Christopher Wark
Principal
Chris Wark has over 30 years of multidisciplinary engineering experience providing mechanical, analytical, and electronics support and services to manufacturers, universities, national labs, and building design firms. For the past 16 years, he has focused his efforts on the development and promotion of technical solutions for improving built environments. Chris is also Chief Executive of Ponix MicroAg LLC, a development stage micro-farming equipment startup.
In addition to founding Wark Energy Consulting, Chris has worked for engineering firms in New York and California, most recently as Associate with BuroHappold Engineering, managing the Analytics group in their New York office where he provided oversight and specialty analysis on 27 different projects. He also conducted several CFD studies, including modeling of hazardous chemical exhaust, fire and smoke exposure, and indoor and outdoor comfort. Previously, he provided energy analysis, CFD modeling and LEED consulting services for WSP, Vidaris, subsidiaries of the Integral Group, and served as a Technical Sales Manager for Mentor Graphics Mechanical Analysis Division (formerly Flomerics Inc.), offering CFD energy and air flow analysis solutions for engineers and architects. Projects at Flomerics included hospital patient room and OR studies for NIH as well as post-9/11 hazardous particle tracking.
In 2002, Chris established SHADE Consulting / Green Roof Innovations with his wife Wendy. With SHADE, Chris developed and marketed several innovative modular eco-roof systems, a roof system heat transfer and cost computer program, and conducted green roof system heat transfer analyses for 5 major cities and organizations. In 2010, he developed a modular planting system in partnership with Guiyang Chuangjia High-Tech Accelerator Co. LTD in Guiyang, China. Ponix MicroAg is essentially a continuation of this work.
Chris has also been involved in other thermodynamic related work, including advanced engine research and fuel cell system development at Caterpillar Inc. and laser development at Lawrence Livermore National Lab and 2 private research laser development companies. While at Caterpillar, Chris set up and managed their laser-based spray visualization lab. He has presented at numerous conferences, has several articles published on a wide variety of engineering topics, and has had the privilege of working directly with several universities, including Stanford’s Center for Integrated Facility Engineering (CIFE) program.
Chris holds Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering (with a minor in Materials Science Engineering) from Washington State University. His graduate work focused on fluid dynamics with specific research in the characterization of combustion in droplet-laden turbulent air flow using PDI size and velocity measurements of the spray and laser-based photographic techniques of the combustion process.
