Rob Marano and Dr. Simon Ben-Avi have extracted their research on identity management and started a new company, Falkin Systems, to commercialize their solutions, namely the Falkin "Universal Authentication Platform"(tm) or Falkin Card, the Falkin "Trusted Authority Service" (tm), and the Falkin "Digital Identity Rights Process"(tm)... They continue to affiliate Falkin with The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (www.cooper.edu) in NYC, where Simon serves as the Associate Dean of Engineering, and Rob as an adjunct associate professor of electrical and computer engineering....

He previously served as the Director of Emerging Software Technologies at PwC’s Global Technology Centre. At PwC he provided technical and operational improvement with strategic product advice to software vendor clients in the infrastructure and security management industries. In addition, he researched and developed thought leadership aimed at fortifying the vendors’ competitive advantage in the market. He has specifically advised on PwC’s security projects and providing guidance to leading vendors, such as Computer Associates, Brother International, Verizon, BellSouth, and Sygate.

Rob has deep experience in developing early stage companies from start-up to IPO, having served several key roles in development, professional services, and sales. At Micromuse, Rob helped to open the US application development division, where he was tasked by the board to commercialize three infrastructure management solutions he designed and developed while a lead systems architect at Merrill Lynch in the mid-1990s. Moreover, Rob had served as a lead software engineer at Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Labs, as well as a satellite electronics engineer at GE AstroSpace. Rob holds a bachelors from The Cooper Union and a masters degree from The University of Pennsylvania, both in electrical and computer engineering.

In order to keep up with the state of the art while giving back to his alma mater, as an adjunct associate professor Rob has been lecturing both undergraduate and graduate courses at The Cooper Union since 1996, concentrating on electrical, electronics and computer engineering. Rob remains an advisory board member on several software start-ups, including Network Analytics, InstaKnow, and Montegue Systems.