Stuart Barnes is chairman of Xtera. After graduating from Queen Mary College, London University with BSc (Hons) and PhD in Engineering, Barnes joined Standard Telecommunications Ltd., the Research Subsidiary of STC. After seven years in research, including three years supporting the development of STC Submarine Systems’ first optical repeater, he then was involved in turnaround activities in the terrestrial fiber and cable divisions (market share increased from 5% to 50%). Then, in STC Submarine Systems, he went on to become technical director in 1995, where he was responsible for the development of STC’s second optical repeater.
After the acquisition of the Submarine Group by Alcatel, Barnes moved to Paris to head up Alcatel’s Optical Recherche Group. In 1999 he founded Ilotron (UK); after a short period with Atlas Venture as an ER he co-founded Azea Networks in 2001, which merged with Xtera Communications Inc. in 2007. He is visiting professor at Southampton University and an adviser to the School of Photonics, Aston University.
Wayne Pelouch is vice president of Photonics at Xtera. Wayne Pelouch received his B.A. degree in Physics (Honors) and B.S. degree from Northwestern University in 1987, and his Ph.D. degree in Applied Physics from Cornell University in 1992. His thesis covered ultrafast lasers and nonlinear optical processes with applications in semiconductor physics. After graduation he joined the University of New Mexico/Air Force Research Labs in Albuquerque, NM, and then worked for the Lions Eye Institute in Perth, Australia as a laser physicist. Subsequently, he joined Coherent Technologies (Lafayette, CO), where he was principal investigator on a number of SBIR programs related to waveguide laser and amplifier technology. Dr. Pelouch joined Xtera Communications in 2001; in his current role there he leads all photonics activities including research, product development, and system network design. He has authored numerous publications and patents related to fiber optics and amplifier technology.