Sean Christiansen was the Associate Director at the UCF Venture Accelerator where he provides coaching and mentoring to Central Florida startup companies. With ten years of experience working in high technology industries as well as multiple degrees in engineering, Dr. Christiansen specializes in supporting early-stage high technology companies with particular emphasis supporting those seeking seed-stage financing.Dr. Christiansen’s work experience includes working within the defense contractor community on trace explosives detection as well as hands-on research in the fuel cell and hydrogen generation industry where he currently maintains active ties. As a native Floridian, Sean is an advocate of Florida-based alternative energy and has served on the Florida Hydrogen Business Partnership, the Florida Energy Commission Advisory Group on Renewable Energy, and Florida Solar Energy Center's Policy Advisory Board.Dr. Christiansen graduated with honors from the University of Notre Dame and earned a Bachelor's of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1996. In 2001, Dr. Christiansen received a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara.