmental conditions. Develops our breakthrough control systems that eliminate battery storage requirements.
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