Alan Pitas

Alan Pitas has extensive work experience in various engineering and management roles. Alan is currently serving as the COO at Polymer Forge, Inc since May 2022. Previously, from January 2020 to October 2022, Alan was the Owner of Pitas Instruments.

From August 2007 to December 2019, Alan worked at Roche Sequencing Solutions as the Engineering Manager. During this time, they played a significant role in system architecture and optics development for the third generation Maskless Array Synthesizer. Alan also contributed to the invention and development of Roche's peptide microarray synthesizer and led the calibration function.

Prior to that, Alan held the position of Engineering Manager at NimbleGen Systems, Inc. from June 2004 to August 2007. During their tenure, they co-led the creation and development of the third-generation Maskless Array Synthesizer and took charge of developing support equipment for microarray customers.

From November 2000 to June 2004, Alan served as a Mechanical Engineer at NimbleGen Systems, Inc. where they led the design and construction of optics and mechanical systems for the second-generation Maskless Array Synthesizer. Additionally, they played a key role in deploying synthesizers to a production facility in Iceland and installing synthesizers at customer sites.

Alan's career started in 1986 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where they worked as a Sponsored Research Technical Staff member until May 1989.

Before joining Roche Sequencing Solutions, Alan worked as a Projects Group Manager at Bruker AXS from May 1998 to November 2000. From October 1995 to June 1998, they served as a Contract Mechanical Engineer at Ohmeda Medical Inc. and was involved in the design of the next generation anesthesia workstation and co-invented a patent for a keyed filler assembly.

In the early stages of their career, Alan worked as the President of Pitas Instruments, Ltd. from May 1991 to November 1994. Alan contributed to the design and assembly of various scientific instruments and equipment, including a balloon-borne gondola for the MAGPIE experiment and ultrahigh vacuum grating chamber systems for the National Synchrotron Radiation Synchrotron Center in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

From May 1989 to June 1991, Alan worked as a Mechanical Engineer at Baker Manufacturing Company, LLC, where they designed potable water well components, installed ultrahigh vacuum synchrotron beamline equipment, and led the design of a liquid gallium pump for the Advance Photon Source.

Overall, Alan Pitas has a broad range of experience in engineering, management, and research roles, with a focus on instrument design, system architecture, and optics development.

Alan Pitas received their Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, completing their studies from 1981 to 1983. Prior to that, from 1978 to 1980, they obtained another Bachelor of Science, this time in Education, with a focus on Physics and Natural Sciences from the same institution. Alan began their undergraduate education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1971 and pursued a Bachelor of Science in Education with a specialization in Mathematics, which they achieved in 1976.