Person attributes
Academic attributes
Dr. Baratunde Cola is an Atlanta-based scientist and entrepreneur who founded and is the CEO of Carbice Corporation. He has a PhD in heat transfer and nanomaterials and is a professor and mentor at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Dr. Cola grew up in Pensacola, Florida, where he engaged in various activities, including sports, camps, and Eagle Scouts, from which he states he draws his creative process.
Dr. Cola first entered university in 1998 at Vanderbilt University and studied mechanical engineering. He cites his father as his inspiration for this field of study, as he also has a background in mechanical engineering. Dr. Cola played fullback for the university's football team. He earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 2002 and earned his master's degree in the same field at Vanderbilt.
While Dr. Cola was earning his master's degree, he founded an engineering software company after taking entrepreneur courses at the Owen School of Management. He earned his master's degree in 2004, and in 2005, he enrolled at Purdue University to pursue his PhD in heat transfer and nanomaterials. While attending Purdue, he was the vice president of Nanotechnology Student Advisor Council, an Intel fellow, a NASA Institute of Nanoelectronics and Computing fellow, and a Purdue fellow. He earned his PhD. in 2008 and continued to do work as a scholar and researcher at places such as Intel and the University of Texas at Dallas.
Dr. Cola's career has spanned positions including professor, board member, founder, and CEO. He has been a professor at universities such as Georgia Institute of Technology (starting in 2009) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2015. He specializes in researching and educating students about thermal management.
At the Georgia Institute of Technology, he also directs the Nanoengineered Systems and Transport Lab, which contributes to the launch of start-ups and leadership networks. At Vanderbilt University, he was on the external advisory committee for the Mechanical Engineering Department from 2013 until 2018.
Dr. Cola has also been a member of several boards, including the board of advisors at the Smithsonian Institution Museum of Natural History.
Dr. Cola founded Carbice Corporation in 2017. The company manufactures a material using recycled aluminum and waste carbon gas to create a heat-conducting material. He also acts as CEO of the company.