The Covalent Team

Avery Green is Director of Data Science at Covalent, where he leads the development and application of data-driven approaches to materials characterization and metrology. He previously led Covalent’s Thin Film and Optical Analysis group, and its Scanning Electron Microscopy group, building a broad foundation across experimental techniques and analytical methods. Avery’s research background includes hybrid metrological studies of Bi2Se3, with published work on its surface chemistry and defect-dependent properties, as well as work in nanofiber fabrication. He brings deep expertise in materials characterization, automation, and the integration of experimental data with advanced analytical workflows. Avery earned his PhD in Nanoscale Science from SUNY Polytechnic Institute and holds a BS in Physics from the University of California, San Diego.

Lyle Gordon has a diverse background in materials science and engineering, including R&D roles in biotechnology and materials for energy storage. Currently, Lyle is the Director of Thin Film Optical Metrology at Covalent. Prior to Covalent, Lyle worked as a Staff Materials Engineer at Redwood Materials working on product development, process engineering and materials characterization for battery recycling and copper battery anode foil. Lyle’s experience also includes a significant tenure at Nano Precision Medical (now Vivani), where he served as the Director of Research and Development, providing leadership to the R&D team and guiding product and materials development activities.

Lyle has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Materials Engineering from the University of Toronto, and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering where he worked on the characterization of buried organic-inorganic interfaces in teeth and bones using a range of advanced characterization techniques, including atom probe tomography and synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Lyle completed his post-doctoral fellowship for the US Department of Energy at Pacific Northwest National Lab where he developed novel equipment to perform in situ characterization of ice nucleation. Lyle has over 15 publications in peer-reviewed journals, including two in Nature and one in Science.

Austin Barnes is a physical chemist with over 8 years of experience in scanning probe microscopy of ionomer materials and organic semiconducting nanostructures. Extensive knowledge of a wide range of scanning probe methodologies. Multiple publications in the field of charge transport of nanomaterials. Strong interpersonal and communication skills with 4 years of teaching and mentoring experience. Collaborative and dynamic in a multi-disciplinary environment.

Austin holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a B.S in Physics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Audrey is multidisciplinary engineer with a background in Materials Science and Engineer. She is passionate about technology and has been an expert in new materials synthesis, characterization, optimization and process development for the past 10+ years, with experience in both academia and industry.

She has been mostly involved in new materials synthesis and methods development for thin films, crystals, nanocrystals, bulk and powder. She is fluent with most of the chemical and structural characterization methods (SEM-EDS, XRD, XRF, DSC, TGA…), mechanical characterization methods (hardness, ductility, tensile, Fracture, toughness, shock drop, tensile and compressive strength) and physical characterization methods (thermal, electrical, career concentration…).

She has also been working on materials integration, along with data analysis, materials or process optimization and qualification. She is an expert in data interpretation and correlation with materials composition, structure, thermal history, or physical properties. She has been working on a wide range of materials such as steel, copper and aluminum alloys, rare earth, lead free solder and a lot of different semiconductors.

Audrey holds a PhD degree in Materials science and engineering from the University of Montpellier in France and did her postdoctoral research at the Ohio State University.

Deborah (Debbie) Hess is the Director of Covalent Connect, which partners with trusted commercial and university laboratories to deliver testing services beyond Covalent’s core capabilities. She brings over 25 years of expertise in materials characterization and failure analysis.

Previously, Debbie was a senior chemist and partner at Materials Characterization Services for 12 years. Her career also spans roles in private industry and commercial analytical labs serving the plastics, oil & gas, and semiconductor sectors, including an expatriate assignment in Crolles, France.

She earned a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from The University of Texas at Austin and a BS in Chemistry from Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame, IN).

Sophia Attaf is a marketing leader with extensive experience developing and executing digital and brand strategies. She brings a strong background in campaign management, content strategy, and cross channel marketing, with a proven ability to elevate brand presence and drive measurable growth. Sophia has led marketing initiatives across diverse teams and environments, with strengths in collaboration, communication, and project leadership. Her work spans digital advertising, analytics driven optimization, and strategic positioning that supports long term organizational goals.

Sophia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance & Marketing from Al Akhawayn University, a Master’s in Management & Leadership from Regent’s University London, and a Master’s in Marketing from Golden Gate University.

Yi Zhang is an electron microscopist with over 16 years of experience in using comprehensive electron microscopy techniques to analyze a wide range of materials. His extensive research experience in the US, Europe, and Asia, combined with proficient analytical skills developed in the academia and petrochemical industry, contributes to his continued success in cross-disciplinary collaboration using S/TEM to characterize structures at all length scales.

Yi obtained his Ph.D. in Materials science and engineering from Nanjing University in China and did his postdoctoral research at the University of Michigan and Stockholm University. He worked as a senior research scientist in the RENEW Institute at University at Buffalo prior to joining Covalent.

Over 20 years of experience in managing low yield analysis, material characterization and root cause failure analysis.  Esaul studied Materials Science and Microscopy at Lehigh University; and holds an EE undergraduate degree.  10-year history in research and development in the semiconductor industry supporting Intel flash and logic.  Expertise in hard-drive technology (Western Digital) developing technical documentation for FA/EFA methodology and lab sample workflow processing procedures.

Prior to joining Covalent, Esaul worked for 9 years at Apple as both a Senior Hardware Engineer and as a FA Manager driving next generation display hardware development. Responsible for establishing new FA/EFA Labs, FA procedures and capabilities for in-house and pre-production international vendors.

Craig founded Covalent and is CEO. He initially worked in corporate development, finance and strategy, with stints as an M&A banker on Wall Street and as CFO of a small consumer products company. He rediscovered his Silicon Valley roots in 2003, taking a business strategy role at the display division of Applied Materials. In 2005, Craig became founding General Manager and later Managing Director of Applied Materials’ solar PV factory product (“SunFab”). He joined Sequoia Capital in 2008 as an entrepreneur-in-residence focused on renewable energy technologies, and the next year he joined Intermolecular (NASDAQ:IMI) to establish and lead that company’s clean energy technology group.

Craig received a A.B. in East Asian Studies from Harvard College and graduated with high distinction from Harvard Business School.

Dr. Pralav Shetty joined Covalent at the start of 2023 as a Director to spearhead the expansion and enhancement of our services in Failure Analysis (FA) and Enterprise Metrology Solutions (EMS). Prior to his current role, Dr. Shetty was an expert materials engineering consultant who worked with clients to troubleshoot and resolve diverse issues in consumer electronics and renewable energy systems. Under his leadership, Covalent’s FA, Electron Microscopy, and EMS business flourished, and he was promoted in 2024 to VP and General Manager of Electron Microscopy and Failure Analysis.

He is a problem solver at heart and brings broad expertise in advanced materials science, with a particular focus on electron microscopy methods and spectrometry techniques. His extensive experience in failure analysis and business consulting primed him to elevate these service areas at Covalent.

Dr. Shetty received B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering, with minors in Mathematics and Engineering Mechanics, from Penn State University; then completed his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Fuhe Li has nearly 30 years of experience in material characterization. For more than 25 years, he led lab operations and business development at Air Liquide Electronics-Balazs, first as Lab Manager and later as Lab Director. He was eventually elevated to the role of Global Director, in which he managed the company’s largest customer and steered the ongoing expansion of the analytical capabilities worldwide.

Fuhe has established himself as a well-respected technical expert in advanced material characterization and defect/micro-contamination analysis. He directed the creation and execution of new metrology solutions across analytical applications ranging from ultrapure water to liquid chemicals, thin films and coatings, wafers, electronic components, devices, and ALD precursors. He has written numerous papers, articles, and multiple book chapters. Fuhe has served as a reviewer/editor for several international journals, and as a voting member on SEMI global technical committees.

In 2024, he joined Covalent as Vice President & General Manager of the Materials, Chemistry, and Surfaces (MCS) Analysis Division. Fuhe received his Ph.D. from The University of Vermont in Analytical Chemistry and did his postdoctoral study at the University of California, Berkeley.

Sanjay’s 25+ years of software experience has been in software development of complex systems, providing creative technology solutions in the semiconductor, biotech and biomedical industries. He has held technical leadership and management roles in companies including Agilent, Affymetrix, Abbott, KLA, and Asyst Technologies. Sanjay provides the expertise to produce scalable and extensible systems to support Covalent’s continued growth.

Sanjay holds a Computer Science degree from India Institute of Technology.

Scott Baumann is the Vice President and Chief Technical Officer of Covalent Connect, which partners with trusted commercial and university laboratories to deliver testing services beyond Covalent’s core capabilities. He has over 40 years of expertise in materials characterization and failure analysis with experience in a wide range of analysis methods and a deep understanding of the analytical lab landscape, having worked with hundreds of labs during his career.

Previously, Scott was the founder and Managing Partner at Materials Characterization Services, which brokered materials analysis for 16 years before acquisition by Covalent in August 2025. During this time, he developed a reputation for matching even the most unconventional or complex materials with the appropriate analytical laboratory. Scott also served as a lab director for Eurofins EAG for 13 years in Austin, TX, as an analyst performing RBS, TXRF, AFM, and XRF analyses, and taught numerous seminars covering a wide range of analysis methods . He has a BS in Electrical Engineering from The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Naima Hilli is a Manager, Special Projects at Covalent, with a focus on providing advanced Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Focused Ion Beam (FIB) services to Covalent clients. She has 15+ years of experience in the microstructural characterization of materials by SEM, FIB, TEM and 3D reconstruction.

Before joining Covalent Metrology, Naima was the SEM/FIB facility manager at Northwestern University, where she was overseeing the advanced SEM and specimen facility, providing training and consulting services to clients from both academia and industry on new material development, characterization, and failure analysis of various materials and devices including, alloys, polymers, ceramics, semiconductors, composites, and nanomaterials. She also worked extensively on the development and characterization of solid oxide fuel cells while she was a senior research scientist at Case Western Reserve University, in collaboration with the department of energy (DOE), the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), and different market-leading industrials (Rolls-Royce Fuel Cells, LG Fuel Cell Systems, Saint Gobain Fuel Cells, etc.).

Naima holds a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the School of Mines (France), a master degree in Polymer Science and a BS in Materials science from the University of Lyon (France).

Damien Fischer is Vice President of Commercial Strategy & Growth at Covalent, where he leads Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success. His focus is building the strategy, team, and systems that make Covalent easier to engage, more visible to the customers who need it most, and able to scale without compromising the responsiveness and technical partnership customers count on.

Damien’s background spans analytical instrumentation, technical services, and commercial leadership. He spent 15 years at Agilent Technologies in senior sales and business development roles, then served as Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Support at Syft Technologies, where over four years he expanded the company’s global sales, applications, and support organization into North America and Europe. Most recently, he was Chief Commercial Officer at BrightSpec, leading commercialization of its molecular rotational resonance spectroscopy platform.

Damien holds a B.S. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Craig founded Covalent and is CEO. He initially worked in corporate development, finance and strategy, with stints as an M&A banker on Wall Street and as CFO of a small consumer products company. He rediscovered his Silicon Valley roots in 2003, taking a business strategy role at the display division of Applied Materials. In 2005, Craig became founding General Manager and later Managing Director of Applied Materials’ solar PV factory product (“SunFab”). He joined Sequoia Capital in 2008 as an entrepreneur-in-residence focused on renewable energy technologies, and the next year he joined Intermolecular (NASDAQ:IMI) to establish and lead that company’s clean energy technology group.

Craig received a A.B. in East Asian Studies from Harvard College and graduated with high distinction from Harvard Business School.

Tom St Dennis is a seasoned technology and semiconductor executive with a strong background in scaling and leading global organizations. He has served as Chairman and CEO of FormFactor and held senior leadership roles at Wind River Systems, Novellus Systems, and Applied Materials. Tom currently serves on the boards of Axcelis Technologies and Veeco Instruments, contributing deep operational and governance expertise. With degrees in physics from UCLA, he brings a strong technical foundation and strategic perspective to driving innovation and growth.

Richard Gottscho is a distinguished semiconductor industry leader with a career spanning research, technology development, and executive leadership. He most recently served as Executive Vice President and Strategic Advisor to the CEO at Lam Research, following many years as Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of the Global Products Group, before formally retiring from the company. Earlier in his career, he held senior research roles at AT&T Bell Laboratories. A member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, Richard is widely recognized for his contributions to plasma processing and semiconductor manufacturing. He holds a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from MIT and a B.S. in chemistry from Pennsylvania State University.