ThermAvant International

ThermAvant International (TAI) emerged as a spinoff from ThermAvant Technologies (TAT), originally established in 2007 by Bill Ma, Joe Boswell, and Bin Wu.

TAT, a pioneer in oscillating heat pipes (OHPs), has become a global leader, driven by Dr. Ma's research funded by NSF, ONR, AFRL, and DARPA. TAT's innovations have revolutionized aerospace engineering, earning the 2018 R&D 100 Award. Under Mr. Boswell's leadership, TAT supplies top defense companies like Boeing and Space-X, with 85 employees and $12.5 million in revenue in 2023. Presently, TAT boasts a workforce of about 85 employees, headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, with an additional subdivision in San Francisco, California.

In November 2016, TAI was created to differentiate consumer products from military applications. Utilizing advanced heat transfer technologies from Professor Ma and his team, TAI focuses on bringing efficient thermal solutions to enhance consumer quality of life. Dr. Ma serves as CEO, Mr. Boswell as president, and Mr. Baojun Wu as a board member.

Bill Ma

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

An accomplished researcher and academic leader, Bill Ma now drives innovation and sets strategic direction across ThermAvant’s research endeavors. Bill has secured $8.2 million in research projects funded by prestigious organizations such as the NSF, DoE, ONR, DARPA, NIH, Intel, Dell, ORNL, ExxonMobil, Northrop Grumman, Foxconn, and the Rockwell Science Center. He has an impressive portfolio of 320 publications, including 162 journal papers, 1 book, and 7 book chapters. Additionally, he holds 21 patents (granted and pending), underscoring his significant contributions to the field. Bill is a professor at the University of Missouri - Columbia, where he serves as the department chair for Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and is the director of the MultiPhysics Energy Center in the College of Engineering. His extensive experience and leadership continue to drive the company’s success and reputation in thermal research and technology.