Luca Zullo
Chief Technology Officer, Chairman of the Board

Mr. Zullo has served as JetE’s Chief Technology Officer since August 2009. He started his career at Shell Research in 1990 in The Netherlands where he was involved with design and automation of novel petrochemical and oil processes. In 1995, He joined Cray Research to lead the effort to apply high performance computing applications to the petrochemical and oil refining industry. During that time, among the others, he led a project aiming to integrate large-scale process simulation with 3D visualization to provide a fully dynamic and immersive simulation environment for training, design and process improvement. This project, “The Virtual Plant,” was a finalist for the Smithsonian-Computerworld award for innovation in Computing.

After joining Cargill in 2001, Mr. Zullo focused on biofuels and bio-energy in plant operations with an emphasis on “waste” to energy and second-generation biofuels. During that time he also led the technical effort of a group that developed domestically and internationally methane capture projects in agricultural operations to harvest renewable energy and carbon credits.

Mr. Zullo holds a Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Padua, Italy and a Ph.D. also in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in London, United Kingdom. He is the founder of VerdeNero LLC, a technical service and consulting firm for the biomass and biofuels industry and co-founder of BioCee, Inc., a firm devoted to commercializing a novel bio-coating technology developed at the University of Minnesota.

Mr. Zullo is an appointed member to Minnesota’s Governor Pawlenty Clean Energy Technology Collaborative.

Leo Manzer
Director

Leo E. Manzer is President and CEO of Catalytic Insights LLC, a consulting company specializing in the field of catalysis and process development, with emphasis on biomass to renewable fuels and chemicals.  Dr. Manzer had a distinguished 32-year career at DuPont rising to the level of DuPont Fellow, at position held by only 15 or 3000 scientists and engineers.  He founded and directed DuPont’s Corporate Catalysis Center and led a number of important projects resulting in many new commercial facilities.

Dr. Manzer is the author of >90 publications and 130 issued US patents (with over 500 international patents).  Over 50 patent applications are in various stages of prosecution through his consulting business.  He has received a number of prestigious awards, including:  the 1995 ACS Earle B. Barnes Award; the 1997 Catalysis Club of Philadelphia Award; the 1997 ACS Heroes of Chemistry Award; the 2001 Eugene J. Houdry Award for Applied Catalysis from the North American Catalysis Society; and the 2003 ACS E. V. Murphree Award.  He was also a member of the DuPont team recognized for the 2002 Presidential National Medal of Technology Award for his work in developing CFC Alternatives. 

Dr. Manzer serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards of a number of companies in Europe and the USA and is an frequent invited lecturer at international conferences. 

 

Bruno Miller
Director

Dr. Miller is Principal, Energy and Environment for Metron Aviation where he is responsible for developing and advancing technical capabilities in the areas of energy and environment, including operational strategies to mitigate the environmental impact of air transportation and alternative fuels. Dr Miller is currently leading a series of projects in the areas of alternative fuels and policy strategies to mitigate aviation’s carbon emissions and other environmental effects. Mr. Miller was formerly a strategic sourcing manager in the fuel department at Delta Air Lines with direct oversight of over 60 airports in the U.S. Northeast, Latin America, and Africa. Furthermore, Dr. Miller oversaw and approved annual budgets for maintenance, operations, and capital projects as a board member of several airport fuel farms.

Dr. Miller is a leader in the area of alternative fuels and has extensive experience in the technology, policy, and strategies affecting stakeholders and key industry issues surrounding the environment. He was co-chairman of Delta Air Lines’ Alternative Fuels Committee and Delta’s representative to the Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels (RSB), the Air Transport Association’s (ATA) Alternative Fuels Committee, and the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative’s (CAAFI) Business Committee. He was part of a core group of airline representatives that negotiated and successfully led to the signing of two memoranda of understanding (MOU) in December of 2009 between major US and international carriers and two different alternative fuel suppliers, AltAir and Rentech.

Prior to joining Delta, Mr. Miller held positions in revenue management and network planning at Northwest Airlines. Mr. Miller has consulted for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, the Costa Rican Civil Aviation Authorities, and the FAA. He holds a Ph.D. in Air Transportation Systems as well as a M.S. and B.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics and a M.S. in Technology and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).