The Biospection Team
We’re building a diverse team of staff, advisors, and collaborators who share a vision for a better world—one with sustainable sources of food and medicine for everyone.
Dr. Andy Ragone
Founder and Chief Technology Officer
Prior to forming Biospection, Dr. Ragone enjoyed a 35-year career at DuPont where his work was focused on developing process measurement systems to support Dupont businesses through improved productivity and safety. For 11 years leading up to his retirement in 2016, Dr. Ragone dedicated much of his work on developing optical inspection systems to analyze plants, seeds, embryos, and foods aimed at predicting quality and improving yields.
With a passion for scientific innovation and environmental sustainability, Dr. Ragone quickly recognized the need for real-time crop monitoring systems to support a rapidly growing indoor agriculture industry. Compelled to continue his work after his retirement, he acquired much of the technology he developed previously, and formed Biospection (previously known as Spekciton Biosciences) in 2017.
Dr. Ragone holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Physics from Boston University and a Ph.D in Chemical Physics from the University of Chicago. He and his wife live in Wilmington, Delaware.
Dr. Aaron Owens, Senior Scientist
Senior Scientist, Applied Statistics and Data Mining
Dr. Aaron J. Owens joined Biospection in 2018. He also currently serves as an Instructor of Predictive Analysis and Data Mining for the University of Delaware’s Professional and Continuing Studies program, and is a freelance consultant on Data Mining for chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. Similar to Dr. Ragone, Dr. Owens retired from DuPont following a 35-year career specializing in mathematical modeling of chemical systems, color modeling, supercomputing, applied statistics, and data mining. Prior to his retirement in 2015, he served as a technology leader for both the company’s Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics groups, and was the founder of DuPont’s Data Mining efforts.
Before joining DuPont in 1980, Dr. Owens taught physics, astrophysics and mathematics at Lake Forest College, Kenyon College and the University of Delaware. He also served as a Senior Research Fellow in Physics, Budapest, Hungary for the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Owens holds a Bachelor of Science with highest honors in Physics from Williams College and a Masters of Science and a Ph.D in theoretical physics and economics from California Institute of Technology.
Biospection Collaborators
Join us
Feeling a connection to our mission? Biospection is on the cusp of growth. We need talented scientists and other professionals to drive our business forward. Please contact us if you’d like to discuss career opportunities or collaborations.