The Team

SkyNano was founded in January 2017 by Cary Pint and Anna Douglas after they discovered and co-invented a novel production technology for highly valuable carbon nanotubes using only CO2 and electricity inputs. Since then, SkyNano has been on a mission to scale this technology and integrate the resulting materials into exciting applications such as better batteries and fuel-efficient tires, and we have just the right team to execute on this mission.

Anna Douglas

Co-Founder & CEO

Anna received her Ph.D. in 2019 in Materials Science from Vanderbilt University. As an NSF Graduate Student Fellow, she primarily focused her studies on clean energy technologies and the growth of high quality carbon nanotubes from ambient carbon dioxide. Prior to Vanderbilt, Anna completed a B.S. in math and chemistry at Lee University. She interned as an undergraduate at NASA Glenn, where she discovered her passion for nanotechnology. Anna is a graduate of the first cohort of Innovation Crossroads at Oak Ridge National Lab, was named a 2019 Forbes Magazine “30 Under 30” disrupter in Energy, and received an R&D100 Award for SkyNano's technology in 2020. Anna currently serves on the board of the American Museum of Science and Energy, a Smithsonian Affiliate.

Cary Pint

Co-Founder & CTO

Cary is a passionate inventor and technologist, with technical expertise at the intersection of carbon nanomaterials and energy technologies. Cary is a chaired associate professor in the Mechanical Engineering department at Iowa State. Cary previously worked at Intel Labs as a Research Scientist after earning his Ph.D. at Rice University in 2010 in the lab of Richard Smalley. Cary has published over 120 journal papers with 17 granted patents. Cary was named a 2012 Forbes Magazine" 30 under 30" disrupter in science and innovation, and a "top 20 under 40" talent in academia by the American Society of Engineering Education in 2014, and a 2020 R&D100 Awardee.

Anna Klug

Mechanical Engineer

Anna completed her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in June 2018 and joined our team shortly after completing an internship at Brooks Automation in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Anna received her academic training from Union College in New York, where she also participated in multiple environmentally-focused activities, internships, and study-abroad programs.

Stan Hunter

Research Engineer

Stan completed his dual MBA and Masters in Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Tennessee in December 2018 and immediately began working in the Knoxville startup ecosystem for a 3D printing company where he did everything from designing and building testing set ups, to engaging with customers to fulfill orders. He joined the SkyNano team in September 2020, and is excited to stay in Knoxville where he can continue to cheer on the Vols.

James O'Malley

Director of Engineering

James joined the SkyNano team in December 2020 with previous electrochemistry experience from a few scientific companies, including work in acetic acid electrolysis, ethanol fuel cells, and PEM hydrogen fuel cells. James has a strong background in system design and engineering, having led prior scale-up efforts for a variety of electrochemical systems. James received his BS in Chemistry from University of California Berkeley in 2012 as a SAGE scholar. James has talents across a broad spectrum of electrochemistry characterization techniques, mechanical engineering, and system engineering and design.

David Wood

Chief Operating Officer

David joined SkyNano in February 2021 from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he had been since 2009 as a senior scientist, having also served as a group leader and program manager. David’s career has focused on electrochemical engineering, with previous experience at Cabot, SGL Carbon, GM, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. David completed his BS in Chemical Engineering from NC State, his MS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kansas, and his Ph.D. in Electrochemical Engineering from the University of New Mexico. David has received an Early Career Award from ORNL, along with an R&D 100 in 2013.

SkyNano Alumni Interns
We love hosting student interns! They make our summers so fun and productive. We're proud to have played a role in teaching, training, and supporting our amazing intern alumni:

Michael Pannell, University of Richmond, 2018

Nicole Arroyo, Georgia Tech, 2019

Michelle He, Emory, 2019

Adam Witte, Vanderbilt University, 2019

Addison NewRingseisen, University of Chicago, 2020

Ethan Lim, University of Texas Austin, 2021

Grace Jones, Vanderbilt University, 2022, 2023

Lucy Moore, University of Tennessee Knoxville, 2022

Connor Hudson, Clemson University, 2022

Sydney Johnson, University of Tennessee Knoxville, 2022

Kile Dickey, University of Tennessee Knoxville, 2023

Lia Milionis, Vanderbilt University, 2023