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Â鶹ÊÓƵ is pleased to announce Robert Kelley Bradley, Ph.D., as director of the makerspace in the Science & Technology Building. Bradley has been serving Â鶹ÊÓƵ as visiting assistant professor of industrial engineering but officially joined the Â鶹ÊÓƵ community in his new capacity June 1.   

Bradley is a teacher, scientist and an inventor. He sits on the board of directors for two companies he helped found - NeuroRex in Houston and NoPo Nanotechnologies in Bengaluru, India.

Bradley holds a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from Beloit College and a doctorate in physical chemistry from Rice University working under advisor Richard E. Smalley, who is the 1996 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. Bradley was a senior postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in the materials and process branch, engineering directorate, as well as a postdoctoral fellow in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Rice University.

Researching nanotechnology has been Bradley’s professional focus; he has published numerous papers on the topic and also holds patents related to nanotechnology. He co-invented the HiPCO reactor, enabling the first-ever, large-scale production of high-quality single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). His subsequent work has led to improvements in the reactor and has made the material available to researchers worldwide through NoPo Nanotechnologies. He played a key role in the development and go-to-market of the Identafi 3000® oral cancer detection device and contributed key, early-stage developments in nanoshell production control and scale-up underpinning Aurolase Therapy®, a novel cancer therapy.

Bradley has taught statistics, chemistry, physics and industrial engineering courses at the high school and college levels.

“We are delighted that Dr. Bradley is joining us because the makerspace has the potential to transform the student learning environment,” said James Marquart, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. “In this area students will gain experience working with faculty members on innovative projects that involve hands-on preparation, design and fabrication and solve real-world issues.”