TIE Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Dwayne LaBrake assumed the role of TIE CEO in February 2025. Dwayne is a seasoned leader in the semi-conductor industry, with extensive experience in developing cutting-edge technologies and products. He earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry and completed post-doctoral work at Northwestern University. Dwayne began his industrial career at 3M, where he spent 5 years in a staff research lab, focusing on the development of holographic optical elements. He later expanded his expertise spending 5 years in 3M’s fiber optic Telecommunication’s business, developing technologies, manufacturing equipment, and processes to deliver products to the Telcom market.  While at 3M, Dwayne earned the prestigious Circle of Technical Excellence award twice for leadership and technical innovation.

In 2003, Dwayne joined Molecular Imprints, Inc. (MII), a spin-off from the University of Texas, where he pioneered nanoimprint lithography (NIL) technologies. As Director and then Vice President, he led advancements in process and materials development, customer applications, and mask and ink-jet technology. Following MII’s acquisition by Canon Inc. in 2014, Dwayne became instrumental in the formation of Canon Nanotechnologies (CNT), an R&D and early-stage product development company focused on advancing NIL and supporting the semiconductor market. As CEO of CNT since 2016, he has overseen next-generation technology and product development in collaboration with Canon Japan, inserting new products into leading US semiconductor companies. He holds more than 63 US patents and has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, further cementing his reputation as a leader in semiconductor technology and nanofabrication.

Dr. S.V. Sreenivasan founded the Texas Institute for Electronics (TIE) in 2021 and currently serves as the CTO. He is also the Cockrell Family Regents Endowed Chair #7 in Engineering and Assoc. VP of Semiconductor Manufacturing at UT Austin. He is an expert in semiconductor equipment & process technologies. He has previously served as PI/co-PI of the $40M NSF funded NASCENT Center, PI of a $36M NIST ATP program, and PI or co-PI of several DARPA programs. He founded a UT-Austin spin out, Molecular Imprints, Inc. (MII), to commercialize nanoimprint lithography. MII’s semiconductor business was acquired by Canon Corporation, and MII’s display division was acquired by Magic Leap, Inc. Sreenivasan is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He earned a Bachelor of Technology from the National Institute of Technology at Trichy (India), and a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University.

TIE Chief Financial Officer, Dave Gino is a technology and semiconductor industry veteran with over 35 years of experience in senior executive roles. Dave came to Austin in 1996 as part of the IPO spin out of Dupont Photomask (DPI) from Dupont. His experience ranges from large public companies to small startups with a very broad background raising critical growth capital including two initial public offerings, a number of venture-backed equity and debt financings, product and IP licensing, and creatively structured commercial partner funding arrangements.

He is also an active angel investor and mentor to early-stage startups in Austin.

TIE Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships, Roy Meade is an expert in semiconductor manufacturing, silicon photonics, research and development, and business management from over 25 years of high technology experience spanning start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.  He holds BME and MSME degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from Duke University.  He has also served as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on DARPA and ARPA-e programs.

TIE Executive Director of Product Development Engineering, Tim Cowles is a semiconductor industry veteran with over 33 years of experience in engineering and engineering management roles. Tim joined TIE in November 2023 from Microsoft where he was Director for Azure’s Memory and Storage HW division. Prior to Microsoft, he spent 29 years at Micron Technology where he held various Director of Engineering roles working on projects across all life-cycle stages from ideation, design/architecture, prototyping and development, validation and test, and customer qualification. Mr. Cowles holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Washington State University, an MBA from Boise State University, and is the author on over 150 patents.

TIE Executive Director of Manufacturing Integration, Dr. Leonel Arana is a senior technology leader with extensive experience in semiconductor packaging, assembly, and test, specializing in advanced process integration, new material development, and managing large-scale R&D teams.

Before joining TIE, Leonel spent over 20 years at Intel Corporation in Assembly/Test Technology Development. At Intel, he pioneered and scaled up new technologies and processes across a broad range of packaging architectures, including MEMS, flip chip, and embedded die advanced packaging. Most recently, he led a large process development and factory engineering team focused on advanced panel-level packaging, including glass core substrate technology.

Leonel holds a Ph.D. and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He began his academic journey with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

TIE Executive Director of Technology, Dr. Byung Jin Choi, specializes in research and development of semiconductor equipment/process and related high precision engineering. His interest includes risk management and advanced engineering for emerging applications. Dr. Choi served as Sr VP of Advanced Eng for Canon Nano Technologies, Inc where he managed tool and process development for nano imprint lithography, whole wafer process and hybrid bonding. Prior to this, he spent about 3 years at The University of Texas at Austin as Post Doc Fellow where he led early nanoimprint lithography tool development for research purposes. Dr. Choi has authored or co-authored more than 20 technical articles and is a named inventor on over 200 US patents.

TIE Co-founder and Senior Director of Business Development, Dr. Larry Dunn is an expert in technical business development, consortium management, and technology transfer.  During TIE’s startup phase he served as the lead for TIE’s innovation ecosystem and workforce development programs.  He also serves as Asst. Director of the NSF-funded Nanomanufacturing Systems Center (NASCENT) at UT Austin.  Prior to joining UT, Larry was helped to build Atonometrics from an early-stage startup to a leading manufacturer of test and measurement equipment for the photovoltaic industry. Larry earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Texas at Austin, for which he was awarded the Ben Streetman Prize for outstanding research in electronic and photonic materials and devices, and his B.A. in physics from Hendrix College. Larry has co-authored 15 peer reviewed and popular scientific articles and is an inventor of 11 issued U.S. patents.

TIE Senior Director of Process Technology, Dr. Shrawan Singhal has deep experience developing and maintaining novel nanofabrication processes including creating processes of record and understanding yield and reliability. He has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin where he developed reduced order models with large-scale computation towards the investigation of novel multi-scale mechanics in nanomanufacturing processes over centimeter-scale areas, specifically related to ink jetting and nanoimprint lithography. He also has experience managing cleanroom facilities and in directing a team of research personnel. He has previously held a position as Process Technology Director of the NASCENT Center at UT Austin. He has co-authored several journal articles and conference presentations in the fields of nanoscale fabrication process development, as well as modeling and experimental validation of novel fabrication and optical metrology processes.

TIE Senior Director of Fab and Facility Operations, Patrick Meyer has over twenty-five years’ experience in semiconductor R&D facility management, equipment mode management, factory automation, and electronic-and-physical security of IP, from SEMATECH, an R&D consortium, through Novati Technologies, a DMEA Trusted Foundry, and beyond.  He spent the last fifteen years providing commercial services incorporating sixty elements from the periodic table into 2D, 2.5D and 3D integrated products for aerospace and defense, bioelectronics and non-traditional semiconductor markets.

His business process designs, operations protocols, and management focused on the specific needs of a facility running thousands of short loops alongside thousands of very low volume products, often incorporating elements such as Ag, Au, Nb, Pd, Pt and Sc, as well as building on heteroepitaxial substrates, and extending CMOS wafers sourced from large foundries.

TIE Senior Director of Process Integration, Dr. Sharath Hosali has over 25 years of experience in advanced semiconductor process engineering and integration, MEMS, nanostructures, and photonics. He has led technology development across startups, R&D consortia, and high-volume manufacturing, focusing on BEOL, 3D integration, and novel nanofabrication.

Previously, Dr. Hosali held engineering leadership roles at Quantum-Si and NanoMedical Systems, developing protein sequencing and implantable bio-nanofluidic drug delivery devices. He was also a key contributor to Sematech’s 3D program driving innovations in wafer bonding, TSV, metallization and CMP.

He holds a Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a B.Tech from IIT Madras. He is an inventor on multiple patents and has co-authored numerous publications in semiconductor processing and integration.

TIE Director of Workforce Development, Dr. Alyssa Reinhart leads initiatives to develop and enhance educational pathways, ensuring the semiconductor industry is equipped with a proficient workforce. With over 15 years of experience in education and workforce development, Dr. Reinhart has a proven track record in research, policy implementation, and strategic planning. Her career includes significant roles such as Director for Strategy and Resources in the College, Career, and Military Preparation Division at the Texas Education Agency, where she collaborated with state agencies to align educational programs with industry needs. Additionally, as a Senior Advisor to Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research, she helped developed a suite of analytical tools to assess student success and inform career pathways.

Dr. Reinhart holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, an M.A. in Program Evaluation, and a B.A. in Mathematics, all from The University of Texas at Austin. Her extensive expertise and dedication make her a vital contributor to TIE’s mission of advancing semiconductor workforce development.

In recognition of her leadership and expertise, Dr. Reinhart was appointed as an inaugural member of the National Semiconductor Technology Center’s (NSTC) Workforce Advisory Board (WFAB) in January 2025. The WFAB comprises U.S. leaders from various sectors, including private industry, higher education, and workforce development organizations. It offers critical input on national and regional workforce development strategies to strengthen the U.S. semiconductor workforce ecosystem. Dr. Reinhart’s participation underscores her commitment to shaping the future of the semiconductor industry through collaborative and innovative workforce solutions.

TIE Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Dwayne LaBrake assumed the role of TIE CEO in February 2025. Dwayne is a seasoned leader in the semi-conductor industry, with extensive experience in developing cutting-edge technologies and products. He earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry and completed post-doctoral work at Northwestern University. Dwayne began his industrial career at 3M, where he spent 5 years in a staff research lab, focusing on the development of holographic optical elements. He later expanded his expertise spending 5 years in 3M’s fiber optic Telecommunication’s business, developing technologies, manufacturing equipment, and processes to deliver products to the Telcom market.  While at 3M, Dwayne earned the prestigious Circle of Technical Excellence award twice for leadership and technical innovation.

In 2003, Dwayne joined Molecular Imprints, Inc. (MII), a spin-off from the University of Texas, where he pioneered nanoimprint lithography (NIL) technologies. As Director and then Vice President, he led advancements in process and materials development, customer applications, and mask and ink-jet technology. Following MII’s acquisition by Canon Inc. in 2014, Dwayne became instrumental in the formation of Canon Nanotechnologies (CNT), an R&D and early-stage product development company focused on advancing NIL and supporting the semiconductor market. As CEO of CNT since 2016, he has overseen next-generation technology and product development in collaboration with Canon Japan, inserting new products into leading US semiconductor companies. He holds more than 63 US patents and has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, further cementing his reputation as a leader in semiconductor technology and nanofabrication.

Dr. Daniel Jaffe is the Vice President for Research and Jane and Roland Blumberg Professor in the Department of Astronomy.  As Vice President, he oversees the University’s research infrastructure and several of its interdisciplinary centers and institutes including the Applied Research Laboratory, the Oden Institute, the Texas Advanced Computing Center, and the Energy Institute.  His office also works with faculty to develop major interdisciplinary research proposals and manages the University’s research grand challenge program.

Prof. Jaffe received his BA and PhD from Harvard University and held positions at the University of Chicago and UC Berkeley before joining the UT faculty.  Jaffe’s research encompasses device development, instrumentation, and observations geared toward understanding how stars and planetary systems form and evolve.  His group constructs silicon diffractive optics using precision lithography and currently has devices on instruments for the James Webb Space Telescope, as well as several ground-based instruments.  His team’s IGRINS spectrograph operates at McDonald Observatory and the team is now designing an instrument for the Giant Magellan Telescope.  Prof. Jaffe’s astronomical research employs high resolution infrared spectroscopy to look at the properties of protostars and of the disks around them that are forming planets. Prof. Jaffe has been awarded Harvard’s Bart J. Bok prize, a Humboldt Fellowship, and a David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship.  He took up his position as Vice President for Research in January, 2016 and served as UT’s Executive Vice President and Provost ad interim in 2020 and 2021.