Rob Nunley is the Pilot Plant Manager for the Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research & Innovation Center, Inc. (MATRIC). Rob joined MATRIC in 2013 and has overseen the development and growth of MATRIC’s pilot plant facilities from their early beginnings through the expansion of technology and infrastructure capabilities. His organization of engineers, project managers, and team of operations and instrument / electrical technicians operate a modern pilot plant facility with state-of-the-art technologies. Rob also serves as a primary customer interface for pilot plant programs and serves on the company’s Business Development Team.
Rob began his career with Union Carbide’s process engineering department in 1992 at the company’s R&D Headquarters in South Charleston, WV. While working for Union Carbide, Rob worked on a variety of projects from small retrofits for local plants, to major expansions, and conceptual design of large, multi-billion-dollar chemical complexes. One if the most rewarding and interesting times in his UCC career was in working with the new chemicals group in process engineering. During this time, Rob worked closely with a large R&D team working on process development and assisting with guidance on the experimental program toward commercially viable processes.
After the Dow acquisition of Union Carbide, Rob moved to a hydroxyethyl cellulose manufacturing facility in nearby Institute, WV in 2002. Rob started as a process improvement engineer managing small projects and eventually managing the plant’s technology development plan, managing an expansion project and new product introduction, and coordinating the plant’s capital program. During the latter part of his stay in Institute, Rob moved into a production engineering and production coordinator role organizing daily activities and working with supply chain for production planning.
Rob has a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester and an MS in Engineering Science from Marshall University.