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About N5

N5 Sensors’ mission is to keep people safe from environmental hazards through a cloud-connected ecosystem of smarter sensors and by leveraging the endless possibilities of shared data and AI.

N5 Sensors’ advanced wireless sensor network equips communities, farms, cities, utility companies, and local government and fire departments with early detection and 24/7 alerting system. Our real-time early warning system (less than 5 minutes from ignition) empowers first responders to respond to wildfires faster, and keep their communities safe.

Our Story

N5 was founded in 2012 as a spin-off from the University of Maryland, College Park. We are passionate about developing sensor technologies and products that will make your life better and safer. By bringing together technological innovation and reliable engineering, we are changing how sensing is done. In this new era of wearables, smart-homes, and connected cities, our products will open up new possibilities, giving people the ability to learn about their environment and understand its impact on their health and well-being.

“A team is more than a collection of people. It is a process of give and take.”

Barbara Glacel
Chief Executive Officer

Abhishek Motayed, PhD

I am a scientist turned entrepreneur with nearly 15 years of experience in the field of semi-conductors. Professionally, I get most excited about brining cutting-edge ideas to life through technological development and execution of effective strategies. As CEO of N5, I spend time formulating business strategies alongside our CFO, ensuring exceptional product quality for our customers, and continuing to build our growing partnership/sales pipeline. One of my favorite roles as CEO is to work alongside our N5 team to make sure they have everything they need to execute on our vision – a safer world through mass adoption of our environmental sensors.

Chief Revenue Officer

Debra Deininger

I am a serial entrepreneur with a passion for all things sensing and a goal to make the world a better place through development and deployment of sensors and sensor systems. I joined N5 because I was excited about the company’s technology, capabilities and the vision defined by Abhishek and the team. As CRO at N5, I am working to identify and execute commercial deployments of N5 products. I am excited to help the team build out the roadmap and customer base to execute our shared vision of a safer world through mass adoption of environmental sensors.

Business Development & Program Support

Mary Beth Tabacco

I am a 30-year career professional in in the development of sensors and instrumentation for the detection of chemical, explosive, and biological threat agents to meet military, homeland security, and environmental monitoring needs. Most recently I served as Director of Science & Technology at Smiths Detection, Inc., where I led ”blue-sky” R&D to inform and shape Strategy and Product Management, enabling long-term growth. I have a sound record of securing external and internal funding, and have established program management experience with key Government agencies. Having been a co-founder and VP of a small R&D company I am very enthusiastic about the contributions N5 is making in the area of truly miniature chemical sensors.

Director of Product Engineering

Brian Thomson

I manage N5’s Testing and Product Development and lead the design of gas sensors and integrated systems for our customers. This includes gathering customer requirements, product definition, test apparatus design and analysis. Areas of expertise include sensor characterization, system design, automation, data analytics, and project management. I enjoy running and rock climbing.

Director of Systems Engineering

Vinicius Fonseca

Hi! I’m a Hardware and Firmware engineer at N5 Sensors, aiming to develop the best analog front end, systems, and algorithms to make the most reliable sensors on the market. I have experience and knowledge in IoT, Wireless communication, embedded systems and PCB design. During my free time, I love working on cars and motorcycles.

Head of Operations

Keerthana Senthilkumaran

Hi! I’m a Finance and Human Resource Specialist at N5 Sensors, focusing on developing efficient processes using knowledge of recruiting, employee relations, training and development. My day-to-day includes employee relations, reporting, payroll, benefits, & involvement in all daily financial activities for current and upcoming projects. I love to painting and am a yoga enthusiast.

Values

We believe solving tough challenges requires compassion, courage, and bold innovations.

Culture

We succeed as a team, if we all dare to fail together.

Our team is comprised of genuinely gifted minds

wildfire detection, forest monitoring, IoT sensors, environmental sensors, LoRaWAN, ultra-early detection, climate tech, forest health monitoring, big data analytics, cloud platform, environmental protection, disaster response, green technology.
Lead Systems Scientist

Hyeong Jin Yun, PhD

I am a semiconductor process engineer at N5 Sensor, currently conducting industrial research on the fabrication of cutting-edge photocatalytic semiconductor gas sensors. Specifically, my focus is on the development of nano-structured photocatalytic materials for detecting gases and analytes of interest. I have a broad background in the fabrication and characterization of semiconductor devices and materials. I love swimming and reading books.
Embedded Data Engineer

Lucas Aquila

Hi! My name is Lucas! I am Embedded Data Engineer at N5 Sensors Inc. I contribute with data analysis of the new sensors and the integration of the new devices for the cloud. I automate data instruction procedure and analysis. During my free time, I love to run and play with my dog.
Saulo Azevedo - Full Stack Software Developer
Full Stack Software Developer

Saulo Azevedo

Full Stack Software Developer
wildfire detection, forest monitoring, IoT sensors, environmental sensors, LoRaWAN, ultra-early detection, climate tech, forest health monitoring, big data analytics, cloud platform, environmental protection, disaster response, green technology.
Senior Process Engineer

Thach Ngoc Pham, PhD

Hi, I'm a process engineer at N5 Sensors working on developing, maintaining, and implementing chemical sensor fabrication protocols. I also work closely with the test team to identify device design issues, failure issues, and suggest changes in the sensors design and fabrication process. I love gastronomy and have a strong interest in computer hardware.
wildfire detection, forest monitoring, IoT sensors, environmental sensors, LoRaWAN, ultra-early detection, climate tech, forest health monitoring, big data analytics, cloud platform, environmental protection, disaster response, green technology.
Application Test Engineer

Jose Daniel Zurita Torrico

Hi, I'm a process engineer at N5 Sensors working on developing, maintaining, and implementing chemical sensor fabrication protocols. I also work closely with the test team to identify device design issues, failure issues, and suggest changes in the sensors design and fabrication process. I love gastronomy and have a strong interest in computer hardware.
wildfire detection, forest monitoring, IoT sensors, environmental sensors, LoRaWAN, ultra-early detection, climate tech, forest health monitoring, big data analytics, cloud platform, environmental protection, disaster response, green technology.
Senior Scientist

Dimitri Alexson,PhD

I am a research scientist with over 15 years of experience developing advanced sensing techniques. I have worked at all levels of government focused tech transfer: academic, national lab and industry. At N5 I work along side the sensor fabrication team to advance and improve sensor performance and further expand our chemical library for new applications. I am excited to bring N5’s sensor capabilities to the unique challenges and needs of our government funded missions.
Hardware & Firmware Engineer

Marcelo Peres

I'm an enthusiastic electrical engineer with almost a decade of experience in designing electronic products in a variaty of applications such as medical, consumer products and smartgrid, always focused on hardware and firmware development. I spent the past 5 years working with analog sensors reading, with some minor experience in fabrication and packaging. I love working at N5 Sensors especially because of the multidisciplinarity involved to build, from wafer level up to systems level, easy-to-use high quality products.
wildfire detection, forest monitoring, IoT sensors, environmental sensors, LoRaWAN, ultra-early detection, climate tech, forest health monitoring, big data analytics, cloud platform, environmental protection, disaster response, green technology.
Semiconductor Process Engineer

Chieh-I Liu,PhD

My name is Chieh-I and I am a semiconductor process engineer at N5 Sensors. My focus is on developing and optimizing fabrication processes of gas and chemical sensor devices. Prior to joining N5 Sensors, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at NIST, Gaithersburg. I am experienced in fabrication and characterization of novel materials. In my spare time, I enjoy baking and biking.
wildfire detection, forest monitoring, IoT sensors, environmental sensors, LoRaWAN, ultra-early detection, climate tech, forest health monitoring, big data analytics, cloud platform, environmental protection, disaster response, green technology.
Application Test Engineer

Daniel Slovich

Hello! I'm an Application Engineer at N5 Sensors working to improve products for our clients and bolster our sensor characterization and calibration efforts. I focus on product testing and data collection to support our internal and external customer base. I have experience with sensor design, calibration and testing with a background in electrical engineering. In my free time I enjoy a good workout, reading, or making music.
Data Engineer

Ibrahima Diagne, PhD

Hello! My name is Ibrahim Diagne, and I am a data scientist at N5 Sensors Inc. I utilize advanced concepts in statistics and machine learning to develop smart algorithms for our hybrid smart novel gas sensors geared toward gas sensing tasks for industrial, commercial and military applications including indoor air quality monitoring systems, toxic chemical, chemical warfare detection among others. Our hybrid novel gas sensors equipped with advanced signal processing schemes offer accurate detection and quantification of gas chemicals for complex sensing tasks. I am an avid reader and enjoy traveling during my spare time.
wildfire detection, forest monitoring, IoT sensors, environmental sensors, LoRaWAN, ultra-early detection, climate tech, forest health monitoring, big data analytics, cloud platform, environmental protection, disaster response, green technology.
Hardware & Firmware Engineer

Rene Lima

Working on hardware, firmware, and software development. Electronic circuit design, simulation, PCB layout, firmware, software user interfaces. Designing mixed-signal PCBs, with analog signal conditioning circuitry and digital communication signals. Working with different IoT communication modes such as: BLE, LTE-M and LoRa devices. Coordinating PCB fabrication, assembly, and testing.
wildfire detection, forest monitoring, IoT sensors, environmental sensors, LoRaWAN, ultra-early detection, climate tech, forest health monitoring, big data analytics, cloud platform, environmental protection, disaster response, green technology.
Supply Chain Manager

Solomon Antwi

I am a Supply Chain Manager working to develop systems and streamline the supply chain issues at N5. In this time of global turbulent supply chain I’m working to make sure N5 is placed in a better position to serve our customers. I like watching football and reading during my spare time.
wildfire detection, forest monitoring, IoT sensors, environmental sensors, LoRaWAN, ultra-early detection, climate tech, forest health monitoring, big data analytics, cloud platform, environmental protection, disaster response, green technology.
Embedded Systems Engineer

Oliver Zhang

I am an embedded systems engineer at N5 Sensors, Inc with experience in PCB design, firmware development, phone and web application development, BLE, and 3D printing. I translate our data scientists’ thoroughly tested algorithms into our product firmware. I enjoy Japanese or Japanese-influenced media, doing small tech projects, and traveling.
wildfire detection, forest monitoring, IoT sensors, environmental sensors, LoRaWAN, ultra-early detection, climate tech, forest health monitoring, big data analytics, cloud platform, environmental protection, disaster response, green technology.
Data Scientist

Dennis Trimarchi

My name is Dennis, and I'm a Data Scientist at N5 Sensors. My focus is on using various machine learning techniques to develop smart detection algorithms using our sensor signals as inputs. I enjoy cooking, traveling in my spare time, and spending quality with my niece and nephews. Cheers!
wildfire detection, forest monitoring, IoT sensors, environmental sensors, LoRaWAN, ultra-early detection, climate tech, forest health monitoring, big data analytics, cloud platform, environmental protection, disaster response, green technology.
Embedded Systems & Firmware Engineer

Ricardo Rabello

wildfire detection, forest monitoring, IoT sensors, environmental sensors, LoRaWAN, ultra-early detection, climate tech, forest health monitoring, big data analytics, cloud platform, environmental protection, disaster response, green technology.
R&D Test Engineer

Rudy Villegas

Hello! I am Rudy, Research Lab Engineer at N5 Sensors, I contribute by supporting and maintaining our professional research lab to meet exceptional industry standards using state-of-the-art equipment needed for the research and manufacturing of N5 products in-house. Aside from that, my hobbies include reading, swimming, cooking, and photography.
wildfire detection, forest monitoring, IoT sensors, environmental sensors, LoRaWAN, ultra-early detection, climate tech, forest health monitoring, big data analytics, cloud platform, environmental protection, disaster response, green technology.
Facility Manager

Audie Castillo

Hi! I am Audie Castillo and have been with N5 Sensors Inc. since 2014 as its Engineering Technician. I support all the technical operations of the laboratories, from chip fabrication to product packaging. I maintain the instrumentation required for the high standards of chip quality and testing. Formerly, I was a Research Technician at NIST working on thin film magnetic spin-valve sensors. My main role is to ensure the continued operation of N5 Sensors Inc. in its efforts to produce the best quality chemical environmental sensors.
wildfire detection, forest monitoring, IoT sensors, environmental sensors, LoRaWAN, ultra-early detection, climate tech, forest health monitoring, big data analytics, cloud platform, environmental protection, disaster response, green technology.
Internal Sales and Customer Support

Robins George

I'm Robins George , your go-to person for internal sales and customer support at N5 Senors Inc. With a deep commitment to delivering top-notch service, I'm here to ensure your experience with us is nothing short of excellent. From addressing inquiries to facilitating orders, I'm dedicated to providing tailored assistance that surpasses your expectations. Let's collaborate to strengthen connections and drive mutual success.

Advisory Board

Helping our organization gain strategic insights to solve practical problems through stimulating high quality conversations.

Co-Founder & CEO PFP Cybersecurity

Steven Chen

Vice President & General Manager, Sensor Fusion BU at CEVA, Inc.

Chad Lucien

Co-Founder CTO RAE SYSTEMS

Peter Hsi