Dr. Stolyarov was previously the interim CEO of AFFOA. Prior to AFFOA, he was an Assistant Group Leader in the Advanced Technology Division at MIT Lincoln Laboratory (MIT LL) where his work focused on developing and transitioning next generation fiber devices into integrated systems and establishing the Defense Fabric Discovery Center (DFDC),  an advanced fiber technology prototyping facility. As part of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Stolyarov led AFFOA in its response to the crisis as a critical member on the Massachusetts Manufacturing Emergency Response Team, helping manufactures pivot to produce PPE, building new domestic supply chains, and organizing a distributed testing infrastructure in collaboration with MIT, MIT LL and UMass Lowell, which enabled rapid evaluation of PPE for the Commonwealth and manufacturers across the country.

Dr. Stolyarov conducted his graduate and postdoctoral training at MIT under Professor Yoel Fink, Professor of Materials Science and founder of AFFOA, where he developed advanced fiber fabrication capabilities. He earned a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University and a B.S. in Physics from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Dr. Stolyarov has co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and holds four US patents in the emerging field of advanced functional fibers. For his contributions in nucleating and growing advanced fiber technology as a core capability at MIT LL, Sasha received the 2017 MIT LL Early Career Technical Achievement Award, a recognition of significant technical contributions by individuals under the age of 35.