Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Stephen A. Steiner III

Materials scientist/aerospace engineer, inventor, and educator currently in the form of an entrepreneur/CEO committed to solving the world’s grand challenges and exploring rarefied phenomena.

Table of Contents

• Education
• Employment
• Publication Statistics
• Research Articles
• Conference Papers
• Books & Book Chapters
• Patents
• Presentations
• Conference Organization
• Thesis Committees
• Media Appearances
• Press
• Languages
• Skills
• Academic Honors
• Personal Accomplishments

Education

• 2012 PhD Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Minor, Innovation in Aerospace
• 2006 SM Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• 2004 BS Chemistry Course, University of Wisconsin—Madison

Employment

Aerogel Technologies, LLC

Boston, MA, USA

Founder & CEO

Feb 2004–Present

• Bootstrapped company from $2000 initial investment to eight-figure advanced materials manufacturer
• Created world’s first and leading producer of durable polymer-based aerogels and established the Airloy^® brand
• Co-invented and commercialized world’s first continuous roll-to-roll process for making non-particulate aerogel at atmospheric pressure
• Serviced over 20,000 clients including Boeing, Airbus, Ford, SpaceX, Blue Origin, NASA, DoD, DoE, Intel, Asustek, Google, Apple, L’Oreal, Cabot, BASF, and Nike
• Assembled and successfully prosecuted the world’s leading patent portfolio for durable aerogels, with 45 patents spanning the US, Canada, China, and the European Union
• Secured exclusive licenses to NASA’s polymer aerogel technology portfolio
• Secured over $3.5 million in government-funded awards/subawards through NSF STTR, NSF Scalable Nanomanufacturing, Army, Natick Soldier Center, DTRA, and NASA Game-Changing Technology programs
• Created BuyAerogel.com, the world’s leading ecommerce platform for aerogel materials

Zero Gravity Corporation

Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

Zero-Gravity Parabolic Flight Director

Jan 2004–Jan 2025, Part Time

• FAA Part-121-certified flight attendant for weightless parabolic flights, responsible for aircraft and flyer safety
• Conducted test readiness reviews for microgravity research experiments
• Logged over 10 hours of weightlessness in 20-second bursts over the course of 100+ flights
• Trained in CPR, AED, cabin safety, firefighting, evacuation procedures, and aviation/ground security
• Cabin crew training instructor
• Successfully and safely guided passengers through cabin depressurization emergency (Feb 2016)
• Part of flight crew responsible for Prof. Stephen Hawking’s zero-gravity flight (Apr 2007)
• Interfaced with NASA researchers, high-net-worth individuals, ability-diverse flyers, and celebrities including Kate Upton, Ozzy Osbourne, Elon Musk, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, James Cameron, and Buzz Aldrin

Tufts University

Medford, MA, USA

Adjunct Faculty, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Apr 2017–Aug 2020

• Graduate student thesis advisor
• Co-PI for $1 million NSF grant studying fundamental physics underlying supercritical drying of aerogels
• Investigated two-photon upshifting fluorescence analysis technique for characterizing solvomechanical responses of gels
• Maintained close collaborations with Prof. Marc Hodes and Prof. Jeffrey Guasto

Space Systems Laboratory, MIT

Cambridge, MA, USA

Postdoctoral Associate under Professor Paulo Lozano, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Sep 2014–Jan 2015, Part Time

• Provided technical guidance to researchers regarding synthesis of porous materials for ionic-liquid propulsion microthrusters
• Designed porous materials for use in microthrusters
• Implemented automated thermochemical processing system for production of nanoporous carbon materials

Biomolecular Materials Group, MIT

Cambridge, MA, USA

Postdoctoral Associate under Professor Angela Belcher, Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Jan 2012–Jan 2015

• Developed synthetic method for producing nanoporous transition metal foams via magnesiothermal reduction
• Investigated modification of M13 bacteriophages for catalysis, battery, hydrophobicity, and layer-by-layer applications
• Investigated biomolecular approaches towards deterministic length control of single-walled carbon nanotubes
• Developed new porous silicon, titanium, and gold scaffolds for battery and lightweight structures applications

Nanoengineered Composite Aerospace Structures (NECST) Laboratory, MIT

Cambridge, MA, USA

PhD Candidate under Professor Brian Wardle, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

May 2007–Jan 2012

• Thesis “Carbon Nanotube Growth on Challenging Substrates: Applications for Carbon-Fiber Composites” http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/71272
• Identified and characterized first non-metallic catalyst for growth of carbon nanotubes using in-situ metrology
• Developed first method for growing carbon nanotubes on carbon fibers without degrading fiber properties
• Characterized the role of tension in the mechanochemistry of carbon fibers
• Developed nanoengineered carbon/carbon composites for extreme wear applications for Ferrari’s Formula One vehicle
• Developed natural-language-based automated CVD systems for production of nanostructured carbon materials

Nanocomp Technologies, Inc.

Concord/Manchester, NH, USA

Technical Consultant

Dec 2006–Dec 2012

• Provided technical advice on continuous carbon nanotube growth processes and postprocessing of carbon nanotube fibers and felts
• Built automated autoclave for making carbon nanotube laminates

Atlas Ventures

Waltham, MA, USA

Due Diligence Consultant

Jul 2006–Oct 2009

• Evaluated technical aspects of companies being considered for investment by Atlas Ventures
• Partcipated in deal flow, team, and market assessments
• Reverse engineered materials to provide objective due diligence

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos, NM, USA

Student Research Affiliate, Group DE-2/DE-6/WX-6 (High Explosives Special Projects)

Jan 2007–Sep 2011

• Investigated the synthesis of nanoporous metal foams through self-assembly combustion reaction
• Prepared highest-surface-area monolithic form of Au to date and demonstrated its catalytic properties
• Studied annealed monolithic nickel, palladium, and platinum nanofoams for catalytic activity toward growth of CNTs

MIT Center for Materials Science and Engineering

Cambridge, MA, USA

Research Associate under Prof. Mildred Dresselhaus (co-advised by Prof. Jing Kong)

Aug 2004–May 2007

• Thesis “Engineering Carbon Nanostructures: Development of Novel Aerogel-Nanotube Composites and Optimization Techniques for Nanotube Growth” http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/36216
• Demonstrated first growth of carbon nanotubes using Nb, Ta, Re, and Ir catalysts and first growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes using Au
• Created new class of electrically conductive monolithic high-surface-area mesoporous carbon aerogel/carbon nanotube composites
• Collaborated closely with and was funded by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center

Greenbelt, MD, USA

Research Associate, Goddard Spaceflight Center NASA Academy

Jun 2004–Aug 2004

• Investigated a high-emissivity passive cooling composite based on carbon aerogel microspheres and epoxy towards passively cooling satellites to lower temperatures than previously possible

Chemical Instrumentation Center, University of Wisconsin—Madison

Madison, WI, USA

X-Ray Crystallography Teaching Assistant under Dr. Ilia Guzei

Nov 2003–May 2004

• Created an automated tool to accelerate compilation of an in-house database of department-discovered chemical structures
• Wrote software utilities to process crystal data files
• Solved crystal structures

Zero-Gravity Aerogel Team, University of Wisconsin—Madison

Madison, WI, USA

Principal Investigator and Project Manager

Feb 2001–May 2004

• Performed experiments in zero gravity on seven flights aboard NASA’s KC-135A reduced gravity aircraft towards demonstrating the effects of gravity on the formation of sol–gel-derived nanoarchitectures
• Headed the only team to be accepted to NASA’s Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program four consecutive times
• Raised ~$45,000 over the course of four years through grants and donations
• Developed automated weightless chemical processing system for producing aerogels in zero gravity

Organosilicon Research Center, University of Wisconsin—Madison

Madison, WI, USA

Researcher under Prof. Bob West

Jan 2001–May 2004

• Contributed to the synthesis and characterization the first example of a stable vinylogous beta-diketonate silicon complex
• Investigated a potential pentacoordinated vinylogous beta-diketonate germanium complex
• Synthesized silafluorene derivatives towards use in liquid crystal displays
• Synthesized super-bulky ligands and candidate molecules for facilitating formation of silicon-silicon triple bonds

Publication Statistics

Data as of Mar 2025.

• Total Publications (excluding patents): 31
• Total Citations (excluding patents): 1412
• Patent Families: 13
• Patent Families in Commercial Practice: 12

Research Articles

1. Ashley L. Kaiser, Dale L. Lidston, Sophie C. Peterson, Luiz H. Acauan, Stephen A. Steiner III, Roberto Guzman de Villoria, Amy R. Vanderhout, Itai Y. Stein, Brian L. Wardle: “Substrate adhesion evolves non-monotonically with processing time in millimeter-scale aligned carbon nanotube arrays“. Nanoscale 13 (1), 261–271, Jan 2021. http://doi.org/10.1039/D0NR05469K
2. Pavel Gurikov, Raman Subramanyam P., Justin S. Griffin, Stephen A. Steiner III, Irina Smirnova: “110th Anniversary: Solvent Exchange in the Processing of Biopolymer Aerogels: Current Status and Open Questions“. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research 58 (40) 18590–18600, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.9b02967
3. Akira Kudo, Stephen A. Steiner III, Bernhard C. Bayer, Piran R. Kidambi, Stephan Hofmann, Michael S. Strano, Brian L. Wardle: “Mechanisms of titania nanoparticle mediated growth of turbostratic carbon nanotubes and nanofibers“. Journal of Applied Physics 122 (1), 014301, Jul 2017. http://doi.org/10.1063/1.4990291
4. Jarrod C. Williams, Baochau N.Ngyuen, Linda McCorkle, Daniel Scheiman, Justin S. Griffin, Stephen A. Steiner III, Mary Ann B. Meador: “Highly porous, rigid-rod polyamide aerogels with superior mechanical properties and unusually high thermal conductivity“. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 9 (2) 1801–1809, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b13100
5. Osman Karatum, Stephen A. Steiner III, Justin S. Griffin, Wenbo Shi, Desiree L. Plata: “Flexible, mechanically durable aerogel composites for oil capture and recovery“. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 8 (1) 215–224, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5b08439
6. Noémie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne, Stephen A. Steiner III, Victor J. Cantú, Angela M. Belcher, Paula T. Hammond: “Biotemplated Silica and Silicon Materials as Building Blocks for Micro- to Nanostructures“. Chemistry of Materials 27 (15) 5361–5370, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b01844
7. Stephen A. Steiner III*, Richard Li, and Brian L. Wardle: “Circumventing the Mechanochemical Origins of Strength Loss in the Synthesis of Hierarchical Carbon Fibers“. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 5 (11) 4892–4903, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/am4006385
8. Akira Kudo, Stephen A. Steiner III, Bernhard C. Bayer, Piran R. Kidambi, Stephan Hofmann, Michael S. Strano, Brian L. Wardle: “CVD Growth of Carbon Nanostructures from Zirconia: Mechanisms and a Method for Enhancing Yield“. Journal of the American Chemical Society 136 (51) 17808–17, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja509872y
9. Bernhard C. Bayer, Carla Castellarin-Cudia, Raoul Blume, Stephen A. Steiner III, Catarina Ducati, Daping Chu, Andrea Goldoni, Axel Knop-Gericke, Robert Schloegl, Cinzia Cepek, John Roberston, Stephan Hofmann: “Tantalum-Oxide Catalysed Chemical Vapour Deposition of Single- and Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes“. RSC Advances 3, 4086–4092, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1039/C3RA23304A
10. Bryce C. Tappan, Stephen A. Steiner III*, Erik P. Luther: “Nanoporous Metal Foams“. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 49 (27) 4544–4565, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.200902994
11. Roberto Guzmán de Villoria, Stacy L. Figueredo, Anastasios John Hart, Stephen A. Steiner III, Alexander H. Slocum and Brian L. Wardle: “High-yield growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes on a continuously moving substrate“. Nanotechnology 20 (40) 405611, Oct 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/20/40/405611
12. Stephen A. Steiner III*, Theodore F. Baumann, Bernhard C. Bayer, Raoul Blume, Marcus A. Worsley, Warren J. MoberlyChan, Elisabeth L. Shaw, Robert Schloegl, A. John Hart, Stephan Hofmann, Brian L. Wardle: “Nanoscale Zirconia as a Nonmetallic Catalyst for Graphitization of Carbon and Growth of Single- and Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes“. Journal of the American Chemical Society 131 (34), 12144–12154, 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja902913r
13. Sreekar Bhaviripudi, Stephen A. Steiner III, Ervin Mile, Aurea T. Zare, Mildred S. Dresselhaus, Angela M. Belcher, Jing Kong: “CVD Synthesis of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes from Gold Nanoparticle Catalysts“. Journal of the American Chemical Society 129 (6)  1516–1517, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja0673332
14. Yuxia Liu, Stephen A. Steiner III, Cameron W. Spahn, Ilia A. Guzei, Irina S. Toulokhonova, Robert C. West: “A Stable, Highly Fluorescent Vinylogous Pentacoordinated β-Diketonate Silicon Complex“. Organometallics 26 (6) 1306–1307, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1021/om061163k
15. Stephen A. Steiner III, Theodore F. Baumann, Jing Kong, Joe H. Satcher Jr., Mildred S. Dresselhaus: “Iron-Doped Carbon Aerogels: Novel Porous Substrates for Direct Growth of Carbon Nanotubes“. Langmuir 23 (9) 5161–5166, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1021/la063643m

Books & Book Chapters

• Michel A. Aegerter, Nicholas Leventis, Matthias Koebel, Stephen A. Steiner III (eds.): The Springer Handbook of Aerogels, Springer Nature Switzerland AG (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27322-4
  • Co-editor and major contributing author
  • Flagship text on aerogels
  • Among Springer Nature’s most downloaded titles
• Stephen A. Steiner III*, Alain C. Pierre: The Story of Aerogel. In: Michel A. Aegerter, Nicholas Leventis, Matthias Koebel, Stephen A. Steiner III (eds.): The Springer Handbook of Aerogels, pp. 1–50. Springer Nature Switzerland AG (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27322-4_1
• Justin S. Griffin, Ryan T. Nelson, Pavel Gurikov, Irina Smirnova, Stephen A. Steiner III*: Gel-Phase Processing and Solvent Exchange. In: Michel A. Aegerter, Nicholas Leventis, Matthias Koebel, Stephen A. Steiner III (eds.): The Springer Handbook of Aerogels, pp. 71–92. Springer Nature Switzerland AG (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27322-4_3
• Justin S. Griffin, Massimo F. Bertino, Tyler M. Selden, Sylwia M. Członka, Stephen A. Steiner III*: Freeze Drying. In: Michel A. Aegerter, Nicholas Leventis, Matthias Koebel, Stephen A. Steiner III (eds.): The Springer Handbook of Aerogels, pp. 121–131. Springer Nature Switzerland AG (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27322-4_5
• Stephen A. Steiner III*, Justin S. Griffin, Ryan T. Nelson, Frances I. Hurwitz, Marcus A. Worsley: Postprocessing. In: Michel A. Aegerter, Nicholas Leventis, Matthias Koebel, Stephen A. Steiner III (eds.): The Springer Handbook of Aerogels, pp. 133–147. Springer Nature Switzerland AG (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27322-4_6
• Theodore F. Baumann, Alexander E. Gash, Joe H. Satcher Jr., Nicholas Leventis, Stephen A. Steiner III*: Synthesis of Metal Oxide Aerogels via Epoxide-Assisted Gelation of Metal Salts. In: Michel A. Aegerter, Nicholas Leventis, Matthias Koebel, Stephen A. Steiner III (eds.): The Springer Handbook of Aerogels, pp. 419–435. Springer Nature Switzerland AG (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27322-4_17
• David S. Lashmore, Stephen A. Steiner III*: Direct CVD Synthesis of Carbon Nanotube Aerogels and Textiles. In: Michel A. Aegerter, Nicholas Leventis, Matthias Koebel, Stephen A. Steiner III (eds.): The Springer Handbook of Aerogels, pp. 971–986. Springer Nature Switzerland AG (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27322-4_37
• Richard A. Collins, Shanyu Zhao, Jiaqing Wang, Justin S. Griffin, Stephen A. Steiner III*: The Aerogel Industry. In: Michel A. Aegerter, Nicholas Leventis, Matthias Koebel, Stephen A. Steiner III (eds.): The Springer Handbook of Aerogels, pp. 1583–1640. Springer Nature Switzerland AG (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27322-4_64
• Stephen A. Steiner III*, Ann M. Anderson, Stephanie L. Brock, Moriah C. Buckwalter, Mary K. Carroll, Steve De Pooter, Shannan L. Downey, Alexander Eychmueller, Maximilian Georgi, Justin S. Griffin, Michael D. W. Grogan, Pavel Gurikov, Karl Hiekel, Lawrence W. Hrubesh, Kazuyoshi Kanamori, Barbara Milow, Ryan T. Nelson, A. Venkateswara Rao, Marina Schwan, Karunamuni L. Silva, Marcus Worsley, Shanyu Zhao: Recipes and Designs for Aerogels. In: Michel A. Aegerter, Nicholas Leventis, Matthias Koebel, Stephen A. Steiner III (eds.): The Springer Handbook of Aerogels, pp. 1643­–1728. Springer Nature Switzerland AG (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27322-4_65
• Michel A. Aegerter, Nicholas Leventis, Matthias M. Koebel, Stephen A. Steiner III: Aerogels in the 2020s and Beyond. In: Michel A. Aegerter, Nicholas Leventis, Matthias Koebel, Stephen A. Steiner III (eds.): The Springer Handbook of Aerogels, pp. 1731–1741. Springer Nature Switzerland AG (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27322-4_66
• Stephen A. Steiner III*, Michel A. Aegerter, Matthias M. Koebel, Nicholas Leventis: Glossary of Aerogel Terminology. In: Michel A. Aegerter, Nicholas Leventis, Matthias Koebel, Stephen A. Steiner III (eds.): The Springer Handbook of Aerogels, pp. 1745–1762. Springer Nature Switzerland AG (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27322-4_67
• Stephen A. Steiner III, Michael D. W. Grogan: “Aerogels and Supercritical Drying“, Chapter 4: Chemical Techniques. In: Andrew M. Collins (ed.): Nanotechnology Cookbook, pp. 88–95. Elsevier Science & Technology,  United Kingdom (2012). https://doi.org/10.1016/C2010-0-69558-7

Conference Papers

1. Jingyao Dai, Alisa Webb, Jeonyoon Lee, Kwasi Asamoah-Addo, Justin Griffin, Stephen A. Steiner III, Brian L. Wardle: “Investigation of Void Removal Behavior during Nanoporous Network Enabled Out of Autoclave Manufacturing of Void-free Aerospace-grade Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic Composites“. AIAA SciTech 2024 Forum, AIAA 2024-1219, 2024. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2024-1219
2. Jingyao Dai, Alisa Webb, Jeonyoon Lee, Lauren Randaccio, Justin Griffin, Stephen A. Steiner III, Brian L. Wardle: “Out of Autoclave Manufacturing of Void-free Woven Aerospace-grade Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic Composite Laminates Using Capillary Effects of Aerogel Nanoporous Networks“. AIAA SciTech 2023 Forum, AIAA 2023-0516, 2023. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-0516
3. Alisa Webb, Jingyao Dai, Kwasi Asamoah-Addo, Justin Griffin, Stephen A. Steiner III, Brian L. Wardle: “Fundamental study of nanoporous network (NPN) characteristics enabling out of autoclave manufacturing of aerospace-grade composite laminates“. Twenty-Third International Conference On Composite Materials (ICCM23), Belfast, United Kingdom, Nanocomposites–Session 6, 220, 2023. https://iccm-central.org/Proceedings/ICCM23proceedings/papers/ICCM23_Full_Paper_220.pdf
4. Nathaniel S. Edwards, Kyle A. Nelson, Niklas J. Hinson, Ryan G. Fronk, Stephen Steiner, Adam Visentin, Ryan Nelson, Justin Griffin, Douglas S. McGregor: “Current status of aerogel as a neutron converting material“. 2015 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference (NSS/MIC), San Diego, CA, USA, pp. 1–4, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1109/NSSMIC.2015.7582006

Patents

Reduced to Commercial Practice

• Stephen A. Steiner III, Moriah C. Buckwalter, Justin S. Griffin, Ryan T. Nelson: Articles Comprising a Combination of Polymer Aerogel and Melamine-Formaldehyde Foam and Related Systems and Methods. PCT App. No. WO2023201007, filed Apr 13, 2023. Commercialized by Aerogel Technologies, LLC. https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2023201007
• Stephen A. Steiner III, Moriah C. Buckwalter: Hydrophobic Polymer Aerogels. PCT App. No. WO2023201005, filed Apr 13, 2023. Commercialized by Aerogel Technologies, LLC. https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2023201005
• David G. Pope, James M. Pidhurney, Stephen A. Steiner III, Moriah C. Buckwalter, Ryan T. Nelson: Particulate aerogel material kit for grip enhancement. US Patent No. 11660257; Japanese Patent No. JP7575139B2. PCT App. No. WO2023279074A1, filed Jul 1, 2022. Commercialized by Chalkless, Inc. https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2023279074A1/en
• Stephen A. Steiner III, Ryan T. Nelson, Moriah C. Buckwalter, Justin S. Griffin, Jeffrey Nash: Polymer-Aerogel/Fiber and Polymer-Aerogel/Textile Composites, and Related Systems and Methods. PCT App. No. WO2021072323A1, filed Oct 9, 2020. Commercialized by Aerogel Technologies, LLC. https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2021072323A1/en
• Stephen A. Steiner III, Ryan T. Nelson, Moriah C. Buckwalter, Justin S. Griffin: Hydrophobic Polyimide Aerogels. US Patent No. 12146031. PCT App. No. WO2021072234A1, filed Oct 9, 2020. Commercialized by Aerogel Technologies, LLC. https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2021072234A1/en
• Stephen A. Steiner III, Ryan T. Nelson, Justin S. Griffin: High-Temperature Polymer Aerogel Composites. PCT App. No. WO2020069023A1, filed Sep 25, 2019. Commercialized by Aerogel Technologies, LLC. https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2020069023A1/en
• Stephen A. Steiner, III, Justin S. Griffin, Ryan T. Nelson: Aerogel Materials and Methods for Their Production. PCT App. No. WO2016161123A1, filed Mar 31, 2016. Commercialized by Aerogel Technologies, LLC. https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2016161123A1/en
• Stephen A. Steiner III, Justin S. Griffin, Benjamin H. Wunsch, John N. Schneider: Systems and Methods for Producing Aerogel Material. US Patent Nos. 10563035, 11078346, 11111354; Chinese Patent Nos. CN107709424A, CN107709424B. PCT App. No. WO2016127084A1, filed Feb 5, 2016. Commercialized by Aerogel Technologies, LLC. https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2016127084A1/en
• Stephen A. Steiner III: Layered aerogel composites, related aerogel materials, and methods of manufacture. US Patent App. No. US20140287641A1, filed Mar 15, 2014. Commercialized by Aerogel Technologies, LLC. https://patents.google.com/patent/US20140287641A1/en
• Stephen A. Steiner III: Method for the formation of aerogel precursor using rapid gelation two-step catalysis. US Patent No. 6764667, filed Mar 8, 2002. Commercialized by Aerogel Technologies, LLC. https://patents.google.com/patent/US6764667B1/en

Commercial R&D Stage

• Steve De Pooter, Stephen A. Steiner III, Justin S. Griffin: Vertically integrated manufacturing of silica aerogels from various silica sources. PCT App. No. WO2022117618A1, filed Dec 1, 2021. Assigned to Aerobel BV. https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2022117618A1/en
• Stephen A. Steiner III, Brian L. Wardle: Systems and methods related to the formation of carbon-based nanostructures. US Patent Nos. 10087079, 8257678, 8865109. PCT App. No. WO2011014258A2, filed Jul 30, 2010. Licensed by N12 Technologies, assigned to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2011014258A2/en

Available for License

• Stephen A. Steiner, III, Brian L. Wardle, Richard Li: Systems and methods for growth of nanostructures on substrates, including substrates comprising fibers. US Patent Nos. 10035706, 9540243. PCT App. No. WO2013044053A1, filed Sep 21, 2012. Assigned to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2013044053A1/en

Presentations

• Invited Seminar Speaker, “Aerogels: Engineering Limitless Possibilities Through Nanotechnology“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Materials Seminar, Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Oct 10, 2024.
• Invited Speaker, “Building the Future: Commercialization of Mechanically Strong Aerogels” (presented remotely). Stephen A. Steiner III, Justin S. Griffin, John N. Schneider, Mark F. Schneider: Eighth International Summer School on Aerogels, DLR, Cologne, Germany, Sep 26, 2024.
• Oral Presentation, “One Giant Leap: The Next Stage of Aerogel Technologies“. Stephen A. Steiner III, Justin S. Griffin, David Jaffin, Mark F. Schneider: Seventh International Seminar on Aerogels, Hamburg University of Technology, Harburg, Germany, Sep 19, 2024.
• Oral Presentation, “Up, Up, and Away!: Polyimide Aerogels for eVTOL Battery Thermal Barriers“. Stephen A. Steiner III, Justin S. Griffin, Moriah C. Buckwalter, John C. Schultz,  Kwasi Asamoah-Addo, Matthew Diamond: Seventh International Seminar on Aerogels, Hamburg University of Technology, Harburg, Germany, Sep 19, 2024.
• Invited Seminar Speaker, “Una Introducción a Los Aerogeles” (“Introduction to Aerogels”, presented in Spanish). Stephen A. Steiner III: University of Salamanca at Zamora, Zamora, Spain, Oct. 3, 2023.
• Oral Presentation, “Continuous Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing of Airloy^® Aerogels“. Stephen A. Steiner III, Justin S. Griffin, Ryan T. Nelson, Moriah C. Buckwalter, Kwasi P. Asamoah-Addo, John C. Schultz, Michael Iacono, Andison T. Tran, John N. Schneider, Mark F. Schneider: Second International Conference on Aerogels and Aerogel-Inspired Materials, University of the Basque Country, San Sebastian, Spain, Sep 29, 2023.
• Oral Presentation, “Continuous Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing of Airloy^® Aerogels“. Stephen A. Steiner III, Justin S. Griffin, Ryan T. Nelson, Moriah C. Buckwalter, Kwasi P. Asamoah-Addo, John C. Schultz, Michael Iacono, Omar Shehadi, Andison T. Tran, John N. Schneider, Mark F. Schneider: Sixth International Seminar on Aerogels, Hamburg University of Technology, Harburg, Germany, Sep 29, 2022.
• Invited Speaker, “Commercialization of Mechanically Strong Aerogels: The Science, Engineering, and Marketing Strategy Behind Airloy“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Seventh International Summer School on Aerogels, DLR, Cologne, Germany, Sep 20-23, 2022.
• Invited Speaker, “Commercialization of Mechanically Strong Aerogels: The Science, Engineering, and Marketing Strategy Behind Airloy“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Sixth International Summer School on Aerogels, Virtual Meeting, Sep 16, 2021.
• Plenary Speaker, “The Aerogel Industry: Current Status, Players, and Opportunities“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Fifth International Seminar on Aerogels, Virtual Meeting, Sep 16-18, 2020.
• Oral Presentation, “New Commercial Opportunities for Aerogels: Pilot-Scale Manufacturing of Mechanically Strong Polyimide Aerogel Monoliths and Thin Films“. Stephen A. Steiner III, Justin S. Griffin, Ryan T. Nelson, Moriah C. Buckwalter, John N. Schneider, Mark F. Schneider: First International Conference on Aerogel-Inspired Materials, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, Sep 18, 2019.
• Invited Tutorial Speaker, Aerogel Workshop, modules “Commercialization of Aerogels: Industry Overview and Introduction to Airloy Strong Aerogels” and “Carbon-Based Aerogels: Amorphous Carbon, Nanotube, Graphene, Diamond, and Fullerene“. Stephen A. Steiner III: International Sol-Gel Society Meeting, ITMO University, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, Aug 25, 2019.
• Invited Speaker, “Commercializing Novel Aerogels: Product Development, Market Identification, Financing, Intellectual Property, Facilities, and Legal Considerations“. Stephen A. Steiner III, Justin S. Griffin, Ryan T. Nelson, Moriah C. Buckwalter, John N. Schneider, Mark F. Schneider: Second International Youth Summer School on Aerogels: From Laboratory to Industry, Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Moscow, Russian Federation, Aug 22, 2019.
• Invited Speaker, “Commercializing Novel Aerogels: Product Development, Market Identification, Financing, Intellectual Property, Facilities, and Legal Considerations“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Aerogel Industrialization Roundtable, Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Moscow, Russian Federation, Aug 22, 2019.
• Oral Presentation, “Building the Future: Pilot-Scale Production of Airloy Polyimide Aerogels“. Stephen A. Steiner III, Justin S. Griffin, Ryan T. Nelson, Moriah C. Buckwalter, John N. Schneider, Mark F. Schneider: ACS New England Regional Meeting, Saratoga Springs, NY, USA, Jun 24, 2019.
• Invited Speaker, “Building the Future: Construction of a Pilot Plant for Scaling Airloy”. Stephen A. Steiner III, Justin S. Griffin, Ryan T. Nelson, John N. Schneider, Mark F. Schneider: Fourth International Seminar on Aerogels, Sep 24, 2018.
• Invited Speaker, “Commercialization of Mechanically Strong Aerogels: The Science, Engineering, and Marketing Strategy Behind Airloy“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Fifth International Summer School on Aerogels, DLR, Cologne, Germany, Sep 20, 2018.
• Featured Technology Licensee, “Commercialization of Polyimide Aerogels“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Annual Inventors’ Award Ceremony, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH, USA, Nov 7, 2017.
• Invited Seminar Speaker, “Aerogels as Lightweight, Multifunctional Engineering Materials: Production, Applications, and Opportunities“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA, Sep 13, 2017.
• Invited Conference Speaker, “Commercialization of Mechanically Strong Aerogels: The Science, Engineering, and Marketing Strategy Behind Airloy“. Stephen A. Steiner III: International Sol–Gel Society Conference, Liege, Belgium, Sep 5, 2017.
• Invited Speaker, “Introduction to Aerogel Technologies“. Stephen A. Steiner III: New England Soft Matter Conference, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA, June 16, 2017.
• Oral Presentation, “Commercialization of Mechanically Strong, Multifunctional Monolithic Aerogels: The Science, Engineering, and Marketing Strategy Behind Airloy“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Materials Research Society Spring 2017 Meeting, Aerogels and Aerogel-Inspired Materials, Session NM3, Phoenix, AZ, USA, Apr 20, 2017.
• Oral Presentation, “Monolithic High Li- and B-Content Aerogels: Lithioborates, Lithiosilicates, Lithioborosilicates, and Non-Oxide Lithium Boron, Lithium Boron Carbide, and Lithium Boron Silicon Carbide“. Benjamin H. Wunsch, Adam F. Visentin, Ryan T. Nelson, Justin S. Griffin, John N. Schneider, Stephen A. Steiner III: Materials Research Society Spring 2017 Meeting, Aerogels and Aerogel-Inspired Materials, Session NM3, Phoenix, AZ, USA, Apr 19, 2017.
• Tutorial Organizer and Speaker, Aerogels and Aerogel-Inspired Materials Tutorial, modules “Introduction“, “Metal and Metalloid Oxides“, “Nanocarbons“, “Amine-Derived Polymers“, and “Lightweight Plastics Replacements“, Stephen A. Steiner III: Materials Research Society Spring 2017 Meeting, Aerogels and Aerogel-Inspired Materials, Session NM3, Phoenix, AZ, USA, Apr 17, 2017.
• Oral Presentation, “Commercialization of Mechanically Strong, Multifunctional Monolithic Aerogels: The Science, Engineering, and Marketing Strategy Behind Airloy“, Stephen A. Steiner III: Third International Seminar on Aerogels, Mines ParisTech, Sophia-Antipolis, France, Sep 22, 2016.
• Invited Seminar Speaker, “Aerogels: Lightweight Plastics Replacements for Automotive, Aerospace, and Construction Applications“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA, Apr 21, 2016.
• Invited Speaker, “Introduction to Aerogel Technologies“. Stephen A. Steiner III, Justin S. Griffin, Ryan T. Nelson, John N. Schneider, Mark F. Schneider: BASF Polyurethanes, Lemfoerde, Germany, Feb 5, 2015.
• Invited Seminar Speaker, “Mechanically Strong Aerogels: Lightweight Plastics Replacements for Aviation, Automotive, and Construction Applications“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire—Durham, Durham, NH, USA, Nov 5, 2015.
• Oral Presentation, “Nanostructured Hard-to-Reduce Metals: Building Blocks for Advanced Nanoporous Architectures“. Stephen A. Steiner III, Noemie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne, Victor J. Cantu, Paula T. Hammond, Angela M. Belcher: Materials Research Society Fall 2014 Meeting, Boston, MA, USA, Dec 3, 2014.
• Oral Presentation, “Introduction to Aerogel Technologies“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Second International Seminar on Aerogels, Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg (Hamburg University of Technology), Harburg, Germany, Oct 7, 2014.
• Invited Speaker, “Lithium- and Boron-Rich Aerogels for Next-Generation Neutron Detectors“. Stephen A.
  Steiner III, Benjamin H. Wunsch, Justin S. Griffin, Ryan T. Nelson: Department of Nuclear Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA, Jun 19, 2014.
• Invited Speaker, “Disrupting Plastics: Next-Gen Strong Aerogels That are Ultralight, Machinable, and Superinsulating“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Google [x], Mountain View, CA, USA, Apr 4, 2014.
• Oral Presentation, “High-Surface-Area Carbon Supports Activate Oxide Nanoparticles for Carbon Nanotube Growth“. Stephen A. Steiner III, Akira Kudo, Brian L. Wardle: Materials Research Society Fall 2012 Meeting, Boston, MA, USA, Nov 26, 2012.
• Invited Seminar Speaker, “Ubiquitous Aerogels: How Lightweight, Multifunctional Engineering Materials Will Make the World Lighter, Cleaner, and More Efficient“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA, Nov 2012.
• Invited Seminar Speaker, “Aerogels as Lightweight, Multifunctional Engineering Materials: Production, Applications, and Opportunities“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA, Sep 2012.
• Invited Speaker, “Carbon Fiber: Properties, Manufacture, and Business“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Nanocomp Technologies, Concord, NH, USA, May 2011.
• Oral Presentation, “Engineering the Pore Structure and Mechanical Properties of Catalytically-Active Group-10 Nanoporous Metal Foams“. Stephen A. Steiner III, Bryce C. Tappan, Matthew R. Dirmyer: Materials Research Society Fall 2010 Meeting, Symposium BB, Boston, MA, USA, Nov 29-Dec 3, 2010.
• Oral Presentation,”The Role of Gravity in the Evolution of Sol-Gel-Derived Architectures“. Stephen A. Steiner III, Thomas M. Coffee, Shuonan Dong, Mark F. Schneider, Arya Tafvizi Zavareh, Ben Corbin: Materials Research Society Fall 2010 Meeting, Symposium BB, Boston, MA, USA, Nov 29-Dec 3, 2010.
• Oral Presentation, “Growth of Aligned Carbon Nanotubes on Alumina-Coated Carbon Fibers: Effects on Tensile Strength Assessed at the Single-Fiber Level” (presented remotely). Stephen A. Steiner III, Richard Li, Roberto Guzmán de Villoria, Megan S. Tsai, Brian L.  Wardle: 51st American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials (SDM) Conference, Orlando, FL, USA, Apr 2010.
• Invited Speaker, “Production of High-Strength-to-Weight Ratio Tethers from Carbon Nanotube Yarns and Textiles” Stephen A. Steiner III, Daniel G. Pressl, Lauren P. DeFlores, Brian White, Meghan White, Jenn Mann, Mark Schauer, David S. Lashmore: Japan Space Elevator Conference, Tokyo, Japan, Nov 14, 2008.
• Invited Speaker, “Production of High-Strength-to-Weight Ratio Tethers from Carbon Nanotube Yarns and Textiles” (presented remotely). Stephen A. Steiner III, Daniel G. Pressl, Lauren P. DeFlores, Brian White, Meghan White, Jenn Mann, Mark Schauer, David S. Lashmore: Fourth Space Elevator Conference, Redmond, WA, USA, Jul 19, 2008.
• Oral Presentation, “Direct Growth of Carbon Nanotubes on Metal-Doped Carbon Aerogels:  Novel Composite Materials and a Novel Method for Discovering & Characterizing CVD Growth Catalysts“. Stephen A. Steiner III, Theodore F. Baumann, Joe H. Satcher Jr., Mildred S. Dresselhaus, Jing Kong: Materials Research Society Fall 2006 Meeting, Boston, MA, USA, Dec 1, 2006.
• Seminar Speaker, “Zero-Gravity Aerogel Production: The Effects of Gravity on the Formation of a Sol–Gel-Derived Nanoarchitecture“. Stephen A. Steiner III: Inorganic Seminar, Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Dec 10, 2003. (N.B.: first department seminar delivered by an undergraduate.)

Thesis Committees

• Allen Ma, MS, Tufts University, 2020
• Richard Li, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018
• Ryan T. Nelson, MS, Tufts University, 2014

Conference Organization

• Lead organizer, Aerogels and Aerogel-Inspired Materials Symposium, Fall 2025 Meeting of the Materials Research Society, Boston, Massachusetts (Session SF1, held in conjunction with the Third International Conference on Aerogels and Aerogel-Inspired Materials, Nov 30-Dec 5, 2025). https://www.mrs.org/meetings-events/annual-meetings/2025-mrs-fall-meeting/symposium-sessions/call-for-papers/2025-mrs-fall-meeting/Symposium-SF01-Aerogels-and-Aerogel-Inspired-Materials
• Organizational committee member, Sixth International Seminar on Aerogels, Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg (Sep 28-30, 2022). https://www.aerogel.org/community/6th-international-seminar-on-aerogels-2022
• Steering committee member, Fifth International Seminar on Aerogels, Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg (Virtual Meeting, Sep 16-18, 2020). https://www.aerogel.org/community/fifth-international-seminar-on-aerogels-2020
• Organizational committee member, Fourth International Seminar on Aerogels, Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg (Sep 25-27, 2018). https://www.aerogel.org/community/seminar2018/
• Lead organizer, Aerogels and Aerogel-Inspired Materials Symposium, Spring 2017 Meeting of the Materials Research Society (Session NM3, Phoenix, Arizona, Apr 17-21, 2017). https://www.mrs.org/meetings-events/annual-meetings/archive/meeting/symposium-sessions/call-for-papers/2017-mrs-spring-meeting/Symposium_NM3

Media Appearances

IMDb Page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6300722/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

• Chalkless^® grip enhancer (product for which I served as coinventor and brand architect) featured and secured investment on ABC’s Shark Tank (Season 16, Episode 5: original air date Nov 14, 2024). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34621243/?ref_=ttep_ep_5
• Coproduced and featured in Veritasium’s viral 2019 YouTube video trilogy about aerogels, together receiving over 150 million views to date (as of Mar 2025)
  • “World’s Lightest Solid”: posted May 31, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeJ9q45PfD0
  • “I Waterproofed AND Fireproofed Myself With Aerogel!”: posted Jun 21, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcdB5bFwio4
  • “Not-a-Flamethrower vs. Aerogel”, posted Aug 31, 2019.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnOoDE9rj6w
• Featured on Discovery Science Channel’s How It’s Made in a segment about how aerogels are made (Season 27, Episode 8, #346, “Wood Toys, Retro Toasters, Laboratory Furnaces, Aerogel”: original air date Jul 4, 2016). full clip; see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_How_It’s_Made_episodes
• Featured on Discovery Science Channel’s Outrageous Acts of Science for demonstration of how the superinsulating properties of aerogel can protect a Hershey’s Kiss from a blowtorch (Season 2, Episode 1, “Kings of Carnage”: original air date Feb 1, 2014). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3528840/?ref_=ttep_ep_1; see also https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2857312/characters/nm6300722/?ref_=ttfc_epp_t, and select screenshots
• Featured on Discovery Channel’s Penn and Teller: Tell a Lie in a segment about aerogel, including original demonstration of aerogel protecting a person (me) from a flamethrower (Season 1, Episode 1, “Head of Hair Can Lift a Mustang”: original air date October 5, 2011). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCVw9PSDQRw&list=PLnlMMRTdkawi675blYSFKMAISPML6WuTK&index=2; see also full clip
• Featured on PBS’s NOVA ScienceNOW in a segment about CVD diamond (Season 4, Episode 1, “Diamond Factory”:
  original air date Jun 30, 2009). http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/0401/01.html; see also https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/media/downloads/NSN_Diamond.mp4
• Featured in the BBC/Discovery Science Channel documentary Visions of the Future about carbon nanotubes and the space elevator (Episode 3, “The Quantum Revolution”: original air date Nov 19, 2007). https://archive.org/details/youtube-Eo1kwuCDrfM
• Featured on PBS’s NOVA ScienceNOW in a segment about carbon nanotubes and the space elevator (Season 2, Episode 3, “Aging/Space Elevator/Maya/Profile: Bonnie Bassler”: original air date Jan 9, 2007). http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3401/02.html; see also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Suzm2iwDo
• Featured on National Geographic Today for undergraduate research on aerogel formation in zero gravity (original air date May 8, 2002). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV0mXdjVR0w; see also http://www.zerogaerogel.com/videos.html and full clip

Press

• NASA Technology Transfer Program: “Space-Age Insulator Evolves to Replace Plastic and Save Weight”. NASA Spinoff, 2019. https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2019/t_3.html
• Christopher Sawyer: “Aerogels: Moving from Outer to Inner Space”. Automotive Design & Production, pp. 26-28, Dec 2018. https://adp.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=559629&p=1&pp=1&view=issueViewer#{%22page%22:28,%22issue_id%22:559629,%22numpages%22:%221%22}
• Mark Anderson: “Super Stuff”. Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine, Jun 2018. https://www.airspacemag.com/as-next/super-stuff-180968997/
• Steve Rushin: “Out of this world: Kate Upton defies gravity on G-Force One”. Sports Illustrated, Mar 1, 2014. https://www.si.com/more-sports/2014/03/01/kate-upton-zero-gravity
• Tim Bailey: “Pink Aerogel Heart May Be the Geekiest Valentine’s Day Gift of 2013″. Wired, Feb 2, 2013. https://www.wired.com/2013/02/pink-aerogel-heart/
• Oliver Chiang: “The Science of Super Thin, Ultra Warm”. Forbes, May 20, 2010. https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0607/technology-material-science-aereogels-zeroloft-geese-cooked.html
• Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides: “Making Nanomaterials Better, Faster And More Accessible”. Wired, Sep 18, 2008. https://www.wired.com/2008/09/making-open-sou/
• Stephen A. Steiner III, Brian Wardle: “Tiny Takes Over! Nano-Future Revisited”, Technology Transfer, Saab AB, pp. 34-35, 2007. transfer-2007-4-thespy

Languages

• English (natively)
• Spanish (advanced proficiency)
• Russian (intermediate proficiency)
• Italian (intermediate proficiency)
• German (basic proficiency)

Personal Accomplishments

• Created open-source nanotechnology outreach project Aerogel.org, one of the world’s most-visited websites about aerogels
• Long-distance cycling
  • Completed weeklong (410-500 mi) Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa six times (RAGBRAI 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
• Powerlifting (squat/bench/deadlift: 319/242/275 lbs, age 43)
• Designed and constructed a home-built high-pressure supercritical dryer and invented a patented process for making aerogels at age 17