Our Team

Dr. Noel Moore

Chief Technology Officer

Noel is a highly experienced photonics industry professional having held senior technical and commercial roles in VC backed start-ups, PE backed scale ups and publicly traded companies.

He was an senior executive in a $2bn IPO listing (2021) and lead several M&A events (2022-2024) in the range of €10-80M. Previously he held full P&L responsibility for a €30M optics business unit with manufacturing locations in Europe and China and has worked extensively in Asia, US and Europe. He is an experienced board director at VC and PE backed companies. He holds a doctorate in chemical physics from Wayne State University and an MBA from Rutgers University. Noel is passionate about technology, innovation and commercial success and enjoys building teams to deliver on these goals.

Alec Patterson

Vice President of Operations

As a senior business leader and Chartered Engineer, Alec brings over 25 years of global engineering management experience, beginning as a Senior Manager at Nissan and later serving as Chief Programme Manager at Williams Advanced Engineering. During his time at Williams, Alec also supported early-stage technology businesses, advising start-ups on strategy, operating models, and new product introduction to help scale their innovation into commercial success.

Now as VP of Operations at Opsydia, Alec leads a high-performance team focused on accelerating the development of advanced laser photonic technology and delivering this through next-generation products.

Jürgen Rieck

Vice President of Business Development

Jürgen brings 20+ years of photonics expertise to Opsydia, driving business growth and managing key accounts across Europe, the US, and Asia. Focused on semiconductor and optical communications, he previously served as Chief Sales Officer and Business Development/Area Sales Manager in Microoptics and Microtechnology.

Jürgen combines technical insight with a proven track record of delivering results and holds a diploma in Optoelectronics from Aalen University, Germany.

Leigh Henry

Head of Finance

Leigh leads our Finance activities having joined Opsydia in 2018 and is working towards the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) qualification. Beginning her career in the legal sector after graduation from the University of Southampton, she has worked within different types of businesses including the NHS, local council, the University of Oxford and since 2017 in early-stage tech spinouts.

Matthew Ashdale

Head of Software

Matthew joined us in 2022, bringing over 10 years experience in designing and implementing complex software architectures for hardware systems in both the academic and private sectors.

Heading up Software Engineering here at Opsydia, he is responsible for growing and managing the software team to be capable of solving technical problems effectively and ensuring best practices for application security

Artem Bogatyrev

Optical Engineer

Artem joined us in 2025 as an Optical Engineer after completing his PhD in Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Nottingham. His research focused on femtosecond laser ablation and surface structuring, with particular emphasis on optimising laser-material interactions and microstructural analysis of advanced ceramics.

At Opsydia, Artem works on the development and performance of photonic laser systems, contributing across systems engineering, data analysis, and experimental R&D. His work involves developing methods to monitor and analyse system behaviour, as well as supporting the integration and refinement of next-generation photonic platforms as they towards commercial deployment. 

Sarah Griffiths

Materials Control and Procurement Specialist

Sarah started her career in the health and wellness industry, gaining experience in management, marketing and HR and administration. She earned her BSc in 2015, training and then practicing as a Midwife, where showing initiative, responsibility and patience were essential. She brought these qualities to Opsydia as Finance & Office Administrator in 2019, alongside studying for a Diploma in Bookkeeping. Sarah’s role has now progressed to Materials Control and Procurement Specialist within the Production Team, and is responsible for materials purchasing, implementing works order processes and financial reporting.
She also plays a key role in our dedication to health and safety management as a Mental Health First Responder within the company.

Katie McEllin

Software Engineer

Katie joins us as a Software Engineer specialising in creating applications for our precision equipment and technology, by developing hardware communication and engineering tools. 

Katie possesses a strong programming background with test-driven development, with a first-class Mathematics degree from Durham University. 

Luke Parker

Field Service Engineer

Luke joined Opsydia in 2023, bringing across experience from varied engineering sectors including oil, gas and robotics. Having worked as an international Field Service Engineer in micro machining, he’s worked closely with Harvard universities and MIT to create and implement novel laser solutions. As part of our service team Luke is the first point of contact for customers; being responsible for the installation, commissioning and maintenance of our systems deployed worldwide

Dr. James Patchett

Senior Scientist

James joined Opsydia in 2023 after completing his PhD in physics at the University of Cambridge. Previously, he worked in microelectronics research, where he investigated the coupling of magnetic and electronic phenomena in micron sized devices. As a Senior Scientist, he develops new fabrication capabilities using Opsydia’s laser technology, and works with clients to create new products and solutions.

Zhi Kai Pong

Post Doctoral Research Scientist

Zhi Kai joined us in 2025 as a Post Doctoral Research Scientist after completing his PhD in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford. His PhD research focused on femtosecond laser direct writing, involving the fabrication and characterisation of integrated optical waveguide devices. 

At Opsydia, he continues to develop laser-written photonic technologies, with a focus on translating research advances into impactful industrial applications.

Naresh Ratnala

Lead Mechanical Engineer

Naresh joined us in 2022, bringing over 10 years of experience in design for electromechanical and optomechanical products.
As a Mechanical Design Engineer, Naresh works collaboratively with the systems and software engineering teams; responsible for the architecture and design of mechanical systems for our precision laser fabrication and gemstone viewer solutions. This includes leading and undertaking the core product mechanical design, working with external design houses and maintaining the documentation processes, controls, and best practices for sustainable development.

Thoko Stott

Office & HR Manager

Thoko joined us as an Office Administrator in November 2022 after more than a decade’s worth of management experience in the events and hospitality industry.

As Office & HR Manager, she leads the HR and Health and Safety function at Opsydia and provides essential support for the efficient running of core administrative functions including logistics and team support, supported by a Level 5 Diploma from the CIPD in People Management. 

Eusebiu Sutu

Software Engineer

Eusebiu joined Opsydia in 2023 as a Software Engineer intern and later in 2024 as a full-time Software Engineer after submitting his thesis as part of a DPhil in interdisciplinary bioscience at the University of Oxford.

His previous work focused on correcting for the change in transmission of multi-mode optical fibres using adaptive optics for use in in-vivo biological imaging. As part of this work, he has also investigated a different approach in simulating Bragg gratings inside of multi-mode optical fibres.

As a Software Engineer here, Eusebiu is focusing on creating control software based on computer vision for automating processes in Opsydia’s products. However, his engineering and optics background allows for his contributions to not be restricted to strictly Software.

Craig Wall

Senior Production Engineer

Craig graduated from The University Of West London in 2018 with an MSc in Digital Audio Engineering. Since then he has worked in R&D for the Pro Audio Industry, and enjoys playing music in his spare time. He joined the company in 2022, and is responsible for optimising production output and contributing to electrical design.

Polina Zavyalova

Optical Engineer

Polina joined us in 2025, following 10 years of research in varied fields of Physics at the University of Toronto, with a Ph.D incoming in early 2026. Polina’s research spanned across femtosecond laser fabrication of fibre-based photonic devices, beam shaping and adaptive optics, optical system design, and photonic simulation for astronomical instrumentation.

At Opsydia, Polina addresses challenging problems within R&D to realise the full potential of our complex technology by deploying cutting edge techniques to support applications and real world problems.

Munya Ziyenge

Senior Systems Engineer

Munya joined us in 2023 bringing over 10 years’ experience of research, design and engineering of laser micro machining systems. Holding an MSc in Physics, his knowledge spans from laser process development and optics to sub-system integration.
As a Systems Engineer here, Munya contributes to the early-stage research and development of our systems along with supporting commissioning of our laser systems deployed worldwide.