ANALYTICAL ANSWERS - Key Persons
Jay R. Powell, is a molecular spectroscopist and general analytical chemist with over 37 years' experience in the field. After getting his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of South Carolina, Dr. Powell served his post-doc at the Biomedical Infrared Spectroscopy center at Battelle's Columbus Laboratories studying protein folding and blood-biomaterial interactions. After Battelle, he spent almost fifteen years at two different infrared instrument companies, ranging from basic instrument software development to customer-specific applications to product management. After leaving, Dr. Powell was a co-founder of a start-up company supplying turn-key laboratories to remote mining operations before joining Analytical Answers.
John Buono got an early start in both of his passions: taking things apart and fixing them; and photography thanks to his father, a member of the design engineering team working for Edwin Land at Polaroid. Most weekends, John got to take hundreds of photographs and watch the post mortems on dead cameras. This inspired John to obtain a BS in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry. After several years of traveling around North America as a crisis application problem solver for a large instrument manufacturer, John joined a private research company performing analytical testing for both the air force and private companies.
When the opportunity presented itself, John founded Analytical Answers, Inc. (AAI) to use his analytical skills, his knowledge of analytical instruments, his experience in problem solving, and his passion for photography to solve real world materials problems. He named the company Analytical Answers to reflect that it is a group of analytical scientists and engineers who like to tackle and solve materials and product problems as well as answer challenging material questions.
Analytical Answers' scientists are a cross between the Sherlock Holmes of old and modern day CSI's. While AAI does perform forensic analyses, we specialize in material forensics. Sherlock Holmes favorite line begins with "it's elementary … "If Holmes were alive today he would say "It's elementary, chemical and/or physical" … and he would be consulting at Analytical Answers.
John has built AAI to bridge the gap between testing labs producing data and consultants producing solutions. We use questions, material forensics, controlled sampling, customized analytical testing, data analysis, and deduction to solve challenging questions ranging from failed medical devices, consumer products and aerospace components to fraudulent products and credit cards.
While answering questions and solving problems for clients worldwide, John has the enviable luxury of indulging his passions for taking things apart and capturing the world and now, the micro and nano worlds in pictures.