Chemistry - Chemical Industry Expert Witnesses: 21

Arun Kumar, Ph.D. has 45 years of experience in Metallurgy, Materials Science and Failure Analysis of Metallic and Non-Metallic Materials at Rockwell International, Hughes Aircraft Company and EAG Laboratories. He manages and supervises approximately 10 engineers and technicians performing a variety of analytical services and failure analysis. Dr. Kumar provides metallurgical consultation, performs failure analysis and serves as an expert witness in product liability trials involving materials failures. He has extensive experience in metallurgical failure analysis of aircraft, helicopter, automobile and motorcycle components, machineries, medical implants, machine tools, household appliances and wildfire investigations involving utilities.

Dr. David A. Rockstraw, PE, is a distinguished figure in the fields of Chemical Engineering and Intellectual Property, with an impressive blend of academic and professional credentials. He has over 30 of years of experience in chemical processing and phenomena in industry, national labs, academia, and private consulting.

Dr. Rockstraw is the former Robert Davis Distinguished Professor and Academic Department Head of Chemical Engineering, Interim Academic Department Head of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Creator and Director of Brewery Engineering at New Mexico State University, with over a decade of experience in the chemical process industry and national labs. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Rockstraw has supported NSF grants as a co-PI and consultant, testified in trials, arbitrations, and depositions on dozens of occasions, and has the experience of over 80 expert witness engagements and over 30 technical consultant engagements, the majority involving patent infringement, trade secret theft, and patent validity.  Work on these cases has frequently required Rockstraw to perform laboratory research or direct full-scale plant tests to collect the evidence needed to support a client’s position. He is a clear communicator, skilled educator, having experience in a wide range of chemical manufacture processes. Dr. Rockstraw is licensed in TX, NM, and CA.

Areas of Expertise:

Michael A. Pollock, PE, USPTO, is a Mechanical Engineer responsible for the design and engineering of commercial, industrial, manufacturing, institutional, and residential venues, as well as efforts relating to services and products used in and around these facilities. Mr. Pollock's full CV can be viewed at cogentexpert.com.

Business and industries include electronics, safety and construction, building materials, polymers and plastics, instrumentation manufacturing, petrochemicals, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, colleges, athletic facilities, textiles, coatings and resins, food storage, biosciences, supermarkets, inks & pigments, automotive, facility and real estate operations, agricultural, transportation, nuclear, healthcare, nutrition, retail, distributors, pulp and paper, packaging, utilities, apparel, and R&D centers.

Litigation Support - Mr. Pollock is a subject matter expert in Commercial and Industrial Engineering Applications and Projects, as well as engineering standards and applicable codes (ASHRAE, ASME, NIST, NFPA, NBIC, ASTM, SAE, LEED, ASCE, GMP, ISA, BOCA, and EPA Regulations.) He has engaged with local, state, and governmental officials and agencies regarding numerous matters over his commensurate years of experience.

Areas of Expertise:

Registrations

• Professional Engineer: PA (PE075410)
• American Bar Association (ABA) – Construction Forum
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Air Act Certification – Universal (includes Chillers, HVAC & Refrigeration)
• United States Patent & Trademark Office Registered (USPTO)                              

Forensic Consulting Experience

Warehouse Distribution Facility – Maryland - Evaluated a $10M (million) claim relating to purported construction defect claims by the 600,000 sq. ft. facility owner against the facility construction contractor and an original equipment manufacturer relating to installed infrastructure in the facility. Developed an expert opinion and expert report regarding the analysis of the purported defects and a proposed repair solution to correct said defects. 

 Psychiatric Hospital Facility – North Carolina – Evaluated a $28M (million) construction claim by the general contractor against a hospital facility concerning a $100M facility construction project.  Developed an expert opinion and report for general construction issues, constructability, design revisions, and corresponding delay analysis for mechanical, HVAC, electrical, smoke and fire, structural, security and building automation systems. 

Forensics Consulting Work-in-Progress 

• 2022 – International Trade Commission (ITC) Matter – Resin Manufacturing Facility Construction Delay / Completeness Analysis
• 2022 – Mechanical Systems Coatings Matter Analysis
• 2021 – Industrial Manufacturing Facility Standard of Care Matter, Construction Defect, Construction Delay     
• 2021 – Electrical Distribution System Construction Defect Matter, Standard of Care
• 2021 – Hotel Facility HVAC Materials of Construction Related Defect Matter

Dr. Glenn Prestwich  is a National Academy of Inventors fellow with over 45 years of experience as a professor, entrepreneur, and biotech startup C-suite executive. Dr. Prestwich specializes in Biomedical Intellectual Property. He has been a prolific inventor since 1977, and an expert witness in IP law cases since 2007. He is an inventor on over 95 patents and patent applications, including 48 issued patents.

Litigation Support - Dr. Prestwich brings to all legal and technical cases a deep appreciation for how chemistry informs the invention and development of products that offer solutions to problems in the life sciences and medicine, ranging from disease detection and treatment to tissue healing and regeneration. He’s been involved in intellectual property litigation that concern medical devices, diagnostics, new pharmaceuticals, drug delivery, agrochemicals, and consumer products.

As an expert witness, Dr. Prestwich enjoys the challenges of dissecting the validity (or invalidity) of patents in litigation. He appreciates the subtleties of claim construction and works collaboratively with attorneys to identify successful arguments based on sound science and legal principles. He has drafted over 40 expert reports, declarations, and affidavits in support of his attorney clients.  He has been deposed 18 times and testified in Court four times.

Glenn D. Prestwich on Accessible and Experienced Expert Witnesses

Areas of Expertise:

Publications - Dr. Prestwich is an organized, clear, and effective writer. He has co-authored  over 610 additional peer-reviewed articles in the scientific literature, and written over 50 single-author scientific publications, reviews and book chapters. His publications encompass areas such diverse topics as anti-cancer drugs, gels for wound repair, cell therapy, and regenerative medicine, insect and pest control agents, cholesterol-lowering agents, lipids and cell signaling tools, and anti-inflammatory agents.

Dr. Rolf Biernath, PhD, Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, and BChE, Georgia Institute of Technology) has over 35 years of experience in the Chemical Industry with a concentration on Polymer Science and Engineering and Material Science Fracture Mechanics. He worked in Materials and Processes at 3M for 31 years in senior technical roles developing materials, processes, and systems. His 58 US patents span a broad range of scientific and engineering disciplines.

Litigation Support - Dr. Biernath is a Patent & Civil Liability Expert Witness having worked with in-house and outside attorneys in prior art searches. He's drafted claims and strategized claims in a variety of fields. He has written Expert Reports for Civil Liability, including material failure analysis, computer simulation, and manufacturing assessment. He is known for his ability to explain complex technical problems simply.

Areas of Expertise:

Background Experience - Dr. Biernath has 58 Issued US Patents on new products and processes, including:

• Industrial Adhesives and Tapes – materials selection, development, automation, and tape application processes
• Electronic Materials – epoxy thermoset adhesives & application process, high speed electronic connectors
• Electronic Displays and optical display films, outdoor digital displays
• Microreplication and textured adhesives and processes, microfluidics, e-Paper
• Signage – retroreflective signage, license plate recognition, ADAS, and Human Invisible, Machine-Readable Coding System
• IoT and IIoT / Automatic and predictive selection and replacement

Dr. Biernath has expertise in stresses in planar systems due to a range of causes including, thermal expansion mismatch, humidity and solvent uptake or loss, and cure shrinkage. He understands assembly processes for tapes and adhesives including interpreting Technical Data Sheets, Application Data Sheets, developing test methods, and selecting materials.

View Biernath Consulting, Inc.'s Business Consultant Profile.

Dr. Charles R. Anderson has long specialized in the Characterization of Surfaces, Interfaces, Thin Films and Coatings. Since 1972 he has applied surface and near-surface analysis techniques such as x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS or ESCA) and Auger microprobe to the solution of surface chemistry and coating problems. 

Dr. Anderson worked for the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin Laboratories prior to starting his own laboratory in 1995. He served as an officer of the ASTM Committee E-42 on Surface Analysis and as U.S. Expert on several sub-committees of the ISO Technical Committee 201 on Surface Chemical Analysis. He especially enjoys integrating the results of multiple analytic techniques (surface analysis, thermal analysis, FTIR, SEM/EDX, optical microscopy)to solve tough materials problems.

Litigation Support -  Dr. Anderson has extensive experience in materials science as a result of solving the materials problems of many industries with the aid many analytical techniques. He is available to provide Expert Witness Services for legal matters involving Materials Failure, Intellectual Property Theft, Misrepresentation, Failure to Meet Contract Specifications, Materials Identifications and Characteristics, or Quality Issues. To ensure the accuracy and integrity of his testimony, Dr. Anderson and his staff independently analyze the relevant materials in most cases.

 View Consulting Profile.