Meet the Protean Team

Human-Robotic synergistic systems are the corner stone of exploration. Engineering, development, and training of humans and systems are the cutting edge for current and future research in our Solar System.

Evolutionary Medicine/Underwater Speleologist/ Geospatial Engineer

Stephen became an Eagle Scout in 2009. In 2011, he became a brother of Phi Kappa Tau and Vigil Honor Member of the Order of the Arrow. In 2014, a 3-month University of Montana Yukon-to-Yellowstone region research trek and scuba courses catalyzed his bioarchaeology, geophysics, environmental policy, and human evolution interests. In 2015, Mr. Daire completed a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Evolutionary Anthropology from Rutgers School of Arts & Sciences (SAS) with a Graduate Certificate (GC) in Evolutionary Medicine from the SAS & School of Environmental & Biological Sciences (SEBS) Joint Program. Stephen’s geographic information science & technology (GIST) work began in 2015 with Rutgers Paleoenvironmental Research Laboratory (PERL). He conceived, designed, implemented, and operated (CDIO) volcanic glass polarized microscopic photography, feldspar electron microprobe analysis, and three-dimensional (3D) light detection & ranging (LiDAR) geodatabase (GBD) improvements for PERL. After PERL his geoheritage resource management (GRM) surveying, excavation, mapping, diving, remote sensing, and conservation experiences in world heritage sites broadened his knowledge of project management with Sanisera Archaeology Institute, Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS), American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), and National Geographic Society (NGS) in 2015-2017. Mr. Daire gained certifications in rescue, search, recovery, deep, wreck, nitrox, dry suit, sidemount, divemaster, and full cave diving to extend his capabilities in underwater sciences from 2014-2019. These international experiences primed him to needs, potentials, limitations, and externalities in systems engineering, remote sensing, contingency planning, emergency response, human factors, astronautic analogs, crew resource management (CRM), life support systems (LSS), position, navigation, and timing (PNT) in technical reporting. >300 submerged hours honed his skills with theoretical and practical training on projects from 2014-2019. He completed a GC and Master of Science (MSc) in GIST from University of Southern California (USC) Spatial Sciences Institute (SSI) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. His planetary science & technology analog research (PSTAR) MSc thesis forwards astronautic and space technology (AST) CDIO for Lunar, Martian, and deep space extravehicular activities (EVAs). In 2017 Mr. Daire began formulating then founded Protean Industries in 2018. Protean Industries focuses on aquanautic-to-astronautic CDIO for human exploration and development of space (HEDS). Protean Industries is utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), holography, proteomics, 3D printing, and human-machine engineering for HEDS methods, courses, and toolkits. Protean Industries is producing methodology and toolkit improvements in high-fidelity EVA simulations, nanosatellite developments, and autonomous robotics. Stephen’s research, cave diving surveys, thesis, International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) EVA 105-108 courses, and Handbook of LSS & Extraterrestrial Environments chapters document his professional evolution over 2014-2019. Through his guidance Protean Industries has become a contributing member of The Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations (CONFERS). Stephen views organismal-ecological-environmental coevolution PSTAR geoanalytics as critical to HEDS to expedite climate change resilience, fortify ‘Mothership’ Earth Systems management, and hasten biomimetic LSS loop closure. He volunteers and collaborates with Scouts, IIAS, 2G Robotics, New Jersey State Museum (NJSM), QR Speleological Society (QRSS), Instituto de la Prehistoria de América (IPA), and other groups social and scientific developments. Stephen assists NJSM, QRSS, & IPA GRM promoting GIST education, geohazard awareness, public health, emergency response, and dive safety. Stephen enjoys hiking, producing fractal geometric art, and playing saxophone, harmonica, and bass.

Administration Officer/ Human Resources

Logan Patton began working with Stephen Daire as a boy scout where he achieved, along side his now Business associate, the ascent to Eagle Scout. College life began as a liberal arts and musical performance major at the Community College of Morris county with coursework in psychology, sociology, became more proficient in public speaking, and fine-tuned command of the English language. Logan changed majors into business administration after realizing the broad spectrum of its use and application in the real world. He transferred to Sussex County Community College on his path to higher education at the Franciscan College of New Jersey, Felician University an IACBE accredited institution. While maintaining employment within the banking and customer service industry, he earned his Bachelor’s Degree for Business administration and made the dean’s list for his dedication to scholarly pursuit. Logan has been counseling Protean Industries through its creation and into the early stages of development on the Corporate and Business aspects of company formation. He seeks to provide professional support to the current and future members of Protean GIST Solutions as well as help it achieve a bench marking standard in the industry and administrative practices.

Programming Officer/ Full-Stack Developer/Roboticist/Automation/ Software Engineer

Rich Gerdes graduated from Rutgers University in 2016 with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Computer Science. He has a background in robotics and hardware development. Rich has worked with robotics and hardware programming since participating in the FIRST Robotics Competition in high school. This fueled his passion for programming, engineering and robotics. In college he worked with a small group to design and develop software for an autonomous robotics platform and building a drone for a university research program. He works at Rutgers University doing software and website development. He also does freelance software development and programming. Rich also continues to mentor students in the FIRST Robotics program and continues to work on personal hardware and software based projects. The importance of environmental studies and protects was thought to Rich through his achievement Eagle Rank in the  Boy Scouts of America. In college, Rich further took a few classes about geology and environmental science, driven by the importance of the field to our lives. Rich’s love of the environment stretches beyond the concepts, spending time outdoors and boating sailing and hiking are central hobbies in his life. Rich is a long time friend of Stephen Daire since their years in scouting together. Rich join the Protean through his passion for the environment. He brings his experience with robotics and familiarity with technologies the team will use.

Research Officer/ GIS Technician/ Divemaster

Christopher Wassif was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Although raised in the concrete jungle of NYC, he has always had a passion for the ocean and being in nature. Christopher started scuba diving at 15, and was instantly hooked. He is now a PADI Divemaster at Rutgers University with specialty certifications in deep, night, nitrox, wreck and drysuit diving. He has experience in a diverse range of diving conditions, from Coney Island, Brooklyn, to New Jersey shipwrecks, and the Caribbean. Christopher was a freediver and snorkel tour guide in Ketchikan, Alaska. He was also a Volunteer Diver at the New York Aquarium, and helped run a Tropical Reef Ecology course in Akumal, Mexico. He was also the underwater photographer / videographer at SUBMERGE 2017, the largest marine science expo in NYC, & has experience diving in the Hudson River monitoring and recording local ecology with The River Project.

Strategic Management/ Dive Instructor

Trent Tresch is beginning his research on human performance in extreme environments. He is focused on collecting task load index data and other metrics from subjects in full pressure suits when performing exploratory and emergency analog tasks. With his findings, Trent is looking to engineer simple airspace technologies and systems that will positively enable high-altitude research as well as future human space and Mars exploration. In 2018, as part of a the winning team's efforts to reach space equivalent conditions, Trent participated with the team has a expeditionary space suit testing subject in the desert of Eastern Oregon. Trent finds his passions and high-altitude Science and Space having been involved in exploration projects around the world including polar regions. Trent is pursuing an MS degree in human factors engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and has gone through commercial astronautic training related to his expedition and exploration experiences. he has experience engineering pressure vessels for human occupancy as well as working on high-altitude balloon projects. As a member of the American society for technology and materials committee F47, he has helped develop standards for commercial space flight.

Professor/ Dive Instructor/ Cave Surveyor/ Quantum Biochemistry

Darrin York, PhD has deep interests in the development of new theoretical methods to study complex biological problems. My first research experience was as an undergraduate student doing a summer internship at the Cornell Theory Center, and later at the Pittsburg Supercomputing Center. I did my graduate work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, my thesis work involving the study of nucleic acids using molecular dynamics simulations, and the development of new methods for calculating electrostatic interactions of large systems, including the particle-mesh Ewald method. After graduating, I was an NSF postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Weitao Yang at Duke University, here I worked on linear-scaling electronic structure methods. Next, I took an NIH postdoctoral fellowship to work with Prof. Martin Karplus at Harvard to begin work on multiscale models to study complex biological problems (Prof. Karplus was a recipient of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his far-reaching work on multi-scale modeling). My work with Prof. Karplus continued with an EMBO fellowship at the Universite Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France, until I moved to my first faculty position at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in 2000. In 2010, I was recruited to Rutgers as a tenured full Professor, along with with my research group, where we embarked on some extremely exciting new research directions in the development and application of multi-scale models. A continuing application interest throughout my career has been in study of nucleic acids, and in particular RNA, which has any fascinating properties, including the ability to catalyze important biochemical reactions and perform complex regulatory functions in cells.

Open Positions

Mechanical Engineer

Flight Operations Officer

Marketing Manager

Potential Hire