Co-Founder & CEO

Stephen Buchanan is a CPA, Green Beret, and Harvard MBA. After letting go of his dream to become a professional basketball player, Stephen began his career as a CPA in Chattanooga, TN. Seeking a greater sense of mission, he joined the U.S. Army. Stephen spent two years as a paratrooper stationed in Italy before earning a place among the U.S. Army Special Forces. As a Green Beret, he spent time throughout the Middle East, working closely and developing relationships with partner nation special operations forces.

Following his military service, Stephen began his MBA at Harvard Business School and will graduate in May 2026. Building on a family legacy of entrepreneurship, Stephen is the founder and the CEO of Bandelier Technologies.

Stephen currently lives in Boston with his wife and their two daughters, and they are making plans to move to northern New Mexico in the near future. Together, they share a love for the outdoors and active adventures.

Co-Founder & Head of Growth

Josh Heebner serves as Head of Growth at Bandelier Technologies, where he leads commercialization strategy, partnerships, and business development. As a former U.S. Army Special Forces Medic (18D) and Duke MBA, Josh brings operational and leadership experience to Bandelier’s mission of advancing quantum sensing technologies for defense and healthcare.

Josh and Stephen first served together in the 5th Special Forces Group, completing multiple combat deployments together. He spent ten years on active duty before transitioning off active duty.

Outside of work, Josh is a black belt in Judo, husband, and father of three.

Senior Research Scientist

Adriana brings over 20 years of experience in lasers, photonics instrumentation, and electro-optical systems development. She has expertise in advancing complex sensing technologies from laboratory concept through environmental testing and field or flight deployment.

Previously at Southwest Sciences, Adriana oversaw experimental and environmental testing that matured six tunable-laser trace-gas technology-demonstration units for JPL/NASA; four of those units are currently operating on the International Space Station. Before that, she was the LIBS laboratory manager at Los Alamos National Laboratory and an integral contributor to the JPL/NASA/LANL teams that developed the ChemCam and SuperCam instruments flown on the Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers. Also at LANL she developed a novel tunable external-cavity quantum- cascade laser (EC-QCL) for remote trace-gas interrogation. Adriana was a key developer of the OrganiCam instrument for remote detection of organics, recognized with an R&D 100 Award.

Adriana earned her M.S. in Physics from the University of Wisconsin, where she studied and characterized quantum-well lasers. She holds a B.S. in Physics with minors in Astronomy and Russian from the University of Arizona.

Adriana is a dedicated outreach mentor promoting and supporting girls’ interests in STEM fields. Adriana is co-author of over 40 conference and journal publications.

She is an avid tennis player and enjoys baking exquisite pizzas and sourdough bread.

Staff Scientist

Moises "Felipe" Silva is a computer scientist specializing in computational imaging, computer vision, machine learning, and sensing systems. His work focuses on developing imaging technologies and algorithms that combine advanced optics with AI to address challenging problems in defense, national security, and civil infrastructure.

Prior to joining Bandelier, Felipe was a Research Associate at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), where he developed algorithms for inverse neural rendering, neuromorphic imaging, and high-speed scene reconstruction. His research combined physics-based modeling with machine learning to extract information from complex optical measurements, enabling new approaches for dynamic scene understanding, structural diagnostics, and scientific imaging.

Earlier in his career, Felipe was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Italy, where he conducted research on intelligent optical networks, software-defined networking, network automation, and Internet of Things (IoT) systems. His interdisciplinary background spans computational imaging, sensing, communications, and artificial intelligence, enabling him to bridge hardware development with advanced algorithms.

At Bandelier, Felipe leads the development of imaging algorithms and sensing technologies for computational imaging, quantum imaging, embedded vision, and related sensing applications. His technical interests include inverse problems, physics-informed machine learning, neural rendering, and computer vision.

Felipe received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Federal University of Pará, Brazil. He has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed journal and conference publications, is an inventor on multiple patents, and has received multiple international awards for his contributions to advanced imaging. He collaborates with partners across government laboratories, academia, and industry to transition new sensing technologies into practical applications.

Staff Scientist

Savannah Cuozzo is a Staff Scientist at Bandelier Technologies with over eight years of experience in quantum sensing and science communication. 

She earned her Ph.D. in Physics from William & Mary, where her research focused on quantum imaging using squeezed light and inertial sensing based on nonlinear optics. Savannah previously served as a postdoctoral appointee at Sandia National Laboratories, leading work on quantum-enhanced spectroscopy and distributed quantum sensing using frequency-entangled light. At Bandelier, she focuses on scientific project development and technical communication. 

Outside of work, Savannah enjoys baking, painting, and spending time with her energetic toddler.

Staff Scientist

Jose Catalan is a Staff Scientist at Bandelier Technologies, where he conducts experimental research in quantum optics, photonics, and sensing technologies. Jose earned his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Colorado State University, with a focus on lasers and optical engineering. His graduate research centered on the hands-on development and alignment of optical and laser-based systems, spanning nonlinear and quantum optics, spectroscopy, and applications in biomedical imaging, reflecting a multidisciplinary background at the intersection of physics and engineering.

Prior to joining Bandelier, Jose led laboratory and field experiments involving advanced instrumentation, data acquisition systems, and energetic materials testing programs.

Jose is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Outside of work, he enjoys photography, hiking, and exploring new places, often drawing inspiration from the landscapes and cultures of the Southwest.

Electrical Technician

Sergio Arvizu is an Electrical Technician at Bandelier Technologies. Sergio is a recent graduate of the Quantum Technician Bootcamp through CNM Ingenuity. Through this specialized training, he developed valuable technical skills in emerging quantum technologies, bringing a unique blend of hands-on experience and technical expertise to the Bandelier team.

He was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM and is currently a full-time student at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with intentions to transfer to the University of New Mexico (UNM).

Prior to joining Bandelier, Sergio served eight years in the US Army as an 11C Indirect Fire Infantryman. During his military career, he spent much of his time in Europe, working alongside NATO allies and supporting multinational training and operational missions.

Outside of work and school, Sergio enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and exploring new experiences and destinations.