Welcome to GIS

Nabil Nasr is the associate provost and director of GIS. Nabil’s research includes remanufacturing, circular economy, life-cycle engineering, cleaner production, and sustainable product development. He founded RIT’s Center for Remanufacturing and Resource Recovery (C3R®), a leading source of applied research in remanufacturing technologies. He is also CEO of the REMADE Institute, a national coalition forging clean-energy initiatives to advance U.S. manufacturing. He currently serves as a member of the International Resource Panel of the United Nations Environment Programme. He has been an expert delegate for the U.S. Government in international forums such as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, United Nations, World Trade Organization, and OECD.

Michael Thurston is the technical director at GIS and a member of the institute’s research faculty. Michael’s expertise is focused on asset health management (diagnostics and prognostics), sustainable transportation and mobility, systems engineering and integration, and digital and smart manufacturing technologies. He leads research into the Enhanced Platform Logistics System (EPLS) program, a telematics system for U.S. Marine Corps vehicles and commercial trucks. He also created software (Asset Health Monitoring Application Suite) under a grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research. As a co-principal investigator on a program funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, he led the development and application of life-cycle economic and environmental analysis methodologies for alternative vehicle fuels. Michael’s background includes 13 years of research and development experience in the automotive industry. He has both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in mechanical engineering as well as a doctorate in mechanical and aerospace engineering. He holds six patents and has three active patent applications.

Randy Jones is the associate director of finance and administration at GIS. He is responsible for managing all GIS financial operations, including financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and invoicing. Randy has 27 years’ experience in finance and accounting, including 20 years in sponsored research. He holds an MBA from RIT and a BS degree in accounting from SUNY Geneseo.

Kathleen Kosciolek is assistant director for program administration at GIS. She is responsible for identifying and pursuing funding to support the applied research and technology transfer conducted by the institute. Kathleen also develops new initiatives with the technical team while ensuring compliant administration of grants and contracts post-award. As part of the senior team, Kathleen is a key contributor to strategic planning, program development, and research-portfolio management at GIS. Prior to joining RIT in 2008, she held positions at companies in a range of sectors ranging from pharmaceuticals to market research. She is an alumna of RIT, holding a BS in business administration and management, an MBA with a management and leadership concentration, and a graduate certificate in project management from the university.

Nenad Nenadic is a GIS research faculty member that conducts interdisciplinary, applied research in systems, including prognostics health monitoring (PHM), microgrids, and parametric design. He has more than ten years of practical experience in PHM development for a wide range of electrical, mechanical, and electromechanical systems. Prior to joining RIT, Nenad spent four years at Kionix Inc., where he designed, developed, and tested MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) inertial sensors (gyroscopes and accelerometers). He received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Novi Sad, Serbia, and a master’s degree and doctorate in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Rochester.

Mark Walluk is assistant director of RIT’s Center of Excellence in Advanced and Sustainable Manufacturing at GIS. In this role, he lends his technical expertise to research, development, and engineering to a wide range of projects for industry and government clients. These include development of technology roadmaps, alternative energy assessments, fuel-cell system testing, catalytic reformation, finite element analysis (FEA), instrumentation, and reliability-centered maintenance and failure mode and effects analysis. Mark has prior experience as an engineer at General Dynamics Electric Boat, where he developed nuclear-propulsion plant components for next-generation ships and technical group instructions for the overhaul of commissioned submarines. He also was a member of UTC Power’s mechanical balance of plant (MBOP) group as an engineer for undersea proton exchange membrane fuel cell power plants. Mark holds an MS degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is has been a contributing author to publications issued by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and SAE International, and has appeared in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy and Energy and Fuels.

Brian Hilton is a senior staff engineer at GIS. He has over 20 years of experience in new product development. He currently provides expertise on both industry- and government-sponsored research projects concentrated on sustainable design, manufacturing, and technology readiness. Brian has helped dozens of companies create environmentally and economically sustainable product systems. Prior to joining RIT in 2003, Brian worked in industry for 12 years. In various positions, he designed and developed products from clean-sheet concept inception through to fully automated, high-speed production at domestic and international manufacturing plants. He is proficient in many design-engineering practices, including design of experiments, value engineering and value analysis, and inventive problem solving. He is also a life cycle assessment certified professional (LCACP, serial #2011-65) and has conducted ISO 14040 compliant LCA and chaired third-party LCA critical reviews. Brian has significant experience in new technology development and innovation, holding 29 U.S. patents. He earned a BS degree from Syracuse University in aerospace engineering with a minor in mathematics.

Kevin Newton is a senior mechanical design engineer at GIS. Kevin provides expertise in manufacturing, process engineering, quality systems, and all phases of product development. Prior to joining RIT, he completed a 33-year career at General Motors (GM). He first worked at the GM Tech Center in Warren, Michigan, progressing from manufacturing to vehicle engineering. While there, he designed exterior ornamentation and worked with plastic component suppliers on design for manufacturability (DfM) projects and experiments. After transferring to GM Fuel Cell Activities, he held various positions in product design, concept development, manufacturing, and project management. At the GM Tonawanda Engine Plant in Buffalo New York, Kevin was a senior supplier quality engineer and led root-cause analysis projects, engine-quality certifications, and warranty analysis. He holds a BS degree in mechanical engineering from Syracuse University, an MS degree in administration from Central Michigan University, and an MS degree in energy systems engineering from the University of Michigan.