Robert Thorne, Chairman and CTO, and Founder

Thorne is a Professor of Physics at Cornell University. He is known for his research group’s work in materials physics problems in structural genomics; new technologies for macromolecular crystal growth and crystallography; physics of cryopreservation of biological samples; recovering ancient inscriptions by X-ray methods; and for X-ray and transport studies of quasi-one-dimensional conductors. Among his many accolades, Thorne was named a Presidential Young Investigator, 1988-1993 and Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, 1988-1990. For his work in introductory course instruction to premedical/life science students, he received a Faculty Innovation in Teaching Award in 2006 and the Class of '72 Award for Innovation in Teaching in 2007, and for his broader contributions to undergraduate education he was named a Weiss Presidential Fellow in 2011. Thorne holds and/or has pending several patents related to crystal growth and handling and cryopreservation in structural genomics research. In 2004, Thorne founded Mitegen, LLC to commercialize MicroMounts™, based on research and development at Cornell. Thorne received his undergraduate degree from the University of Manitoba and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana. Thorne remains active in driving the future product development at Mitegen.

Robert Newman, CEO

Newman has spent his 23 year career in a broad range of world-leading high-tech B2B businesses, and has managed global R&D and customer support operations with up to $12M in annual revenue. Newman has a unique and outstanding track record of delivering organization development and significant growth at industry-leading providers of technology, capital equipment, consumables, and support services at world-leading organizations. He has successfully managed the integration of teams following four acquisitions, and performed a very successful business turn around. He most recently served as COO of AeroFarms LLC, a start-up company providing capital equipment for controlled environment agriculture. He previously served as Business Manager of Service and Customer Support at Mettler Toledo Hi-Speed, North America’s leading manufacturer of checkweighers and integrated product inspection solutions and as Vice President of Customer Support and Implementation at Moldflow Corp., the global leader in CAE for polymer processing, hot runner controllers, and related injection molding and production monitoring equipment. Newman received his undergraduate degrees from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and his MBA in International Management, from Baker College.

Benjamin Apker, Director of Operations

Apker has spent his 5 year career with Mitegen, driving both product and business development, and has played a critical role in the rapid growth of Mitegen’s sales and international reputation. Apker provides a critical engineering and leadership role in the development of Mitegen’s product lines. Apker was the lead engineer for the development of our current generation of microtools including MicroLoops™ HT, the MicroLoops™ LD, MicroGrippers™, MicroMeshes™, re-usable goniometer bases, and the MicroRT Aligner. He has expertise in computer aided design, micro- and nano-fabrication, plastic injection molding, and has a demonstrated ability to interpret end user needs and develop superior solutions. Apker graduated with honors in Physics from SUNY at Geneseo, and was inducted into the National Physics Honors Society.