Management Team
Meet Our Team
Neocera Magma is led by a seasoned management team with extensive experience in the semiconductor industry and deep knowledge of thin film deposition technologies that underlay Neocera Magma's product offerings.
Dr Venky Venkatesan
Title: Chairman and CEO
Dr. T. Venkatesan is a globally recognized scientist and entrepreneur, best known for inventing the Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) process at Bell Labs/Bellcore.
In 1989, he founded Neocera to commercialize PLD technology and later expanded the company's innovations by licensing magnetic imaging technology from the University of Maryland, integrating it into Neocera’s product portfolio.
He also founded the Surface Modification Center at Rutgers University and spent 17 years as a scientist and manager at Bell Labs/Bellcore. This was followed by another 17 years as Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Physics at the University of Maryland’s Center for Superconductivity Research.
Since 2008, Dr. Venkatesan has served as Director of the Nano Institute at the National University of Singapore. A prolific researcher, he has authored over 650 scientific publications, holds 30 patents, and has been cited more than 34,000 times, with an h-index of 95, making him one of the most influential voices in the fields of oxides and interface science.
Nesco Lettsome Jr.
Title: Chief Operating Officer
Nesco Lettsome brings a unique blend of technical expertise, hands-on innovation, and healthcare experience to his role as Director of Operations at Neocera Magma, LLC. With a career that spans respiratory care, engineering, and R&D, he has played an integral role in the development and evolution of Neocera Magma’s magnetic sensor technologies for over two decades.
His engineering journey began at the University of Maryland’s Clark School of Engineering and quickly transitioned into applied research through Neocera, where he partnered with leading scientists on magnetic imaging technologies used in semiconductor failure analysis and government-funded R&D projects.
Nesco is a named inventor on multiple U.S. and international patents and co-author of several peer-reviewed publications in advanced imaging and sensor development. In addition to his work at Neocera Magma, he continues to serve the community as Assistant Director of the Beltsville Adventist Community Center.
Jerry Weinberg
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Jerry Weinberg serves as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer at Neocera, where he oversees the full spectrum of financial operations. His responsibilities include day-to-day accounting, financial reporting, forecasting and budgeting, investor reporting, cash flow management, audits, tax compliance, and financial planning and analysis (FP&A). He also manages employee benefits, including payroll and 401(k) administration.
With over 25 years of financial leadership across a wide range of industries, Jerry brings deep expertise in strategic growth and operational efficiency. Before joining Neocera, he was CFO at Communications Engineering, Inc., a broadcast and multimedia company, where he played a key role in expanding the business, growing annual revenue from $25 million to $40 million.
Previously, he served as Chief Financial Officer at Professional Products, Inc., a systems integration firm. There, he led the company’s digital transformation and implemented a sales incentive program that helped boost annual revenue from $30 million to $50 million.
Jerry holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) from American University in Washington, D.C., and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Solomon Saul
Title: Chief Sales Officer
After completing five years of distinguished service in the Israel Defense Forces, Solomon was
honorably discharged and began a new chapter in technology innovation.
In 1980, he joined a pioneering team responsible for developing the first Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
(UAVs)—laying the groundwork for advancements in autonomous systems.
With over 35 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, Solomon has focused
extensively on Failure Analysis (FA) and FA equipment, contributing to the evolution of tools
and technologies used to identify and resolve defects in advanced semiconductor devices.
Today Solomon is focused on Sales and the Business aspects of Neocera Magma LLC.
Fred Cawthorne
Title: Vice President of Research and Engineering
Dr. Cawthorne earned his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Maryland, where his research focused on the design, measurement, and modeling of superconducting devices. He continued his academic work as a postdoctoral associate and research scientist, contributing to experimental models of Earth’s outer core.
Following his academic research, Dr. Cawthorne joined Neocera, Inc., where he served as the
Director of Engineering and Product Development. In this role, he led a multidisciplinary team
of electrical, mechanical, and software engineers, designing analog and digital electronics and
writing software for a wide range of advanced technologies. He has extensive experience in
microcontrollers and embedded systems, FPGA development, low-noise electronics, data
acquisition, and control systems. Leveraging this experience, he enjoys applying these
technologies to the development of advanced systems such as Neocera Magma’s Scanning
SQUID microscope.
In 2006, Dr. Cawthorne joined Trevecca Nazarene University and has served as Chair of the
Department of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics since 2011. He is a dedicated educator
with over 20 peer-reviewed publications and is a co-inventor on several patents. His extensive
experience in both academia and industry informs his dynamic, hands-on approach to teaching
and mentoring students. At Trevecca, Dr. Cawthorne is committed to providing students with
access to cutting-edge equipment and real-world problem-solving opportunities. Neocera
Magma supports two SQUID microscope systems in his lab which are used to develop the next
generation of capabilities for the company’s products and provide students with real-world,
hands-on experience.
From 2006 to the present, Dr. Cawthorne has continued to contribute to engineering and product
development at Neocera, and has designed and updated the control electronics and software for
multiple product lines. He currently serves as the vice president for research and engineering at
Neocera Magma. LLC where he is responsible for the engineering and development of the
Magma scanning SQUID microscope. Leveraging his advanced scientific, engineering and
R&D experience, he continues to design and implement electronics, hardware and software for
the company. In addition, he provides engineering support to manufacturing and field service.
He enjoys the challenges associated with commercializing the advanced science and technology
in the company’s products and leveraging our products to provide unique and valuable solutions
to our customers.
Steven Garrahan
Title: Director of Software Development
Steven Garrahan brings over two decades of expertise in software development and engineering innovation to his role as Director of Software Development at Neocera Magma, LLC. Since joining Neocera in 1999, he has led the development of advanced software systems that power the company’s cutting-edge magnetic field imaging technologies.
Steven holds dual bachelor's degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from Binghamton University and a master’s degree in Astronautical Engineering from The George Washington University.
Earlier in his career, Steven served as a Lead Researcher at Analytic Services (ANSER) and contributed to software development projects at Commonwealth Scientific Corporation.
He is also a named inventor on multiple patents and has co-authored scientific publications in the fields of thin-film analysis and in-situ compositional mapping, reflecting his ongoing contributions to materials science and failure analysis technologies.
Dr. Fredrick Wellstood
Title: Neocera Magma Fellow
Dr. Fred Wellstood is a leading experimental physicist specializing in superconductivity,
quantum computing, and magnetic imaging. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of
California, Berkeley, where he also completed a postdoctoral fellowship before joining the
faculty at the University of Maryland (UMD).
A member of UMD’s Quantum Materials Center and the Joint Quantum Institute, Dr. Wellstood
has played a key role in shaping both research and education in the department. His research
focuses on quantum computing with superconducting devices and scanning SQUID microscopy
for 3D magnetic imaging.
Dr. Wellstood has also contributed significantly to undergraduate education and campus
development, including helping plan the state-of-the-art Physical Sciences Complex at UMD. He
continues to lead and collaborate on groundbreaking research at the intersection of condensed
matter physics and quantum technology.