Chris Haase

Dr. Chris Haase is the Founder, President, and CEO of Gadolyn, Inc., a DARPA-backed, R&D 100 Award-winning company pioneering a generational leap in alloy production. Gadolyn’s proprietary platform directly co-reduces rare-earth and transition-metal oxides into finished alloys in a single step, delivering more than 95% lower costs, over 95%. Chris brings more than 25 years of executive leadership across critical materials, energy, defense and innovation. He is a Department of Energy Oppenheimer Fellow and a former Department of Defense Fellow at the University of Chicago. As Director of the DOE Critical Materials Institute at Ames National Laboratory, he led the $250M innovation hub spanning national laboratories, universities, and industry to mitigate supply-chain risk for clean energy and national security. He also has extensive experience in corporate venture capital and technology commercialization. At Aramco Ventures, Chris directed investments in hydrogen, energy-transition materials, and advanced manufacturing. Earlier, he helped launch new businesses at GE Ventures and Shell Technology Ventures, and began his venture career at BTG Ventures, an IP-focused early-stage venture capital fund and IP licensing company. These roles gave him deep expertise in moving early-stage science into scalable businesses while balancing technical diligence with investment strategy. At Shell International, Chris held multiple senior global roles. As Chief of Staff to the CTO, he supported execution and management of R&D programs and advised across more than 30 technology platforms. Later, as Principal Venture Planning & Implementation Advisor, he developed joint venture strategies and implementation plans for Shell’s upstream businesses worldwide, including major divestments and new country entries. He also played a key role in launching Shell Ventures Fund 2, expanding Shell’s corporate venture portfolio. Chris holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago, an MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management, and a B.S. in Mathematics from Ohio State University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa.