Our Team
Dr. Yanhai Du
Scientific Advisor and Co-Founder
Dr. Yanhai Du, Professor at Kent State University, is Cofounder and Scientific Advisor of Yanhai Power. As a material scientist and a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) expert, Dr. Du leads multiple federal and state funded projects. He has over 20 years of extensive R&D and manufacturing experience in SOFC technology and ceramics product development. He has been passionate about fuel cells his entire life and continues to work on several key technology areas, such as power density, cost, and sulfur resistance, as these are the remaining obstacles preventing the fuel cell industry from rapidly emerging as a successor to conventional power sources.
Given Dr. Du’s reputation as a leading researcher in SOFC technology, he has earned several prestigious accolades, including being invited as a panelist for grant proposal reviews for the National Science Foundation and European Union Commission and as an ad-hoc reviewer for over 30 international journals, including the journal “Nature”.
Before joining Kent State University, Dr. Du was a Research Professor at the University of South Carolina, where he led two federal projects to develop portable SOFC power systems using propane and JP-8. Dr. Du played a key role in the development of micro-tubular SOFC technology and was the first to transfer this technology from the laboratory to mass production in 2000. Dr. Du also served as the Director of Fuel Cell Development at NanoDynamics, a private company focused on SOFCs and nano-materials commercialization. In addition, Dr. has authored over 140 technical publications, including more than 40 journal articles, 5 book and chapters and 11 patents (and applications), in key areas of SOFC design, material, fabrication, characterization, desulfurization, and operation. Dr. Du got his both PhD in Material Science and his MS in Material Engineering from The University of Waikato, and his BS in Material Science from Xi’an University of Architecture & Technology. Dr. Du is a featured Google Scholar and a recipient of the Kent State’s prestigious President’s Faculty Excellence Award.
Mr. Tyler Tatum
Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder
Mr. Tyler Tatum has over 20 years of experience in technology focused start-up ventures, including 15 years in a management / leadership role. Tyler is passionate about fuel cells due to his interest in sustainable energy solutions. Tyler’s core strength is his ability to turn customer needs into marketable products by facilitating communication between business leaders, current and prospective customers and technology developers. As a partner at Ripple Management, Tyler focuses on start-up formation and operations, as well as funding strategies, such as small business innovative research (SBIR) funding. He has assisted companies raise over $20 million primarily through SBIR/STTR funding. As CEO of his previous company, Brainlike, Tyler raised over $4 million in research and development funds from the military primarily through the SBIR program. Tyler holds a B.S. in computer science from Cornell University.