Meet Our Environmental Team

Joel leads the worldwide Environmental sales and marketing team, bringing a twenty year background in metrology, commercial leadership, and team building to Picarro. He loves working with his customers, and seeing the amazing science they are able to discover with Picarro instrumentation. Joel's experience includes over a decade in sales and management at Danaher/Fortive (through Tektronix subsidiary). He has a strong technical background, and before his commercial roles he worked as an analog/RF design engineer.  When not working, he enjoys running and hiking, and is always looking for new running routes when he’s traveling. Joel earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and his MBA in Organizational Leadership from Towson University.

Saeid grew up in Tehran, Iran, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering. After that, he worked as a project and executive manager in Iran for six years. Then he decided to go to Germany and study Environmental Physics. Saeid’s PhD project, which was related to monitoring water vapour isotopes, allowed him to go to Antarctica 3 times (The best part of the science for me). He worked with a Picarro analyzer (installed in Antarctica) for around four years (observation, analysis, calibration, and maintenance).
Saeid has been a fan of Juventus since he was 8! He generally loves soccer in every way; watching, playing on a field, and of course, PES (recently FIFA). He is also into playing volleyball. What else? He likes novels; let him know if you know a good one. And as a suggestion, read "The Midnight Library by Matt Haig". You will enjoy it.

Karsten brings a wealth of experience in atmospheric research to Picarro and helps represent our company in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, close to the research labs of the EPA. He graduated in mechanical engineering from the University of Stuttgart investigating ozone deposition onto forests and its ecosystem impacts, motivated by the large-scale forest decline observed in Central Europe during the 1980s and 90s. He did his Post-Doc with the NOAA Aeronomy Lab and NCAR in Boulder, Colorado, fell in love with the “American way of life”, and ended up building his research career here. His photochemical research more and more focused on multiphase chemical processes surrounding atmospheric aerosols and their impacts on climate, the environment and human health. At Picarro, Karsten focuses on the accurate measurement of formaldehyde, ethylene oxide and other important VOCs. Aside from work and family, he engages in community outreach and development such as founding a community garden, coaching soccer, and serving in a committee advising the Town Council of ways to develop and grow sustainably. 

A love for the outdoors and a concern about climate change brought Jonathan to climate science in the early 2000s. He studied anthropology and earth science at Columbia before focusing on biogeochemistry at Scripps Institution of Oceanography for his dissertation. His expertise lies in airborne GHG measurements and the carbon cycle, including the measurement of atmospheric oxygen as a constraint on oceanic processes. Jonathan splits his work time between his home in Washington; headquarters in Santa Clara, CA; and remote installs, where he supports and trains new customers. Ask Jonathan about birds. He knows a thing or two. 

Joyeeta is an Application Scientist at Picarro. She earned her Ph.D. in Earth Science from Rice University, Houston TX, and was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy, OU Norman, before joining Picarro. She brings research expertise in paleoclimate science and the utility of isotope geochemistry in addressing various earth and environmental science problems, including understanding global carbon cycle perturbations of the past and the present. When outside regular scientific works, she loves traveling and travel photography. She is also an enthusiast in different cuisines, coffee, and cocoa.

Jason Boothe has over 25 years of Environmental experience in the upstream, midstream, and downstream/chemicals sectors of the energy industry in program leadership and as a senior technical individual contributor. Jason joined Picarro in July 2022 and is responsible for client engagement and regulatory assessment in the Environmental Systems business. His experience offers a unique understanding of the need for an operation’s flexibility, accuracy, and repeatable demonstration of compliance founded in years of in-facility experience, program development and oversight, and accountable leadership. Jason is a graduate of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and in his free time enjoys spending time with his family, doing ranch work, fishing, and barbecuing out by the pool.

Kate manages scientific instrument sales in the southeastern US (Texas to Washington DC). She has a background in air quality measurements and instrument technical sales. She holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Atmospheric Science from Georgia Institute in Technology and a BS in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. Before joining Picarro, she lived in Port au Prince, Haiti, for three years working in orphan care and prevention. She continues to be passionate about empowering children and underserved people groups.

Dan is an Application Engineer at Picarro. He is a reformed geologist who recently completed a M.S. in Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley where he studied fugitive urban methane emissions. Prior to Cal he investigated pollution released in the subsurface as environmental consulting geologist. When he is not tracking down pollution in the environment, he is laying down tracks on the ski slopes and on the mountain bike trails.

Graduated from Polytech'Lille, France in 2012 with a Master Degree in "Scientific Instrumentation and Technical Sales" with dual competences in Science (mainly Optics & Electronics) and Business. Alexandre studied in France, Sweden ( Linköping) and the U.K. (Northampton) where he had the chance to learn new ways of living, studying & working. Previously, Alexandre worked as Overseas Sales Representative in the Surface Metrology market selling 3D Profilometers. For 10 years, he have built a worldwide distributor & partner network and opened new markets: Heritage (museums, libraries), Space and Semiconductor. Alexandre is very curious about discovering new people, cultures and deepening his knowledge in science and general knowledge. Living along Lake Geneva, Switzerland, he enjoys swimming, hiking in the Alps as well as skiing but most of all, he love playing golf.

Sanjana is a Marketing Communications Specialist at Picarro. She wears different hats while working on Marcom deliverables. Sanjana has experience in advertising, branding, public relations, coordinating events, social media and on product launches. Creating marketing strategies for tech excite her. She is always up for a challenge to solve a problem and likes learning new marketing tools. While not working, you can find her on a beach or planning her next road trip. 

Thomas Gottschalk is no stranger to the Environmental community serving as Sales Director overseeing the Asia Pacific region. He spent over 2 decades in the scientific instruments industry in various sales as well as marketing roles at Picarro as well as Agilent and Varian. He enjoys traveling to new places and exploring them wearing his running shoes.

Siqin is the Product Manager of greenhouse gas (GHG) analyzers.  She joins Picarro with 7 years of industrial experience in pollution control and monitoring analyzers, as well as over 15 years of research expertise in air quality instrumentation and measurements through her BS in Environmental Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University, PhD in Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and postdoc with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University of Minnesota.  Her passion for instrumentation extends to DIY projects at home when she’s not working with Picarro analyzers.  When she’s not entangled with instruments, she likes to spend time reading and kayaking.

Erik is a Senior Sales Manager on the EMEA sales team, responsible for sales in several European countries, Middle East and Africa. He holds a bachelors degree in Analytical Chemistry and has a long experience in the sale of analytical instrumentation, having worked in the analytical sales field for over 20 years. We recently named him our official beer sommelier. Cheers!

Tina Hemenway comes to Picarro by way of Thermo Fisher Scientific and Natera Inc. She earned her PhD in Analytical Chemistry, specializing in mass spectrometry, from the University of New Mexico. In her spare time, she enjoys puzzles, crafts and hiking.

Magdalena has a passion for science and technology as evidenced by over a decade of research experience focused around stable isotope analysis, primarily of greenhouse gases. A geochemist by training, Magdalena obtained a PhD from the University of Göttingen, Germany, and a PostDoc at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Besides her strong interest in natural sciences, she has a bachelor’s degree in international economics from the University of Göttingen. In her free time Magdalena loves making music and can relax best when watching the plants grow in her organic vegetable garden.  

Sara juggles every sort of Marcom project imaginable, but her love for graphic design is what showcases her talents. When she's not creating collateral and web design elements, she can be found executing email campaigns, supporting trade shows, and managing myriad external agencies and vendors. If you ask nicely, Sara might just hook you up with some Picarro swag!

With a doctorate in volcanic geochemistry from McGill University, Gregor was one of the first to deploy a Picarro analyzer on top of an active volcano; a study that improved our understanding of volcanic triggers and eruption forecasting. He brings his curiosity of the geophysical to Picarro, where he worked as an Application Scientist before assuming the role of a Senior Lead Product Manager. When he’s not supporting existing customers, researching new applications and developing products, you can find him on the factory floor experimenting with his favorite analyzers. In his spare time he likes to rock climb, surf, hike, play volleyball and wonder why he never became a photographer for National Geographic.  

Brad is the Director of the Global Customer Support.  Brad has ‘many’ years experience working his way up the ladder in Customer Service, Field Service, Technical support and then in Management positions.  He leads a team of Support Engineers responsible for ensuring Picarro maintains its Customer Focus to keep us at the top in terms of Customer Satisfaction. On off hours and weekends he enjoys reading, watching old movies, spending time with family (Especially the Grandkids!)

Milos is the Associate Director of Sales for the Americas. He is an accomplished scientist with research experiences in atmospheric sciences and air quality from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the University of Toronto. He holds a PhD in Environmental Analytical Chemistry from the University of Toronto, and HBSc in Analytical Chemistry from York University in Toronto. In his free time, Milos enjoys playing squash, hiking, and skiing. 

Monica is a teller of stories, a planner of projects, and a lover of nature. Whether she’s developing a blog, press release, ad, or multi-faceted promotional campaign, she thrives on orchestrating just the right combination of words, images, vehicles, people and platforms to deliver a story that sells. She’s thrilled to combine her passions and 20+ years of marcom experience with her work at Picarro. 

Kate joined Picarro in 2019 and is responsible for sales in the western half of the US and Latin America. Kate holds a BA in French, German and International Business and has a 25+ year history of technical sales of which 15+ were in the semiconductor world. Originally from England, Kate lived in France for many years and is a polyglot. When not at work, Kate is the Executive Director for the national volunteer group Onebrick.org, rows and coaches for Los Gatos Rowing Club, and is a member of Umunhum Brewing, California’s first coop- brewery!

Dave Miller supports Picarro as a Director within the Environmental function with a strong focus on growing the application of our hazardous air pollutant analyzers. He has a diverse background with various regulatory and project management roles including the installation and operation of emissions controls, process, continuous, and fence-line monitoring. His previous experience also includes managing environmental regulatory and ISO 14001 programs, public water and wastewater infrastructure project management, and legislative affairs work. In his free time, Dave enjoys traveling to new places with his family and friends, piloting a single engine Piper aircraft, and fishing.

Tania posesses a Masters degree in Engineering. She spent the first part of her Silicon Valley career in the chip industry and then at Google before landing at a promising optical company, Picarro. As one of the first employees, she has been spearheading the scaling of all the customer interface functions including SBIR contracts administration, customer support, indirect channels and sales operations, implementing not one but two CRMs. That’s a life-time right there! In her free time Tania is an avid hiker, runner and skier, making the most of the California weather and scenery.

Arthur works as our Associate Manager, Customer Support and is based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. 
He likes to work on non-standard setups and conditions where our systems are used. 

He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering and additionally is a certified teacher holding a Bachelor of Education. 

Before joining Picarro he worked as Senior Field Service Specialist for one of the leading companies in the field of molecular diagnostics. 
In his free time, he enjoys swimming, cycling and hiking in the Austrian Alps.

Jake is the Director of Marketing Communications for Picarro's Environmental vertical and comes to Picarro with an 18 year background in B2B marketing. Jake is known for having developed successful strategies that have increased brand awareness and delivered growth to companies serving in the aerospace and defense, industrial, R&D, telecom and agricultural markets. He has a passion for developing creative strategies that connect customer needs with the products, services and support they need to solve their challenges. Jake loves camping outdoors with his family and is happy to be working for a company that cares about climate change mitigation.

Born and raised in Eindhoven, studied Human Electrical Engineering in Eindhoven. For over a decade experience in customer support. The practical aspect of troubleshooting and repairing the system is also a favorite part of the job. In my free time I love to spend time with my wife and two sons. I have a special interest in the WW2 history of my region.

Ruthger was trained as molecular biologist/geneticist at the University of Groningen, Netherlands before coming to Lausanne, Switzerland at the University of Lausanne to complete a doctorate on gene/cell therapy in 2011. After his PhD he served as Senior Researcher and later CSO at a cancer stem cell start-up called Stemergie where he was responsible for the scientific program and helped the fund raising. In 2016 he started as Sales Manager and later as Sales Director at Amphasys, a company specialised in impedance flow cytometry where he made contributions to the positioning of the technology and further built the market and sales team.

Jessica is an application engineer of Picarro, based in Shanghai and responsible for applications in Greater China. Jessica graduated with a master's degree from Shanghai Normal University. After graduation, she joined Thermofisher and engaged in application and marketing related work in molecular spectroscopy department for more than 3 years. She is positioned to solve problems for clients and provide feasible applications. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling and cooking; although, sometimes she receives complaints that the food she cooks is not so delicious.

After being trained in Interdisciplinary path of Environmental Sciences, Jan followed his broad interests through a multifaceted career in marketing research, training, programming, sound in film production, and artistic education. Jan discovered his new calling a few years ago when his environmental background met his technological affinity in supporting a local Picarro dealership and its users base. Passionate about building electronic devices and performing music, he is the man who will help you connect your out of the box ideas with our instruments singingly. Jan will assist you in choosing, using, and properly maintaining your Picarro analyzers, be it in the field or laboratory. Experienced in maintaining and troubleshooting the most complicated analytical setups, he is always positive, forthcoming, and eager to help.

Xiaojing Zhang is the China Sales Director for Greater China, at Picarro, where she oversees Sales and Business Development in China.  Prior to Picarro, Xiaojing held various roles in product management & marketing, applications, business development and sales at Thermo Fisher, Agilent and Varian. Xiaojing received her M.S. in NMR/MRI from East China Normal University, Shanghai, and a B.S. in Chemistry from SooChow University, Suzhou, China. In her spare time she likes to travel internationally, taking in the sites, arts and food from around the world.

Ally is a Customer Technical Support Engineer at Picarro. She holds a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering with her research focused on High-precision Instrument Measurement related technologies. Prior to Picarro, Ally worked in several IT companies with multiple roles, including system engineering development,  technical support, and product management. In her spare time, Ally loves gardening, cooking and traveling with her family.

As the technical leader, worked in ThermoFisher Scientific and Palas instrument successively, taking full charge of the environmental monitoring technical support work, familiar with the operation mode of environmental monitoring business, regulations and management requirements. At the same time, as a part-time sales partner, long-term in-depth into the front line of end user and dealer, develop new marketing and application, expand sales opportunities, and maintain good relationship. During these work, supported and completed more than 1000 projects.