Our Team

Founder & CEO

Margaret is the founder and CEO of Roca, where she leads the company's mission to redefine wastewater as a reliable feedstock for the production of essential minerals and nutrients. With a background in materials chemistry and a deep commitment to translating science into scalable impact, Margaret drives Roca’s vision, strategy, and partnerships across municipal, industrial, and agricultural sectors. She is an alumna of the Activate Fellowship, Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees, and the Principal Investigator on multiple SBIR awards. Margaret earned her PhD in Materials Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she conducted the foundational research that led to the formation of Roca. Prior to that, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Fun fact: Hiked to Machu Picchu, summited Half Dome, and visited six national parks last year.

Technology & Product Lead

Ethan Curling is the Founding Materials Scientist at Roca, where he optimizes material properties to enhance product performance, sustainability and scalability. Additionally, Ethan conducts in-depth market research to identify emerging trends, customer needs, and competitive opportunities in the materials landscape. His insights help align Roca’s R&D strategy with real-world demands, ensuring that innovations not only push technical boundaries but also address market gaps and drive business growth. Ethan earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley where he focused on exploiting the unique phase boundaries between perovskite nanocrystals to achieve near-unity optical performance. Prior to that, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Florida State University.
Fun fact: Rides motorcycles, loves camping, hiking to Everest Base Camp.

Electrochemical Engineer

Kelly is the Electrode Fabrication Engineer at Roca, where she develops high-performance electrodes that avoid the ecological harms of traditional battery materials. She leads Roca’s research into electrode processing techniques for affordable, sustainable, and durable ion separation. Kelly is a recipient of the Innovative Postdoctoral Entrepreneurial Research Fellowship and previously worked on electrolyzers for decarbonizing industrial processes. She earned her PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle, where she researched the electrochemical oxidation of urea for biomedical devices. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she committed to making environmental stewardship her life’s priority.

Fun fact: Kelly has never owned a car and prefers to bike, ride public transit, and walk.

Lab Technician

Javier Tapia is a Lab Technician at Roca, where he is scaling electrode fabrication and supports lab operations. Javier contributes to active material synthesis, electrochemical testing, and process optimization to help advance Roca’s sustainable recovery system. He is currently pursuing his Six Sigma Black Belt certification to strengthen his ability to minimize process variability and improve operational efficiency. Previously, he worked on scaling active material production for sodium-ion batteries. Javier earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from San Jose State University, where he focused on advancing energy storage systems and computational modeling.
Fun fact: After catering to his corgi, Javier tries to squeeze in a run, cheer for the Sharks, or experiments with homebrewing.

At Roca,
our team combines deep scientific expertise with bold systems thinking to create regenerative water systems.