It requires people who understand how chemical processes behave as they move towards large-scale production. That is why we are incredibly happy to welcome Dr. Tamara L. Church to Rivus as our new Chemical Scale-Up Expert!
Tamara was ready for a new challenge where she could contribute more directly to sustainability. Although flow batteries were a new field for her, she saw a clear match between Rivus’ aqueous organic chemistry and her own expertise.
Originally from Canada, Tamara holds a PhD in organic chemistry from Cornell University and has completed postdoctoral research at both Cornell University and Uppsala University. Her career has since taken her from chemical engineering and carbon-capture research at the University of Sydney and materials chemistry research at Stockholm University to pharmaceutical process chemistry at Cambrex. Altogether, she brings two decades of experience working with chemistry across industry and academia.
At Rivus, Tamara will work to turn laboratory and prototype results into robust processes that can work at industrial scale. It is practical work involving our molecules, synthesis methods and the many details that determine whether a chemical process remains reliable when scaled up.
Moving from the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry to a smaller deep-tech company also means a different working environment. Tamara values the freedom, rapid pace and individual responsibility, as well as the openness of her new colleagues.
Her first month has included lab work, meetings and plenty of hands-on problem-solving. As she put it:
“There is no typical day at Rivus.”
That seems to suit her well. She is happiest in the lab and has quickly immersed herself in the specific chemistry behind our electrolytes.
What has stood out to us is Tamara’s strong drive, her willingness to take ownership and openness in saying what she thinks. Her combination of scientific depth, industrial discipline and motivation to contribute will be highly valuable as we continue developing and scaling our technology.
We are very happy to have you with us, Tamara. Welcome to Rivus!