Team Members

Stephen J. Furst, Dr. -Ing.
Founder and CEO

Dr. Stephen Furst is a Mechanical Engineer specialized in precision engineering, nanomanufacturing, and smart materials research. Stephen founded Smart Material Solutions, LLC in 2016 to commercialize Nanocoining: a technology that enables fabrication of large-area nanopatterns via roll to roll nanoimprint lithography, and he currently serves as the company’s CEO. Stephen also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the American Society of Precision Engineering and is the society’s Precision Manufacturing chair.

Stephen completed his BS in Aerospace Engineering at NC State in 2007, then his MS in Mechanical Engineering in 2009 under the direction of Dr. Thomas Dow at the NC State Precision Engineering Center (PEC), the lab where the Nanocoining technology was later invented. Stephen began his PhD work in 2009 with Prof. Dr. -Ing. Stefan Seelecke at NC State with emphasis on smart materials research. In 2011, Dr. Seelecke left NC State for Saarland University in Germany, affording Stephen the opportunity to continue his research abroad in Saarbruecken, Germany. In 2012 Stephen published his dissertation "Design, Fabrication, and Control Methods for Exploiting the Multifunctional Sensing and Actuation Capabilities of Shape Memory Alloy Wires" and was awarded the highest distinction, Summa cum Laude.

While at NC State, Stephen also ran Track and Cross Country for the Wolfpack. In 2008, he was the ACC Champion in both the 5k and the 10k, an All-American in the 5k, and was named the ACC’s male scholar athlete of the year. While working on his PhD, he continued a professional running career and competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Team Trials for the 5000 m and marathon.

After finishing school in 2012, Stephen began consulting with the PEC where he worked with students and faculty members on projects for the NIJ, NSF, NASA, and several companies before taking the Nanocoining technology off the shelf at the PEC and writing a successful STTR Phase I proposal to the NSF

Stephen’s publications are available on Google Scholar.

Nichole Scott, PhD
Vice President of Research & Development

Dr. Nichole Scott (formerly Nichole Cates) is a Raleigh native with R&D experience in a variety of fields including solar cells, batteries, semiconductors, polymer science, and nanotechnology. 

Nichole graduated at the top of her class at Carnegie Mellon University with a BS and MS in Materials Science and Engineering and was awarded an NSF Fellowship for her PhD at Stanford University. She also completed a postdoctoral position at Bosch and internships at Ford, NASA, and Bose. Later, Nichole received the prestigious Marie Curie Fellowship to perform research at the Institute of Photonic Sciences in Barcelona, Spain, where she patented a world-record solar-cell technology and published the results in Nature Photonics.

Nichole returned to Raleigh in 2017 and joined Smart Material Solutions as the company’s Senior Research Scientist. She is involved with all aspects of the business, including engaging with customers, writing proposals, and painting the walls. Nichole leads the company’s efforts to create diamond dies using FIB machining and other nanofabrication methods.

A complete list of Nichole’s publications is available on Google Scholar.

Lauren Micklow
Senior Mechanical Engineer

Lauren Micklow graduated from NC State University with a BS in mechanical engineering in 2019 and began working at Smart Material Solutions in the fall of that year. In spring of 2020, she re-enrolled at NCSU as a part time graduate student and in 2022 she completed her MSME. At SMS, Lauren performs tests with and improves upon the pilot system.

During her undergrad at NC State, she was a leading member of the Formula SAE team, Pack Motorsports. While on the team, she learned to weld and machine and honed her design skills. Her senior year she held the titles of Chassis Lead and Manufacturing Lead and helped the team achieve 6th place at the FSAE Lincoln competition. When not working, Lauren can be found rock climbing or making pottery.

Robin McDonald
Materials Scientist

Robin McDonald earned her BS in Materials Science from the California Institute of Technology in 2023. During her time at Caltech, Robin delved into a variety of interdisciplinary research projects and contributed to three peer-reviewed journal publications. Her undergraduate research included cell biomechanics, fabrication of biocomposites, wearable sweat sensors, and a hydrogel to metal additive manufacturing process. During the fall of 2021, Robin studied abroad at the Technical University of Denmark. 

Robin grew up in Phoenix, AZ and reached out to Smart Material Solutions after listening to Dr. Nicky Cates’ interview on the “It’s a Material World” podcast. She began work at SMS during the summer of 2023. Outside of work, she spends her free time playing the bassoon and practicing Tai Chi.

Lyra Furst
Chief Security Officer

Lyra Furst brings a lot of energy to the workplace and takes her role as chief security officer very seriously. She works hard to ensure squirrels and birds remain outside the office at all times. She also assesses every package delivery to verify the contents and protect her coworkers.

Lyra graduated with honors from the AKC S.T.A.R. program at Jackie’s Basics and Beyond Dog Training. In her free time, she enjoys playing fetch, bird watching, playing with Mr. Hippo, and going on long walks.

Advisors

GEORGE WILDEMAN
CEO of SWIR Vision Systems; Former Corning, Leica Microsystems Executive

Mr. Wildeman is a former Corning, Inc. executive and the business manager on the company’s silicon-on-glass and Gorilla glass programs. Mr. Wildeman is currently the CEO of SWIR Vision Systems Inc., a North Carolina startup company in diagnostic and hyperspectral imaging. He serves as mentor to Dr. Furst and is helping the company proliferate the technology at high levels of leading film and substrate suppliers.

steve scott
Former VP of Technology at Reflexite/ORAFOL

Mr. Scott is an experienced executive who recently served as VP of Technology for ORAFOL Americas and formerly for Reflexite. Mr. Scott has a background in optics, machine design, precision machining, global patent and trademark generation and defense as well as strategic growth planning.