Advanced Image Science

Stanley J. Speelman - President and CEO

Mr. Speelman is an entrepreneurial executive with more than 30 years of experience in advanced technology development and commercialization.  Before founding AIS, he was a private investor and the president and CEO of Phaethon Communications, Inc., a developer of advanced components that allow high speed and high bandwidth optical data transmission.  Mr. Speelman spent nearly 10 years at KLA-Tencor Corporation, the world’s leading supplier of inspection and yield management systems to the semiconductor industry.  At KLA-Tencor, he was the vice president responsible for the merger process that followed the purchase of Amray Corporation, a leading supplier of electron microscopes, vice president and general manager of the Customer Services Division, group vice president of Manufacturing, and the acting vice president and general manager of the Wisard Division.  Mr. Speelman also served as the corporate director of Manufacturing at Finnigan Instruments Corporation, in the analytical instrumentation industry and held various engineering and management positions in the medical life support and medical imaging businesses, including positions with Varian Associates and Cordis-Dow Corporation.  He has BS degree in electrical engineering from San José State University and has completed numerous advanced executive education programs at Stanford University.

Fred Babian, PhD. - Vice President, Research and Engineering

Dr. Babian brings over 25 years of experience successfully developing new technologies for advanced imaging and for several other areas.  He has developed numerous algorithms effecting semiconductor defect detection, semiconductor wafer alignment, noise reduction, and control system operation, among other key developments.  He is a talented electronics and software designer and manager.  Dr. Babian was instrumental in the development of the first automated defect analysis software system, which greatly improved semiconductor industry statistical process control.  He holds several patents in this area and was instrumental in the success of KLA-Tencor.  Before founding AIS, Dr. Babian was responsible for developing the Phaethon Communications, Inc. Polarization Mode Compensation System and developed its Fiber Bragg Grating writing system.  He has a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Christian Brothers University, an MBA degree from the University of Santa Clara, and a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.

Philip N. Cardman - Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary 

Before founding AIS, Mr. Cardman served as the vice president, general counsel, and secretary of Phaethon Communications, Inc. and Advanced Telecommunications Group, Inc.  He is a lawyer with 30 years of expertise in corporate and commercial law and international and intellectual property matters.  Mr. Cardman is a director or advisory director of several startup ventures, and a principal of Winterhawk Media LLC, and a director of Inpro IP Services.  Previously, he served as the vice president, general counsel and secretary for Objective Systems Integrators, makers of network management software.  Mr. Cardman was also the vice president of business development, general counsel and secretary for Convex Computer Corporation, makers of supercomputers.  He spent eight years at Tandem Computers, including three and one-half years in London, and five years at Itel Corporation.  Mr. Cardman began his career in private law practice at Pettit & Martin in San Francisco.  He has a BA degree from Washington University and a JD degree from Duke University.

Venkata R. Griddalur – Director Software Development

Mr. Griddalur is a software development manager with extensive success directing the development of complex imaging and other software systems in a wide range of industries including: medical device, semiconductor equipment and network infrastructure.  He is the founder of CraniaTech, Inc, and co-founder of Effiigent, Inc.: software service companies.  He has held a wide range of software management and development positions including: project manager, program manager, senior architect and global productivity analyst.  At Philips Medical Systems Mr. Griddalur was responsible for working with customers to define requirements for the Philips remote access radiology image management system.  He spent much of his career at KLA-Tencor Corporation, directing software programs supporting a wide range of advanced imaging systems for high resolution, ultra-high speed semiconductor inspection applications.  This business has grown to over $2.5 billion per year in sales.  As the systems integration manager at KLA-Tencor, he was responsible for products generating more that $600 million per year in revenue.  He has extensive experience with the FDA required software development process requirements, including Capability Maturity Model (CMM) and Product Life Cycle.  Mr. Griddalur’s team was the first in semiconductor equipment industry to achieve CMM level II control.  He has a BS degree in industrial engineering from Mangalore University and MS in computer science from Jackson State University.

Paul N. Burns – Vice President, Operations

Mr. Burns is a successful entrepreneur, with more than 20 years of experience providing design services and design-for-manufacturability expertise for a broad range of electronic designs, including consumer, industrial, medical, and military designs.  He co-founded Fine Line Printed Circuit Design, Inc., which was acquired by Flextronics International, Ltd.  Mr. Burns served as Flextronics’ director of PCB Design Service.  He also co-founded Electronics Design for Excellence (eDFX) and directed programs in the areas of design for manufacturability and design for test.  eDFX was acquired by TES Electronics Solutions GmbH.