Team
Dr. David Antoniuk
CEO & Co-founder
Dr. Antoniuk holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Physics from the University of Alberta and brings 30 years of business development, product marketing and executive management experience. David has extensive experience in technology commercialization and building strategic business relationships. Prior to forming AQM, he was Director of Business Development for TRLabs, Canada’s largest IT consortium; and Director, Nanotechnology where he formulated the strategy for creating a nanotechnology initiative for the Government of Alberta. David has co-founded several technology start-ups. He was President of the nanoAlberta Cluster Association.
Dr. Jonathan Veinot
CTO & Co-founder
Dr. Veinot is a professor at the University of Alberta, Department of Chemistry. He is the co-author on over 180 peer-reviewed papers and been awarded 19 patents. Jonathan is one of the world’s leaders in silicon nanomaterials, focusing on developing non-toxic Group 14 nanomaterials while establishing a fundamental understanding of their unique optical and chemical properties. Dr. Veinot was an invited OECD Expert for the Environmental Impact of Nanomaterials, Berlin 2013. Dr. Veinot is also the Director of the Alberta/Technical University of Munich International Graduate School for Hybrid Functional Materials. He received the prestigious 2017 Award for Excellence in Materials Chemistry from the Canadian Chemical Society as one of “Canada’s shining scientific lights” in the field of silicon nanocrystals and the 2016 Burghausen Chemistry Award, recognized by the chemical industry of Bavaria, Germany for his impressive contributions to the field of silicon nanomaterials.
Dr. David Scott
Operations Manager
Dr. Scott joined AQM in November 2022. He began his research career as an undergraduate in the laboratories of Prof. Derrick Clive before moving laboratories to join Prof. Jeffrey Stryker in 2013. In 2017, he joined the laboratories of Prof. Sensuke Ogoshi for an international internship at Osaka University, Japan. He completed his Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 2019 at the University of Alberta investigating a HI-catalyzed multicomponent reaction to synthesize complex model compounds that mimic authentic asphaltene structures.
David has experience in organic and inorganic synthesis as well as electrochemical processes. His post-doctoral research in the Stryker laboratories included developing improved methods for the efficient construction of more complex model compounds and, with Prof. Natalia Semagina, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta, investigating electrochemical processes. Following the post-doctoral research, he was a sessional lecturer at the University of Alberta and Concordia University of Edmonton.
Dr. Nduka Ikpo
Senior Research Scientist
Dr. Ikpo, joined Applied Quantum Materials in November 2020. He received an M.Sc. in Instrumental Analytical Science from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen Scotland and his Ph.D. in Synthetic Chemistry (2013) from Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) in St John’s, Canada, where his work focused on the development of metal complex catalyst precursors for ring opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic monomers and copolymerization of carbon dioxide (CO2) with epoxides.
Nduka has strong managerial, technical, and scientific knowledge of materials development. Before joining AQM, Dr. Ikpo worked as Research Scientist in the Veinot Group at the University of Alberta, where he worked on fabrication of metal nanoparticles and development of nanoparticle assay system for the detection and quantification of polyelectrolytes in an aqueous medium.
Dr. Riley Endean
Team Lead, Electronic Materials
Dr. Endean joined AQM in February 2021. He has a B.Sc. in Chemical Biology from Thompson Rivers University (2015) and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Alberta (2020). During his doctoral studies, he worked with Prof. Steven H. Bergens on the discovery and development of a Ru-based catalyst for highly active and enantioselective hydrogenation of α-chiral esters. Riley is a skilled synthetic chemist having synthesized, purified, and characterized a variety of organic and organometallic compounds. He specializes in syntheses and processes that are air and moisture sensitive. At AQM, he is synthesizing, testing, and improving resists for nanolithography.
Melissa Bouvier
Team Lead, Nanomaterials Development
Melissa joined Applied Quantum Materials in November 2020. She has a B.Sc. double major in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Alberta (2020). During her undergraduate studies she researched under Prof. Frederick G. West. At AQM, Melissa’s research centers on silicon and silica nanomaterial synthesis, applications, and process development. Outside of work, Melissa enjoys reading, spending time with friends and playing with her two dogs, Charlie and Benji.
Dr. Dorra Gargouri, PSM I
Nano-Bio Research Scientist
Dorra joined AQM in February 2024. She received an M.Sc. in Molecular Chemistry from Paris IV-Sorbonne University in 2015 and completed her Ph.D. in Bio-organic Chemistry from Normandie University Rouen, France, in 2020. Her Ph.D. project research was focused on the development of a new biosensor for mycotoxins detection and synthesis of multifunctional reagents.
Prior to her role at AQM, Dr. Gargouri worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives in Saclay, France. Her work there focused on developing innovative and sustainable nanomaterials, increasing their complexity to evaluate their cytotoxicity for industry applications. Following this, she moved to Canada, where she joined the Lipids/Materials chemistry research group at the University of Alberta as a postdoctoral researcher, contributing to the modification of siRNA with different fatty acids for gene silencing.
Dr. Nicole Jankovic
Nanopolymer Research Scientist
Dr. Jankovic joined Applied Quantum Materials in May 2022. She has a B.Sc. double major in Chemistry and Biological Sciences from the University of Alberta (2016) and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Alberta (2022). Her Ph.D. work focused on the surface modification of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and the incorporation of CNC into polymers. She utilized a variety of composite processing techniques, with a focus on spin coating and electrospinning. At AQM, she is working on polymer composite innovations for commercial products.
Dr. Rhett Clark
Lab Manager
Rhett joined AQM in May 2024. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Saskatchewan in 2008 in analytical chemistry. He then joined Dr. Jonathan Veinot’s Group at the University of Alberta for his post-doctoral research looking at the environmental fate of water-soluble silicon nanoparticles.
Rhett has an array of experience in both industry and academia. Following his post-doctoral studies, he worked in the pharmaceutical industry for Gilead Sciences. He was primarily responsible for investigating and documenting out of specification test results and gained valuable experience with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Prior to coming to AQM, Rhett was a laboratory instructor and coordinator at Concordia University of Edmonton. During this time, he also completed his certificate in occupational health and safety through the U of A Faculty of Extensions.
Dr. Xuyang Liu
Research Chemical Engineer
Xuyang (Amber) joined AQM in August 2022. She received her Ph.D. in 2024 in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta. Her research focuses on the colloidal and surface science including the fabrication and characterization of magnetic nanoparticles with different surface modifications, as well we their applications in capturing biomolecules or ultrafine solids from organic/inorganic fluids. At AQM, she mainly works on development of magnetic beads for nucleic acid extraction and disease diagnostics.
Dr. Chun Hin (Leo) Mak
Nanofabrication Scientist
Leo joined AQM in October 2024. He holds a B.Sc. in Engineering Physics, Master of Philosophy and Ph.D. (2019) in Applied Physics from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He has expertise in microchip fabrication of electronic devices with various physical/chemical vapor deposition methods and solution-processable deposition. His extensive research experience covers nanomaterial synthesis, electrochemistry, FAB processing, characterization of materials and devices, and electrochemical sensors. Previously, Leo worked as a Thin Film Engineer at Nanowave Technologies Inc. in Toronto, and as a Research Engineer at Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI) in Hong Kong. At AQM, Leo works on the characterization of materials, nanolithography processes, photonics, and scale up manufacturing processes.
Dr. Artjima Ounkaew
Mitacs Accelerate Postdoctoral Fellow
Artjima (Emma) joined AQM in January 2023. She has a B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D major in Chemical Engineering from the Khon Kaen University (Thailand) and a Ph.D. visiting researcher in Chemistry and Materials Engineering from the University of Alberta (2022). Her Ph.D. research area was focused on biodegradable materials, composites, and modifications of materials for biomedical devices and antibacterial applications. She has worked on the development of nanoparticles to enhance their biocompatibility with human cells. At AQM, she is working on the potential toxicity associated with silicon-based quantum dots as a function of their sizes, surface chemistry and compositions. Both in vitro and in vivo studies will be conducted to assess the potential of SiQDs for biomedical applications.
Thomas Antoniuk, PMP
Business Development Manager
Thomas joined AQM in February 2019. He received his BCom., with a major in Business Management, from Grant MacEwan University in 2013. He received his Project Management Professional designation in 2020. Previously, he worked for Clark Builders and Canadian Humalite International Inc. At AQM, Thomas is responsible for IT systems, market analysis and sales fulfilment to identify customer requirements using stakeholder feedback to generate improved design, product strategies and new opportunities.
Marina Antoniuk
Office Manager
Marina joined AQM in November 2022 and comes from Atco Electric Ltd., where she was an office assistant in the Work Methods and Safety group. She supported the research, development, document management, budgeting, and implementation of standard work practices and tooling/equipment. She provided administrative support and maintained the group’s intranet site. Previously, she worked as a Software Quality Assurance Tester for Intuit Ltd.
Marina is responsible for logistics, supply chain management and financial reports. She takes an active role is supporting human resources and ISO certification document management.
