Dr. Willis Johnson
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Willis Johnson is a technology executive and interdisciplinary innovator working at the intersection of semiconductor systems, biosensing platforms, artificial intelligence, and clinical research infrastructure.
He is the Founder of BioNexa LLC, a research and technology organization focused on advancing CMOS-compatible semiconductor biosensing platforms designed for secure domestic manufacturing and scalable biomedical applications. Mr. Johnson’s work centers on developing trusted semiconductor-enabled sensing systems capable of supporting biomedical analytics, decentralized clinical monitoring, and national health-security applications. Through Bio Nexa, he is advancing platform architectures that integrate mature CMOS semiconductor fabrication, biosensing interfaces, and secure computing environments, strengthening domestic semiconductor ecosystem demand while enabling next-generation clinical and biomedical data capabilities.
Mr. Johnson has led and supported clinical research initiatives across multiple therapeutic areas in collaboration with global pharmaceutical organizations including Pfizer, AbbVie, GSK, and Exact Sciences. His experience spans clinical research operations, regulatory compliance, decentralized trial systems, and data governance, with a focus on improving efficiency, regulatory integrity, and equitable access to biomedical research. Under his leadership, Bio Nexa has developed AI-enabled contracting systems, predictive analytics for trial-site optimization, and early-stage semiconductor-based biosensing frameworks designed for decentralized clinical monitoring and secure biomedical data environments.
Mr. Johnson completed executive coursework in Business Development, Leadership, and Project Management through Harvard Business School and holds both a Juris Doctor (JD) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Intercultural Human Rights, where he served as Editor of the Intercultural Labor and Human Rights Law Review and received the Intercultural Human Rights Honors Scholarship.
He holds clinical research professional certifications in Human Subjects Research (CITI), Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP), FDA Regulatory Compliance, IRB and Human Research Protections, and HIPAA and global data privacy compliance, reflecting his commitment to regulatory integrity, ethical research practices, and secure data governance in biomedical innovation.
Mr. Johnson’s work focuses on advancing secure semiconductor-enabled biosensing platforms integrated with trusted domestic compute infrastructure, enabling continuous biomarker monitoring, decentralized clinical research, and resilient health-security systems. Through Bio Nexa, he is working to demonstrate how domestically manufactured semiconductor technologies can power next-generation biomedical sensing platforms that improve, United States bio defense, clinical research, strengthen public health systems, and support national resilience.
Lawrence Pulvirent, MEng
President of Semiconductor Manufacturing
Lawrence Pulvirent is a veteran semiconductor manufacturing leader with more than two decades of experience advancing CMOS process integration, yield engineering, new product introduction (NPI), and high-volume semiconductor manufacturing. He serves as a semiconductor manufacturing advisor to BioNexa, supporting the development of CMOS-compatible semiconductor platform architectures designed for secure domestic fabrication and scalable biosensing applications.
Pulvirent has held senior technical and leadership roles at some of the world’s most advanced semiconductor manufacturing organizations, including SkyWater Technology, GlobalFoundries, NY CREATES / AIM Photonics, and Motorola / Freescale Semiconductor. Across these roles, he has led teams responsible for process integration, tapeout execution, technology transfer, yield optimization, and large-scale manufacturing ramp for complex semiconductor technologies. His expertise spans the full semiconductor production lifecycle from design integration and mask preparation through wafer fabrication, parametric testing, and high-volume production.
At NY CREATES / AIM Photonics, Pulvirent served as Lead Manufacturing Integration Engineer supporting multi-project wafer (MPW) photonics platforms, coordinating design rule checks, maskmaking, prototype silicon runs, wafer dicing, and post-fabrication data evaluation to accelerate silicon learning cycles and improve manufacturing efficiency.
Previously, as Senior Manager of Process Integration and Yield Enhancement at SkyWater Technology, he led cross-functional engineering teams focused on improving yield, reducing scrap, and strengthening robustness across mature CMOS manufacturing flows. He implemented risk-managed process changes and parametric test programs to support both existing production technologies and emerging semiconductor platforms.
Pulvirent also served in key leadership roles at GlobalFoundries’ Fab 8, where he led integration activities for advanced technology tapeouts, coordinating mask design, reticle development, and engineering silicon programs supporting next-generation semiconductor technologies. During this work he delivered over 150 consecutive error-free reticle spins, enabling reliable silicon learning cycles and accelerating product development timelines.
Earlier in his career at Motorola / Freescale Semiconductor, Pulvirent led device integration, yield improvement, and probe engineering teams responsible for high-volume production across multiple semiconductor technologies including CMOS, MEMS, SMARTMOS, and LDMOS. He directed cross-functional teams spanning design, fabrication, and testing to improve yield performance, qualify new technologies, and transition complex semiconductor products into full-scale manufacturing.
Pulvirent holds both a Master of Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). He has also contributed extensively to the semiconductor community through the Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference, serving in leadership roles including steering committee member, session chair, and conference co-chair.
At BioNexa, Pulvirent provides strategic guidance on manufacturable semiconductor architecture, domestic fabrication pathways, yield strategy, and transition of CMOS-compatible biosensing platforms from design to scalable production. His experience across multiple leading semiconductor fabs strengthens BioNexa’s ability to develop trusted semiconductor systems aligned with U.S. domestic manufacturing priorities and next-generation sensing applications.
Cristiano Capasso, PhD
President of Semiconductor Reliability, System Integration Hardware Engineering, Packaging, and Technology
Cristiano Capasso, PhD, is a semiconductor technology executive and reliability engineering leader with more than 25 years of experience advancing CMOS process technologies, device reliability, and large-scale semiconductor manufacturing platforms. He serves as a semiconductor technology and reliability advisor to BioNexa, supporting the development of CMOS-compatible semiconductor architectures designed for secure domestic manufacturing and scalable biosensing applications.
Mr. Capasso has held senior technical leadership roles at several of the world’s most advanced semiconductor manufacturing organizations, including SkyWater Technology, GlobalFoundries, and Freescale Semiconductor (formerly Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector). Across these roles he has led multidisciplinary engineering teams responsible for technology qualification, reliability engineering, device modeling, yield optimization, and large-scale semiconductor production support.
At SkyWater Technology, Capasso served as Senior Director of Technology, where he built and led device reliability, modeling, and Random Telegraph Noise (RTN) research teams while establishing new reliability testing laboratories supporting government, defense, automotive, and medical semiconductor programs. He also drove collaborations with federal agencies and research institutions, including programs involving U.S. Navy research initiatives and advanced academic partners. His work supported the production and qualification of semiconductor technologies deployed in mission-critical commercial and government systems.
Previously at GlobalFoundries Fab 8, Mr. Capasso served as Deputy Director and Lead Technologist responsible for automotive semiconductor reliability and technology qualification. In this role he led reliability engineering efforts for advanced nodes including 12nm automotive technologies, qualifying semiconductor platforms to AEC-Q100 automotive reliability standards while building reliability laboratories, developing failure analysis methodologies, and implementing advanced reliability monitoring systems across the fabrication process. His work helped eliminate reliability escapes, improve wafer disposition accuracy, and dramatically reduce test times through improved reliability characterization methodologies.
Earlier in his career at Freescale Semiconductor (Motorola), Mr. Capasso led technology deployment and intrinsic reliability programs across multiple semiconductor nodes including 45nm SOI and advanced CMOS technologies. He led cross-functional teams responsible for reliability qualification, yield improvement, and product certification for high-performance semiconductor devices. His contributions include the development of low-power CMOS platforms utilizing high-k metal gate materials, the establishment of statistical methodologies for reliability modeling, and patented process improvements that strengthened copper interconnect reliability in semiconductor devices.
Mr. Capasso is widely recognized within the semiconductor industry for his expertise in device reliability physics, statistical modeling, and semiconductor process integration. He has authored or co-authored more than 80 peer-reviewed technical papers and conference publications and has been invited to present tutorials and technical lectures on semiconductor reliability methodologies at international engineering conferences.
He holds a Doctorate in Physics from the Università degli Studi di Roma (University of Rome), Italy, where his early research included advanced x-ray imaging systems and interdisciplinary scientific instrumentation.
At BioNexa, Mr. Capasso provides strategic guidance on semiconductor reliability engineering, technology qualification, and manufacturable CMOS platform development, ensuring that proposed semiconductor architectures can transition from research concepts into robust, manufacturable technologies suitable for deployment within trusted domestic semiconductor fabrication environments.
His experience leading reliability programs across multiple semiconductor fabs strengthens BioNexa’s ability to deliver secure, manufacturable semiconductor platforms aligned with the priorities of the U.S. domestic semiconductor ecosystem and next-generation sensing technologies.
Dr. April Spenser, M.D.
President of Clinical Workflow Bio Markers and Validation Readiness
Dr. April L. Spencer is a Chicago native who was raised in Atlanta. After obtaining her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology from Norfolk State University, she returned to Atlanta to attend Morehouse School of Medicine, where she obtained her Doctor of Medicine degree.
Dr. April L. Spencer provides clinical expertise for biomarker selection, validation strategy, clinical study design, and translational research, helping ensure that BioNexa's biosensing platform is developed to meet clinically relevant needs and support future regulatory and commercialization activities.
After her matriculation, she remained at Morehouse to complete a general surgery residency. Dr. Spencer is Board Certified by the American College of Surgeons. She completed both her Internship and General Surgery residency at Grady Memorial Hospital, one of the busiest Level I trauma centers in the Southeast.
Upon completion of an intensive General Surgery residency, she went on to receive the prestigious Susan G. Komen-sponsored Breast Fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
This cancer center is top-ranked by US News and World Report. During this Fellowship Dr. Spencer was exposed to numerous advanced breast surgical oncology techniques such as oncoplastics, cutting-edge cancer research, and publication opportunities.
This Fellowship promoted comprehensive breast cancer treatment plans using a multidisciplinary model. This model is a patient-centered approach to breast cancer management involving integrating primary care, medical oncology, radiation oncology, plastic surgery, and pathology expertise to formulate the best possible plan for each unique patient.
Dr. Greg Johnson, M.D,
President, Digital Health & Clinical Innovation
Dr. Greg Johnson provides clinical leadership for BioNexa's medical imaging, biomarker validation, and translational research programs supporting the development of next-generation semiconductor biosensing technologies.
As a board-certified radiologist with subspecialty expertise in thoracic imaging, he leads the clinical evaluation of imaging biomarkers, supports clinical study design, and provides medical oversight for technology validation. His expertise in diagnostic imaging, clinical research, and precision medicine helps ensure that BioNexa's platform is developed to address clinically relevant needs while supporting future regulatory, clinical, and commercialization objectives.
Dr. Johnson earned his Doctor of Medicine from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and completed advanced residency training in diagnostic radiology, serving as Chief Resident. He subsequently served as Director of Thoracic Imaging at David Grant Medical Center, where he directed thoracic imaging services, advanced evidence-based diagnostic practices, and mentored physicians in complex cardiothoracic imaging and image interpretation.
Dr. Johnson has served as a Principal Investigator on multiple clinical research studies sponsored by Merck, contributing to clinical study execution, patient evaluation, data interpretation, and research oversight. His experience conducting industry-sponsored clinical research strengthens BioNexa's capabilities in clinical validation, biomarker assessment, and the translation of innovative diagnostic technologies into healthcare applications.
At BioNexa, Dr. Johnson collaborates with multidisciplinary engineering and clinical teams to support biomarker selection, clinical validation strategies, imaging correlation, and the integration of diagnostic imaging into biosensor development. His expertise helps ensure that BioNexa's technology platform is clinically meaningful, scientifically rigorous, and positioned for successful clinical adoption and commercialization.
Dr. Collette Bigsby, Ph.D.
President, Information Technology, Cybersecurity & Data Management
Dr. Collette Bigsby serves as President of Information Technology, Cybersecurity & Data Management at BioNexa, where she leads the company's information technology strategy, cybersecurity, research data management, cloud infrastructure, and digital governance initiatives supporting the development and commercialization of advanced semiconductor biosensing technologies. She directs the implementation of secure, scalable, and compliant information systems that support research operations, data integrity, data sharing, regulatory compliance, and protection of intellectual property throughout the technology development lifecycle.
Dr. Bigsby brings extensive leadership experience in information technology, cybersecurity, governance, risk management, and enterprise systems across Fortune 500 organizations, including Delta Air Lines, The Home Depot, Technicolor, and AT&T. She has led enterprise information security and compliance programs, implemented governance frameworks, strengthened cybersecurity risk management, and managed complex cross-functional technology initiatives within highly regulated environments. Her expertise includes secure cloud computing, enterprise data governance, cybersecurity architecture, regulatory compliance, and organizational resilience.
At BioNexa, Dr. Bigsby is responsible for developing and overseeing the company's research data management strategy in accordance with data sharing expectations. She leads the implementation of policies and technical infrastructure supporting secure data collection, storage, metadata management, controlled access, long-term preservation, and responsible data sharing. She also oversees cybersecurity controls, cloud-based research infrastructure, data governance, and information technology systems that enable secure collaboration while protecting confidential, proprietary, and sensitive research data.
Dr. Bigsby holds a Ph.D. in Technology & Innovation Management, a Master of Science in Information Technology, a Master of Science in Justice, and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. She is also a Six Sigma Green Belt and has served as an invited speaker on cybersecurity, information technology governance, enterprise risk management, and operational resilience.