About Us

Resonant Sensors Incorporated (RSI) was founded by Debra Wawro (CEO) and Robert Magnusson (CTO) in December 2004. The innovative sensor technology that is core to all RSI products applies proprietary guided-mode resonance sensing methods invented by RSI founders, and is exclusively licensed to RSI from the University of Texas at Arlington. In this approach, nanostructured resonant sensors are illuminated with light and the optical response is tracked in real time as a biochemical interaction occurs. Bioselective receptors (such as antibodies, aptamers, peptides, DNA/RNA and others) are immobilized on the sensor surface using industry-standard surface chemistries. The binding interaction between the immobilized receptor layer and its target analyte causes changes that can be monitored directly, without the need for chemical labels (such as fluorescence, absorption or others). Test time is limited solely by the chemical binding dynamics between the receptor and its target.

RSI has received small business innovative research (SBIR) grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, as well as Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project grants from Health and Human Services. RSI is the recipient of a State of Texas Emerging Technology fund award to support the commercial development of its novel sensor products. Additionally, RSI received a U.S. Department of Commerce “Recognition of Excellence in Innovation” certificate on August 9, 2007. This honorary award acknowledges the high commercial potential of the new sensor technology developed by RSI in the biomedical and industrial markets.

Key Management

Debra Wawro (Chief Executive Officer)

Co-Founder, and inventor of key sensor technology under development by Resonant Sensors Incorporated. Ms. Wawro has led the company fulltime as Chief Executive Officer since 2006. Prior to co-founding RSI, she held Operations/Commodity Management and R&D Management positions in the Telecommunication industry at Marconi Networks and Tellabs. She has also led a research lab analyzing and developing drug delivery methods for chemotherapeutic agents at UTSW Medical Center at Dallas, Department of Head and Neck Surgery. She received BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering from UT Arlington, and has several pending and issued patents.

Robert Magnusson (Chief Technical Officer)

Co-founder and inventor of the biosensor technology developed and commercialized by Resonant Sensors Incorporated. Dr. Magnusson is a recognized pioneer in guided-mode resonance technology research and scholarship. He holds the Texas Instruments Distinguished University Chair in Nanoelectronics at the University of Texas-Arlington. He has authored over 300 publications and has more than 15 pending and issued patents. He received the Ph. D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.