GROUP NIRE - Key Persons

Joshua MacFie - CEO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Electrical Engineer at Their Research Development Center
Joshua MacFie joined Group NIRE in 2017 as an Electrical Engineer at their Research Development Center. Now acting as the Principal Electronics Engineer, Joshua works with researchers, technicians, and other engineers to write grants, develop solutions, and integrate plans. After a lifetime dedicated to problem-solving in many areas, as well as working on numerous grants and proposals, Joshua knows that a well-integrated and diverse team is needed to accomplish and continue the success of great projects. Every project depends on each individuals' skill sets and determination. Joshua has supported Group NIRE in the ARPA-E NODES and CHARGES programs by continuing previous work, increasing capability, and innovating new solutions. He has also worked with numerous researchers and agencies to develop and write proposals for the EERE, USDA, USAID, ARL, PowerAmerica, and other agencies. Joshua's proposals have been funded to head up projects to "Establish an Independent Testing Facility to Perform Reliability Analysis of WBG Semiconductor Devices" and to "Commercialize a Nanosecond Wide Band Gap Pulser." Throughout his education, Joshua was an IEEE Regional paper winner, a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, a Boe Award Nominee, and a NASA Aerospace Scholar. Joshua is also currently anticipating a pending patent for an energy management system algorithm, developed for the ARPA-E CHARGES program. Joshua MacFie holds a Bachelors in Electrical & Computer Engineering from Texas Tech University where he graduated with honors.

Julie Balderas

Job Titles:
  • Manager of Business Administration
Julie Balderas came to Group NIRE through a temp agency in May of 2012, but it quickly became apparent that she was a perfect fit for the challenging and detailed tasks at Group NIRE. She is an integral part of the team. She manages the staff, oversees all of the bookkeeping, and runs the office. On top of all of that, she is key to making sure all of the pieces are together for the complicated Grants that we receive. She also administers and manages all of the insurance plans for both our commercial policies and employee benefit plans. Julie is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and a member of the National Grants Management Association and Society for Human Resource Management. She is also fluent in American Sign Language.

Sanka Liyanage

Job Titles:
  • Principal Research Control Engineer