AIME Staff

Dr. Dan Daly ---Dr. Rachel Frazier --- Dr. Scott Spear
Whitney Mims Swatloski --- Renae Sullivan

Dr. Dan Daly received B.S. in Chemistry and Psychology from Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. Hewent on to receive a Ph.D. in Physical-Organic Chemistry from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. He did two post-doctoral studies at The University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida and Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon in computer-assisted molecular design. Dr. Daly is currently the Director of the Alabama Innovation and Mentoring of Entrepreneurs Center. He has 17 years of experience in the fuel and lubricant businesses were he served as Technology and Business Development Manager. He has led the development of several commercially successful projects and has managed and coordinated fundamental programs at several universities and national laboratories. Dr. Daly has won several awards for this work including: Nortech Top 50 Industrial Innovation Award for Northeast Ohio; Recipient, R&D Magazine Top 100 Industrial Innovation Awards Recipient; and ACS Environmental Industrial Innovation Award.

Director, AIME
105 AIME Building
Telephone: 348-3502
Email: dandaly@ua.edu

Dr. Rachel Frazier received a B.S. in Physics from the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL in 2001. She received both a M.S. (2003) and a Ph.D. (2005) in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida. From 2005-2007 she was an American Society of Engineering Education postdoctoral fellow at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. Her main research focus has been in the area of compound semiconductors, specifically the growth and characterization of Group III-Nitride semiconductors including dilute magnetic semiconductors and their device applications and bulk crystal growth development. She is currently a research engineer at the Alabama Institute of Manufacturing Excellence.

Research Engineer
225 AIME Building
Telephone: 348-3502
Email: rmfrazier@bama.ua.edu

Dr. Scott Spear is a Research Scientist at the Alabama Institute for Manufacturing Excellence. He received an A.A. degree from Pensacola Junior College followed by a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida. He went on to receive a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. In 1999, Scott held a Postdoctoral Research Assistant position at The University of Alabama. He served as Staff Scientist in the Center for Green Manufacturing at The University of Alabama from 2000 to 2005. His research interests are in the area of Green Separation Science and Technology and include bio-renewable materials, room temperature ionic liquids, aqueous biphasic separations, alternative solvents, bioseparations, biomass utilization, environmental applications, and sensors. Scott has been a member of the AIME staff since 2005.

Research Engineer
224 AIME Building
Telephone: 348-0464
Email: sspear@bama.ua.edu

Mrs. Whitney Mims Swatloski is the Innovation Coordinator for AIME. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. As an undergraduate, her research interests included Autism Spectrum Disorders and other neurological impairments. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Advertising and Public Relations. Whitney is a member of the AIME Triage Team where she and other members assist UA inventors seeking patent protection for their inventions or discoveries. She is a former member and instructor of The University of Alabama Million Dollar Band Color Guard and is the current instructor of the Brookwood High School Color Guard in Tuscaloosa. Whitney has been with AIME as a student worker since August 2005 and as a staff member since September 2006.

Innovation Coordinator
100 AIME Building
Telephone: 348-3500
Email: wmswatloski@ua.edu

Mrs. Renae Sullivan is the Administrative Specialist for the Alabama Institute for Manufacturing Excellence. She came to The University of Alabama in 2004 bringing 15 years experience in medical insurance operations with her. She was employed by Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Eastern Washington where she led the national account operational teams to high levels of performance in claim processing and customer service. This was not only recognized on a company level but within the national BCBS network. Renae spent her first two years at The University of Alabama as the Administrative Secretary for the Alabama Productivity Center. She assisted with the administration of the Alabama Quality Award and worked with The Alliance for Performance Excellence in creating online surveys for implementation by state quality programs. Renae has been a member of AIME’s staff since July 2006.

Administrative Specialist
106 AIME Building
Telephone: 348-7737
Email: rsulliva@bama.ua.edu