Charles L. Cooney, Ph.D. Independent Director since 1983 Dr. Cooney is a professor of chemical and biochemical engineering, faculty director for the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation, and co-director of the program on the pharmaceutical industry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Cooney joined the MIT faculty as an assistant professor in 1970 and became a professor in 1982. Dr. Cooney is a director of Polypore International, Inc., a global high technology manufacturer of specialized polymer-based membranes used in separation and filtration processes. He is also a principal of BioInformation Associates Inc., a consulting company.