Eric M. V. Hoek, Ph.D.
Co-Founder · CEO · Inventor
Membrane scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, and UCLA professor. His work spans membrane research and commercialization, including founding roles at NanoH2O, PolyCera, and Active.
Company
Membrane science.
Focused on demanding applications.
NEXT TFX develops compaction-resistant reverse osmosis membranes for desalination, brine concentration, and application-specific industrial separations.
UCLA ORIGINS
Advance the material.
Qualify the application.
The TFX platform grew from membrane research at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The company portfolio includes seawater and brine-concentration elements, with flat-sheet membrane for OEM integration.
UCLA Magnify describes the company’s thin-film crosslinking chemistry and thermoset composite structure as patent-pending. (UCLA Magnify, 2026)
Our technical conversations begin with the customer’s feed, required separation, and operating duty.
FOUNDING TEAM
Science, operations, and membrane development.
Pat O’Brien, MBA
Co-Founder · VP Operations
Leads business and commercial operations. A U.S. military veteran with an MBA from UCLA Anderson.
Minhao Xiao, Ph.D.
Co-Founder · Sr. Membrane Scientist
Leads membrane product development and manufacturing, connecting membrane formulation with the company’s product-development pathway.
WORK WITH NEXT TFX
Bring a defined technical challenge.
Operators & integrators
Evaluate a seawater, industrial, or brine-concentration duty.
Request evaluationMEMBRANE EVALUATION · PROTOTYPE ELEMENTS · PILOT PARTNERSHIPS
Start with your water. Define the opportunity.
Share the feed, flow rate, temperature, recovery target, and product-water requirement. We will help scope an application-specific evaluation.