Jorge Soto, PhD
2315 Mill Lane High Point, NC 27265
989-600-0859
jorgesoto2020@gmail.com
Strategic Development Technical Manager & Scientist
Highly accomplished Technical Leader and Scientist in the chemical industry with exceptional project
management, research and process performance results. Directed multiple projects to completion,
some valued at $100+ MM/yr. Substantial company contributor with broad range of technical skills in
the chemical industry. Innovative leader with expertise to develop staff, cultivate a positive work
environment and motivate teams.
 Polymer Chemistry and Technology
 Rubber Chemistry and Vulcanization
 Novel monomer & Oligomer synthesis
 Strategic Planning & Project Management
 Elastomers, Coatings and Adhesives
 Product and Process R&D + Scale-up
 Intellectual Property Management
 Global interaction with clients
 Continuous Improvement and Cost Efficiency
 Six Sigma Black Belt: DOE – JMP, Minitab
PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Managed a project from inception to production to make a synthetic rubber master batch material
to improve mechanical properties of synthetic rubber in the tire industry. Extensive use of DOE.

Ideated, directed and developed new SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber) latex (emulsion) foam
materials in $700MM durable goods market in company innovation breakthrough.

Developed technological innovation in waterborne polyurethane technology in response to
growing market trends in coatings and adhesives. Resulted in US Patent 5,008,325.

Identified root cause of product performance problem in $700MM SBR foam durable goods market.

Collaborated cross-functionally to develop novel catalyst technology which generated revenue in
excess of $1 billion/yr in sales. Resulted in multiple patents including US Patent 6,825,295.

Directed projects resulting in improved materials & processes and reduced defects by 80% in
elastomeric product. US Patent 6,946,531 was granted on new technology.

Identified root cause of solid material process bottleneck. Modified raw material specs, reduced key
process from 6 minutes to 1 minute, per batch. Productivity increase 6,000 lbs/day to 8,000 lbs/day.

Increased plant productivity by 25+% in 20MM lbs/year pine oil production by developing an
analytical method for raw material and recycled streams.

Exercise due diligence for project timelines compliance, alignment of resources, and safety and
environmental regulations.

Managed IP & Trademark activities: R&D work, patent filing, and disclosure strategy.

Authored 45+ patent and patent applications. Sixteen patents issued in the US.

Managed safety coordinator responsibilities for chemical R&D site with 400 employees.
jorgesoto2020@gmail.com
Page 2 of 2
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
POLYCHEM SOLUTIONS Strategic Development Technical Manager & Scientist High Point, NC 09/2013+




Coatings & lamination using multiple polymer emulsions and formulations. Tackled adhesion issues of
coatings to fabric & foam substrates. Thermal and infrared curing. Thermo-mechanical analysis.
Industrial, protective, light shielding, water protection and medical applications.
Polyurethane, acrylic, silicone chemistry. Curing processes and performance.
Formulation & Process Optimization (DOE). Specialty polymer compositions.
LION COPOLYMER






SEALY, INC






R&D Director/Sr. Scientist







Trinity, NC
3/2007 – 8/2009
Staff Scientist
Cary, NC
3/2005 – 11/2006
Led key chemical coatings and adhesives processes optimization projects. Established critical metrics
for HPLC and GC analysis of raw materials, intermediates and process products.
Contributed directly on improvements and optimization of syntheses, processes and analysis methods.
Established a procedure to reduce stream recycle and acid waste reduction with savings of $100K/yr
Process Optimization via Design of Experiments methodology in lab and pilot plant process.
Defined short and long term project goals. Directed team members to achieve objectives.
DOW CHEMICAL



Baton Rouge, LA 12/2009 – 07/2013
Directed and developed R&D for mattress latex technology $700MM durable goods business.
Designed experiments to validate robustness of SBR latex foaming process: Determined and validated
process parameters for optimum foam stability and product performance.
Established and performed thermo-mechanical analysis for vulcanized SBR latex foam.
Discovered correlation between raw material source and its relationship to product performance issues.
Ideated and developed novel latex foam formulations and materials: SBR, isoprene rubber (IR), guayule.
Interacted closely with material suppliers to establish specification-properties relationships to optimize
the SBR foam integrity and subsequent vulcanization process improvements.
LORD CORPORATION

R&D Director/Sr. Scientist
Directed and coordinated R&D efforts for new synthetic rubber product developments for adhesives,
coatings and vulcanized goods.
Defined strategies, timelines & managed resources to achieve milestones and targets on a timely basis.
Managed multiple teams. Hired six PhD professionals and ten lab technicians.
Managed IP: provisional patents & final edition, trademark registrations/ oppositions. 100% success rate
Developed novel filler modification, catalyst technology & emulsion composition. Eleven pending patents
Upgraded research & analytical lab facility. Investment of over $1MM in new equipment.
Research Leader
Midland, MI
1988 – 7/2004
Formulated new water-borne polyurethane materials for elastomers, coating and adhesive applications.
Developed multiple INSITE® Technology catalyst for solution, slurry and gas olefin polymerizations.
Purchased and designed 5 reactors with different automated configurations as the main infrastructure for
solution, slurry and gas olefin polymerizations. Safety was focus #1.
Extensive analytical expertise: GC, GCMS, FTIR, NMR, DSC, TGA, DMA, EXAFS, PSD, UV-Vis, etc.
Global team working. Interacted with Dow European facilities to support ongoing projects
Received Dow Chemical “Inventor of the Year” Award (1998) + other multiple awards.
EDUCATION
PhD in Chemistry: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
Bachelor of Science in Chemistry [High Honors] Tecnólogico de Monterrey, México