Team
Dr. Gunes M. Ecer
Founder & President
Prior to forming AppliedUS, Dr. Ecer spent 25 years working in several Fortune 500
companies (Westinghouse Research, Rockwell International and Smith International) as
senior research and development (R&D) engineer, scientist, manager and director of
materials research. He also served as the president of an R&D company developing a near
net-shape powder metallurgy manufacturing method called the Ceracon Process.
Dr. Ecer’s career began in his native Turkey and has brought him to a position in
the United States of acknowledged leadership in the field of Clean Energy. His research
interests included powder metallurgy full-density consolidation of multi-materials and the use
of nano particles in engineering cavity formation as well as creating cavity wall reactions.
In addition to his 29 issued and three pending patents, Dr. Ecer has authored 35 technical
publications and has received 12 Leadership & innovation awards, including two from the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Dr. Ecer has conducted six United
Nations-sponsored seminars in materials joining and automation at Technical University of
Istanbul, Turkey.
Gunes (Gu-NESH) earned all his academic degrees (BS, MS and PhD) in Metallurgical
Engineering and Materials Science from the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Robert Buxbaum
Chief Consultant - Hydrogen Fuel Cells & Supercapacitors
Dr. Robert Buxbaum's professional life began with a research consultant position at Gordion
Associates and continued with research on nuclear fusion materials at the Argonne National
laboratory. Dr. Buxbaum presently is an adjunct professor at Michigan State University
teaching thermodynamics, heat transfer, polymer science, and biological thermodynamics.
He has also been the president of REB Research & Consulting Co. for the past 20 years. As
such he has become an internationally known researcher and a consultant, in the emerging
fields of membranes, hydrogen separators, membrane reactors, and getters.
Dr. Buxbaum’s research interests lies in such contemporary clean energy related topics as
hydrogen fuel cell materials, membranes, membranes for separators, advanced nickel metal
hydride battery, gas purification and separation systems, Electrochemical characteristics of
the interface between the metal hydride electrode and electrolyte, Composite Metal
Membranes for Hydrogen Extraction, and hydrogen generators. He has 8 issued patents and
64 technical publications in these fields.
Dr. Robert Buxbaum received his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton
University, and his B.E. degree in Chemical Engineering from Cooper Union.
Dr. Zoltan C. Mester
Vice President - R&D
Dr. Mester has a distinguished background in chemical and environmental sciences.
His is recognized as an internationally respected expert in Statistical Experimental Designs,
and catalysis, subjects which are quite important in the development of new fuel cells.
He started his professional career as an Assistant Professor at the Technical University of
Budapest, Hungary at the Department of Chemistry. In the United States, he has acquired
extensive hands-on experience in science and engineering in industrial environmental issues,
frequently dealing with environmental chemistry, polymers and catalysis. His experience has
included activities with such well-known Fortune 500 companies as Unocal, Occidental
Petroleum and Fluor Co.
Zoltan has authored numerous articles and has several issued patents in the fields of
catalysis and catalytic cracking. He is known for developing methods for generating low
molecular weight olefins for polymer production. Some of his publications deal with energy
conservation and the use of ethanol as a partial substitute for fossil fuels.
Dr. Mester is a former member of the California Trade Delegation. He is a lecturer at
the University of Southern California and University of California, Irvine, and a member of the
Scientific Advisory Board at Odyssey/Sail Venture Partners.
Zoltan obtained his Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Technical University of
Budapest and his PhD degree in Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT).
James Acos
Vice President - Business Development & Operations
Jim will provide business team leadership, focus and expertise in the areas of operations,
finance, business development and investor relations. He has substantial and diverse
experience in business operations, financial management, sales and marketing,
telecommunications, real estate development, and mortgage banking.
Mr. Acos has created and executed strategic plans, negotiated contracts, developed financial
models while managing fast changing business units, and developed and marketed award
winning projects.
Recently, Mr. Acos was the co-founder of Santa Barbara Technology Properties LLC (SBTP)
where he provided leadership for the development and construction of a ‘state of the art’
technology “Incubator” facility for emerging technology growth companies as an affiliate of a
seed venture capital firm. SBTP worked closely with the associate venture capital firm, Santa
Barbara Technology Incubator (SBTi) to offer management expertise, fiscal guidelines,
marketing strategies and capital for growth.
Mr. Acos was Director of Special Projects for Wavefront Technologies, Inc. a computer
animation software firm whose products became an industry standard. The company’s fast
growth required Mr. Acos to be responsible for numerous initiatives including planning and
opening satellite offices, home office facility management and financial management.
Wavefront’s growth was supported by venture capital investments and strategic alliances
with European and Japanese partners. The company filed for a public offering in 1994.
Previously, Mr. Acos was a managing partner for a real estate investment firm responsible for
35 partnerships exceeding $125 million in valuation.
Jim has an MBA degree from Pepperdine University and a B.S. degree in Biology/Chemistry at
UC Santa Barbara.
