Spotlight on an Entrepreneur

Abhishek Motayed is an assistant research scientist at the Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics at the University of Maryland, College Park. He has over 10 years of experience in the field of semiconductor devices, specializing in wide-bandgap materials/devices, low-dimensional semiconducting structures, micro/nanofabrication, device modeling and characterization. Dr. Motayed received his PhD in 2007 from the University of Maryland in Electrical and Computer Engineering. In 2012 he founded N5 Sensors, Inc. to commercialize the hybrid sensor technology licensed from University of Maryland. N5 currently has 5 full-time employees and several SBIR programs funded by Environmental Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Defense.

Abstract:

N5 Sensors is a Rockville, MD-based start-up, commercializing a low-power chemical sensor architecture that can potentially revolutionize the way gas detection is done in various industries. The sensor technology utilizes innovations in nano engineering to produce chip-scale microsensor arrays that can detect various toxic and hazardous gases present in air. N5 has been awarded several small business innovation research (SBIR) projects by several agencies such as Environmental Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, and Department of Homeland Security to further develop the technology for various environmental and safety applications. We have been collaborating with various federal laboratories such as NIST, NASA, ARL and with other commercial entities for various testing requirements and product deployment strategies.