Dr. Alan Levine has more than 40 years of experience in materials research and laboratory management. He currently heads RJ Lee Group’s technical support program for Delta-Energy, a company whose focus is the depolymerization of tires and other wastes. For the past fifteen years, Dr. Levine has assisted in the pyrolysis plant design and provided material characterization of products from a pyrolysis pilot plant, including gas, oil, and carbon black. He has also worked with RJ Lee Group’s internal consulting group to provide technical support to industry, litigation, and government clients since 2001, solving industrial problems using multiple analytical techniques.

Dr. Levine has experience in method development based on atomic absorption spectroscopy, emission spectroscopy, gas chromatography, high pressure liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, thermo-gravimetric analyses, and scanning electron microscopy. He has designed and conducted studies for evaluation of proposed and existing technologies for a variety of industrial applications. For his first 11 years at RJ Lee Group, Dr. Levine supervised the inorganic and organic laboratories. His extensive experience includes isolating and analyzing isolates from water, soil, air, plant, microbial extracts, carbon black, oil and gas, and the investigation of the properties of diesel fuel, crude oil, and pesticides. In addition to his work in industry, Dr. Levine has worked with the EPA, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Army Corps of Engineers, and DOE through research grants, as well as government cooperative research and development agreements CRADAs.

Prior to joining RJ Lee Group, Dr. Levine was Director of Laboratory Programs for the Center for Hazardous Materials Research, where he was responsible for management of laboratory programs to evaluate the chemical fate of substances. He established and managed laboratory programs for development of pharmaceutical and biological products for Schering-Plough, Bactex, Provac, and The New York Blood Center.

Dr. Levine has eight U.S. patents, plus patents in Australia, South Korea, China, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom in addition to several pending patents, and more than ten technical publications on his work.

Allison Murtha Laneve is the Manager of RJ Lee Group’s Forensic Science Department, overseeing and participating in the preparation, analysis, interpretation and reporting of gunshot residue (GSR) evidence using Scanning Electron Microscopy / Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) techniques. She is an expert witness and has given testimony in federal, state and county courts for both the prosecution and the defense on more than 120 occasions and is certified to testify in 27 U.S. states, DC and two foreign countries. In 2013, she led the department to successful American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors / Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) accreditation in GSR and GSR distance determination. As an adjunct faculty member at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa., she teaches courses in trace evidence, and arson & explosives. She holds both a B.S. in Biochemistry and an M.S. in Forensic Science and Law from Duquesne University.

Dr. Bentivegna is a Professional Engineer (PE) and an affiliated consultant with Durability Engineers (DE). He has over 14 years of experience in durability engineering and materials consulting. Dr. Bentivegna’s focus areas are on durability, concrete materials, concrete, and rehabilitation and repair design due to concrete durability concerns. He specializes in forensic investigations, including determining the root cause of failures of concrete, as well as novel construction products and building materials. His experience concentrates on laboratory investigations accompanied by on-site investigation through visual, destructive and non-destructive testing (NDT), and correlation of findings between the field and laboratory.

Dr. Bentivegna is responsible for Durability Engineers’ (DE) practice for extending the service life of new and existing structures. He assists clients with the development of durability plans during preconstruction, pre-bid phase of projects, and the implementation of durability designs during the design and construction phases of work. For existing structures, Dr. Bentivegna assist with condition assessments and laboratory testing to determine the remaining service of life.

Dr. Bentivegna is registered as a professional engineer across several states and received his Bachelors from Georgia Tech and his Masters and PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He is an active voting member at the American Concrete Institute (ACI), for 350B, 221, 201, 201J as well as the acting secretary for the new Durability Code, ACI 321. Dr. Bentivegna is a Task Group Chair for ASTM Committee C9.50 for Aggregate reactions in concrete and is a voting member for C09 Concrete and Concrete Aggregates, and Committee C01 on Cement.

Ms. Snyder has over 20 years’ experience in concrete petrographic studies and serves as the Construction Materials Laboratory Manager at RJ Lee Group. She conducts evaluations of cementitious materials to identify failure and distress mechanisms using petrographic techniques in combination with chemical and physical testing.  Ms. Snyder is a leader in the application of scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) techniques to cementitious materials. Her expertise is in concrete and cementitious materials failure investigations in which she has evaluated concrete from around the world including bridge structures, parking garages, piers, and airfield pavements, as well as coating system failures and cementitious product evaluations.  She has broad knowledge of analytical testing and instrumentation and their application to problem solving for raw material and composite evaluations.  Ms. Snyder is also well-versed in forensic investigations of particulate including source apportionment and indoor air quality.

April holds a B.S. in Geology, and is a registered member of the Society of Concrete Petrographers.  She is an active member the American Concrete Institute (ACI) where she participates on the aggregate, durability, and concrete materials technical committees.  She sits on the board of the Pittsburgh Area Chapter of ACI, where she is current President.  Ms. Snyder is also an active voting member of ASTM Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates, and Committee C01 on Cement.  Ms. Snyder has published in peer-reviewed journals.

Bryan Bandli, Ph.D. is a mineralogist and microscopist with two decades of practical experience performing microanalytical investigations of a wide variety of materials. He has worked extensively on the characterization of asbestos. He has employed various automated scanning electron microscopy systems to characterize bulk materials and particulate for mining, geology, and stack emission testing projects. Dr. Bandli has successfully applied electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) to the identification of asbestos minerals and zeolites.

Dr. Chris Hefferan is an applied physicist specializing in first principles application to technical problems that caters to a broad range of disciplines and industries. He serves as the principal scientist on unique and complex problems requiring both the rigorous application of the scientific method and an innovative approach to achieve resolution. These investigations often encompass failure analysis of metals and plastics and utilize a diverse suite of techniques ranging from microscopy to analytical chemistry.

Dr. Hefferan is one of the pioneering developers of the synchrotron-based near-field High Energy X-ray Diffraction (nf-HEDM) technique at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) 1-ID beam line at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). His publications focus on grain topology, grain orientation, and microstructural response to thermal treatments in metals. These publications are some of the first scientific results produced with this technique.

Dr. Hefferan has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented at scientific conferences.

Mr. Gary Casuccio is a Senior Scientist at RJ Lee Group, Inc., where he focuses on environmental particulate analysis, air quality and nanomaterials characterization. Mr. Casuccio was involved a multi-phase study on unbound nanoparticles (UNP), conducted in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), to evaluate worker exposure and potential environmental release of UNP. He has also developed techniques for characterization of particulate matter using CCSEM (Computer Controlled Scanning Electron Microscopy), was project leader for the development of sampling and analysis protocols for the Department of Energy Continuous Fiber Composite Program, and is an advisor to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) on the analysis of particulate matter using SEM and CCSEM techniques. Mr. Casuccio has published in peer-reviewed literature and has testified in federal courts.

Keith Rickabaugh is a Principal Investigator at RJ Lee Group where he utilizes his broad range of laboratory, field and project/program management experience to routinely support commercial, industrial, and governmental clients. Keith is board certified in the Comprehensive Practice of Industrial Hygiene (CIH), has a BS in Materials Science and Engineering and an MBA. He has a diverse education and over 25 years of involvement using applied sciences and instrumental analysis methods to investigate matters that have or may have legal relevance.   One of his core competencies is the ability to simplify complex issues and clearly communicate findings to target audiences as well as to the general population. Mr. Rickabaugh has designed and implemented testing programs in addition to providing oversight for numerous high-profile projects. He has worked with a variety of Federal, State and local regulatory authorities.

Keith supervises and manages confidentially sensitive projects and often performs his own hands-on testing. He provides critical project team technical support to outside experts and for RJ Lee Group technical staff members on a routine basis. He serves as a consulting expert to provide candid guidance, advice and testing for legal Counsel and management executives. His work is commonly used to put scientific evidence into appropriate context regarding potential implications and significance of results.

Keith Wagner is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Physics and Physical Metallurgy. He has over 30 years of experience and is currently a Senior Materials Scientist with supervisory and technical responsibilities focused on industrial problem solving, forensic materials investigations and failure analysis for commercial, legal and governmental clientele. He has conducted materials evaluations on all classes of materials. Mr. Wagner has also published and presented on materials processing and failure analysis in the areas of metallic alloy systems, concrete and structural materials, nanotechnology, CO2 sequestration, particle and residual materials analysis, corrosion, wear and applications of various materials characterization techniques.

Mr. Wagner’s responsibilities have also included research, development and evaluation of a variety of mission critical defense systems and components. He was previously involved in various Nuclear Survivability Programs addressing thermo-mechanical, transient radiation and electromagnetic effects on materials, devices and systems. Mr. Wagner was co-author of the Tech Based Master Plan describing Nuclear Weapon Effects on Next Generation and Notional Systems. He has also investigated improvements for solid state components and memory device failures employed in missile navigation systems. Mr. Wagner has been involved in numerous prototype development and research projects dealing with device/component testing and accelerated life testing.

Mr. Wagner has authored numerous technical reports and client deliverable documents. He has published in technical and peer reviewed literature and has provided expert testimony in state and federal court.

Kristin L. Bunker, Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, is currently a Senior Scientist at RJ Lee Group, Inc. where she specializes in the analysis and characterization of materials utilizing ultra high-resolution electron microscopy and X-ray spectroscopy techniques. She directs and conducts forensic examinations of particulate, nanomaterials, coatings, and thin films in advanced materials, environmental, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical projects. Dr. Bunker works closely with industry, national laboratories, and government agencies in the evaluation of nanoparticles from an industrial hygiene and environmental perspective. She is an expert in the characterization of various nanomaterials used in sensors, diagnostics, aerospace composites, architectural products and protective coatings among others.

From 2012-2014, Dr. Bunker served as the President of the internationally recognized Microanalysis Society (MAS). She is the author or co-author of more than 40 publications covering topics in semiconductors, life sciences, mineralogy, and nanomaterials. Prior to receiving her Ph.D., Dr. Bunker served as an expert witness in California courts for the analysis of Gunshot Residue (GSR).

Dr. Lykourgos Iordanidis is a senior chemist and the Laboratory Manager of Analytical Services for RJ Lee Group. He oversees and directs the organic and inorganic laboratories in providing services to a broad range of industries for quality of materials, component performance, and forensic investigation. Dr. Iordanidis directs analysis for quality of materials, component performance, and forensic investigations. His team routinely investigates for regulatory compliance, manufacturing materials specifications, and root cause of failure.

Using his extensive experience, Dr. Iordanidis leads studies related to air quality, heavy metals, inorganic acids, organic solvents and vapors and VOCs, and diesel particulate matter. He also conducts studies on synthesis, physicochemical, and structural characterization for materials such as porous and extended inorganic and organic solids. His work has resulted in the development of an anti-corrosion additive for concrete and its repair, as well as other chemical compounds for commercial applications. As a member of the American Chemical Society and the Materials Research Society, he holds one patent and has published extensively in peer reviewed literature.

Dr. Matthew Perricone is a Principal Investigator and the Technical Consulting Group Manager at RJ Lee Group, Inc., where he directs and performs root cause failure analyses for multiple industrial sectors in support of product development, performance optimization, and manufacturing quality assurance. His projects also include addressing warranty, insurance and product liability claims. Dr. Perricone has been accepted as an expert in Corrosion and Materials Science in U.S. District Court in multiple districts and has testified in a variety of cases including the multi-district litigation surrounding imported Chinese-manufactured drywall, assessment of corrosive impact of chemical processing to building structures, and determination of compositional consistency of lead-containing paint with historic manufacturer formulations. He has led extensive investigations of concrete and its durability in industries ranging from transportation to nuclear energy generation.

Dr. Perricone has conducted numerous studies of corrosion performance of materials including accelerated life testing in simulated service environments and has done extensive work on alloy development for U.S. naval applications. He has published in peer-reviewed literature and serves as a peer reviewer for multiple materials science journals including Metallurgical and Materials Transactions. In 2018, the Materials Technology Institute published Dr. Perricone’s book, “Atlas of Microstructures for Alloy C-276 and Similar Casting Alloys” which was peer reviewed by a committee of industry representatives that manufacture and use these alloys and distributed to their members as a reference. He has held a variety of leadership roles at ASM International during his decades of membership and is currently serving as chair of the ASM Membership Committee.

Dr. Matthew Sanchez is a Principal Investigator at RJ Lee Group where he leads quality assessments of vermiculite, talc, carbonates, olivine, and other industrial minerals including erionite. He specializes in characterizing asbestos in raw materials and in building products. Dr. Sanchez has also worked at mine and quarry sites to identify occurrences of asbestos. In the lab, he is well-versed in a range of analytical techniques such as polarized light microscopy (PLM), powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Dr. Sanchez is a member of the Mineralogical Society of America and has published in peer-reviewed literature.

Michael J. Deible, Ph.D. is a Consulting Scientist at RJ Lee Group, with extensive expertise that spans many industries, providing a broad range of services for materials characterization and specialty chemicals. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry Education from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Deible’s graduate work experience includes applying cyclic voltammetry and scanning electron microscopy to characterize ultra-sharp platinum electrodes. Additionally, he studied the effect on interaction energies when changing the steering function of quantum Monte Carlo calculations and developed benchmarks for large gas-hydrate and water clusters to compare accuracy of commonly used ab initio methods.

Dr. Deible is also a former Laboratory Technician at the Environmental Service Laboratories in Indiana, PA, where he applied US EPA standards and methods to quantify contaminants in waste water by titration, spectroscopy, and gravimetric analysis. In addition to his laboratory work, Dr. Deible is a former teacher at New Town High School in Baltimore. After graduate school, Dr. Deible became an assistant professor at the United States Military Academy in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering. As an assistant professor, he taught materials science to mechanical engineers and led a research program that studied many aspects of metallic corrosion. Areas of interest for his research group were studying corrosion inhibitors using computational methods as well as designing sensors and drones for detecting corrosion in hard to access areas.

Dr. Deible has written and coauthored multiple papers and publications in addition to his several international presentations.

Monica McGrath-Koerner has been a talc & asbestos expert with RJ Lee Group since 2014. She has evaluated and analyzed a variety of materials using TEM, SEM, and PLM for mineral characterization including, but not limited to, the regulated asbestos minerals. Monica has assisted other RJLG consulting scientists in the analysis and data preparation of these materials for several state and federal cases. Monica graduated from Juniata College with a B.S. in Geology and from the University of Pittsburgh with a M.S. in Geology, with her thesis topic: “Investigation of talc petrogenesis in southwestern Montana using petrographic and geochemical methods.”

Monica also has extensive research experience outside RJLG, including from her time at Juniata College, when she conducted fluid inclusion research investigating the mineralization history of hydrothermal quartz as it is related to hydrocarbon movement. Combining scanning electron cathodoluminescent microscopy (SEM-CL) with fluid inclusion studies, she created montages of whole crystals, which revealed dissolution tracks in euhedral quartz. While conducting research at the University of Pittsburgh, Monica focused on petrology and geochemistry research. The study included using a clean lab to separate non-stable isotopes (Sm/Nd and Rb/Sr) for analysis by Thermal Ion Mass Spectroscopy (TIMS), and using separation techniques such as microwave digestion using HF and cation exchange columns. At RJ Lee Group, Monica conducted research on minerals including talc and the asbestos minerals, where she investigated the formations of these minerals and the geologic setting where they occur using TEM, SEM, and PLM. She has presented this research at various professional conferences. Along with these specific research studies, Monica has written and co-authored several publications in her field.

Dr. Lee has over 30 years’ experience specializing in forensic problem solving and technology development. He has managed laboratory operations, designed and developed novel electron microscopes, laboratory automation and information management systems, and commercialized laboratory products. Under Dr. Lee’s direction, RJ Lee Group has grown from a small group to more than 200 staff across the country. Dr. Lee serves as a consultant to a wide range of industrial and governmental organizations. He has been an advisor to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding laboratory methods for analysis of asbestos, as well as the evaluation of contamination in NYC following the events on 9/11.

Dr. Lee has also served on American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) methods to define analytical methods. He has been qualified as an expert witness in state and federal courts. He holds six patents and has published over 200 scientific articles and publications. Dr. Lee earned his Ph.D. in Theoretical Solid State Physics from Colorado State University and his B.S. in Physics from the University of North Dakota.

Stephen M. Stacey is a Professional Engineer (PE) and an affiliated consultant with Durability Engineers. He has over 8 years of experience in concrete materials, concrete, forensic investigations, and structural engineering. His experience concentrates on condition assessments through visual examination, destructive and nondestructive testing (NDT) of reinforced concrete structures.

Mr. Stacey’s focus areas include: concrete materials, nondestructive testing, structural health monitoring and concrete repair design. His primary work focuses on forensic investigations, including identifying structural and construction related deficiencies, as well as determining the cause of failures in concrete, metals and other structural materials. His nondestructive evaluation background is further complimented by his extensive understanding of deleterious reactions and volume instabilities in concrete.

Additionally, with his experience in concrete materials and laboratory testing, Mr. Stacey has developed specialized one-off testing and developed improvements for existing testing procedures. From his research, Mr. Stacey’s developed a novel testing method for the evaluation of alkali-silica reaction in project concrete mixtures has been incorporated by the Army Corps of Engineers specifications.

Mr. Stacey is registered as a professional engineer across several states and has a Bachelors and Masters of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He is an active voting member at American Concrete Institute (ACI), 216 Code Requirements for Determining Fire Resistance of Concrete and Masonry Construction Assemblies, ASTM 09.64 Nondestructive Testing Task group and International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) Committee 110, Guide Specifications Committee.

Steven Monaco, Ph.D. is a Senior Consulting Scientist at RJ Lee Group. Over the past 20 years, he has led teams and projects while solving complex industrial manufacturing and materials problems in a cost effective and innovative manner. He has extensive experience in project management, process development, plant technical support, cost analysis, and new product development in metals, chemicals, and fossil energy. His broad technical expertise includes lubrication, surface science, gas/solid interactions, materials synthesis and characterization, adsorption, catalysis and sorbents, polymers and coatings, corrosion, and water treatment. Dr. Monaco also has significant technical and managerial experience in Research & Development, notably in the steel sector including steel pickling, rolling, and annealing operations.

Previous projects include conducting studies of process fluids including rolling oils, picking inhibitors, corrosion inhibition oils, temper fluids, and lubricants such as greases and bearing oils in efforts to enhance quality, improve productivity, qualify products, and reduce costs in steel production facilities. His knowledge of surface chemistry and gas-metal reactions has been used to improve steel surface cleanliness, optimize cycles, and reduce gas use in annealing operations. Dr. Monaco also developed and evaluated novel rolling, hot band scale removal, and surface modification technologies with applications to the processing and coating of Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS).

Dr. Monaco is the author of several papers, publications, and presentations, and is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Association for Iron & Steel Technology.

Tarah Helsel is a Supervisor and Forensic Scientist, and testifying expert at RJ Lee Group. She is an expert in the preparation, analysis, interpretation and reporting of gunshot residue (GSR) evidence using Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). Ms. Helsel is also an active member of the team responsible for RJ Lee Group’s successful laboratory accreditation by ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board in the areas of Trace Evidence – Gun Shot Residue and GSR Distance Determination. Utilizing near-infrared spectroscopy to create a reference library of spectra, she also has researched the instrumentation and its relevant pharmaceutical applications.

Ms. Helsel has experience testifying for the defense and prosecution, and is accepted as an expert in the area of GSR in Kansas, Maryland, Delaware, Louisiana, Michigan, Hawaii, Washington, Florida, Pennsylvania, California, New York, Nebraska as well as Bermuda. She is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists (MAAFS) and the American Society of Trace Evidence Examiners (ASTEE).