Industry

Membrane treatment expert joins Aqua Membranes as chief technology officer

Oct. 27, 2021

Christopher “CJ” Kurth brings more than 25 years of experience to the startup.

Aqua Membranes, the developer of Printed Spacer Technology for water filtration, announced the addition of Christopher “CJ” Kurth as chief technology officer.

A 25-year veteran of the membrane separation industry, Kurth embarked on his new role Sept. 20, overseeing technology development, intellectual property (IP) creation and defense, production and quality control.

“We are grateful CJ has chosen Aqua Membranes as the next step in his professional career,” said CEO Craig Beckman. “He’s had decades of experience and a proven track record of success in the reverse osmosis membrane market with new and innovative technologies. His customer knowledge and experience will be invaluable as we launch new products for various applications.”

A Minnesota native, Kurth has previously held leadership roles at privately held and publicly traded companies well-known in the water sector, including: Osmonics, GE Water, NanoH2O, Nanostone Water, and Solecta. He’s been awarded 26 U.S. patents over the course of his career, leading teams from early-stage lab work through full-scale commercial launches. Kurth has also been involved in the hiring, training, and laboratory setup for new membrane research and development groups across the U.S., as well as abroad in China and Germany. He has extensive experience in IP strategy development and portfolio management, corporate strategy planning, and technology licensing.

Beckman added, “As a startup, we are constantly looking at ways we can improve, from making tweaks to our technology or operational improvements. We are confident CJ’s technical expertise will accelerate innovations and enhance customer value at Aqua Membranes.”

Kurth earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees in chemistry from the University of Minnesota.