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.

Sanjeev is Director, Software Product Management, and leads the strategy and product roadmap for Covalent’s software and AI products. He brings deep experience taking data-intensive products from concept to launch — shaping roadmaps and business cases, driving cross-functional execution, and building systems that turn complex data into actionable insights. In prior roles, he defined and drove the development of a clinician-facing decision-support software system and created a sales analysis platform designed to enable advanced analytics and AI-driven insights.Earlier in his career, Sanjeev founded and built semiconductor factory-automation software products — writing the initial software, bootstrapping the business, and scaling the team through growth and acquisition. He has led global design, development, and deployment of software automation solutions, and helped shape enterprise security offerings spanning encryption, tokenization, and key management across on-premises and SaaS delivery models. Sanjeev holds an M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of California Santa Barbara and a B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
 

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.