Cohort 2021
Cohort 2020
Cohort 2019
JESSE ADAMS
Project: Synopic—A new perspective on smart imaging
Bio: Jesse Adams earned his Ph.D. in applied physics from Rice University where he designed and tested novel cameras using computational imaging for both photography and microscopy with applications ranging from three-dimensional imaging to recording neural activity to face detection. While at Rice University, he worked with Professor Ashok Veeraraghavan with whom he co-founded Synopic to continue developing ground-breaking, computationally driven imaging technology.
ADRIAN ALBERT
Project: Terrafuse—AI for climate and weather risk forecasting
Adrian Albert passed away on June 5, 2020.
Bio: Adrian Albert founded Terrafuse to improve climate and weather risk prediction infrastructure. Before that, he was a machine learning research scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, designing machine learning algorithms incorporating physical knowledge for scientific applications. Albert earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering at Stanford. At startup C3.ai, he worked on AI methods for energy and industrial systems.
AMIR ATABAKI
Project: NuSight Photonics—Accessible material analysis
Bio: Prior to founding NuSight Photonics, Amir Atabaki was a research scientist at Research Laboratory of Electronics, MIT, where he researched photonic and optoelectronic devices and microsystems for applications in communications, computing, sensing, and biomedical devices. He received his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech, where he did postdoctoral research on photonic devices and materials for optical signal processing in microwave-photonics microsystems. Atabaki received his M.S. and B.S. in electrical engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Iran.
CARA BEASLEY
Project: Aligned Carbon—Enabling 1000x improvements in computing
Bio: Cara Beasley is an expert in carbon materials, particularly single-walled carbon nanotube growth. As a process engineer at Applied Materials, she spent four years learning about the semiconductor industry and process tool development, while also continuing her work on new materials. Beasley holds a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Stanford University and a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
RAJ BHAKTA
Project: Funxion—From atoms to apparel
Bio: Raj Bhakta studied smart textiles in Jesse Jur’s research group at the North Carolina State University’s Wilson College of Textiles, where he and Funxion co-founder Hasan Shahariar earned their doctorates in fiber and polymer science. They honed the startup’s vision at the NSF-funded Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST) research center. Bhakta earned a B.S. in physics from the University of Texas-Austin and sees textiles as a huge white-space opportunity for innovation.
CHRISTINA BOVILLE
Project: Aralez Bio—Green enzymes for chemical manufacturing
Bio: Christina Boville received her bachelor's degree in molecular biology from the University of Colorado. After working at Amgen for two years, Boville returned to the University of Colorado and earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry in Hubert Yin's group. She then joined Nobel laureate Frances Arnold's lab at Caltech as a Resnick Prize Postdoctoral Fellow. Her current research focuses on using directed evolution to train enzymes that make useful products in a sustainable way.
CODY FINKE
Project: Brimstone Energy—Cleaner ways to make industry proven materials
Bio: Cody Finke earned a Ph.D. in environmental science and engineering under Prof. Michael Hoffmann at Caltech. His research has specialized in electrochemistry and techno-economic modeling of economically efficient ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Finke also helped commercialize an electrochemical wastewater treatment technology for applications in low-income countries.
PARKER GOULD
Project: Inchfab—Democratizing micro- and nanofabrication
Bio: Parker Gould completed his Ph.D. at MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratory last year. He received a B.S. in electrical engineering from Vanderbilt University, and a M.Phil. in micro- and nanotechnology enterprise from the University of Cambridge. At MIT, he focused on the design, development, and characterization of low-cost fabrication tools and processes for "more-than-Moore" micro- and nanoscale devices. He co-founded Inchfab in 2019 to commercialize these tools and capabilities and provide a new, flexible alternative to existing manufacturing options.
MITCHELL HSING
Project: Inchfab—Democratizing micro- and nanofabrication
Bio: Mitchell Hsing earned a Ph.D. in the Microsystems Technology Laboratory at M.I.T. Born and raised in California, Hsing completed his undergraduate education at the University of California, Irvine with a B.S. in electrical engineering and physics. At MIT. he focused on the development of a set of low-cost fabrication tools for the production of micro-/nano- devices. He co-founded Inchfab in 2019 to commercialize his research with the ultimate goal of changing the manufacturing paradigm of the microelectronic industry.
RYAN PEARSON
Project: Cypris Materials—Paintable optical coatings
Bio: Cypris Materials co-founder Ryan Pearson earned a Ph.D. in materials chemistry at Colorado State University, where his thesis work focused on synthetic polymer chemistry, catalysis, and computational directed discovery. Pearson's drive to lead a start-up is rooted in his efforts to promote green chemistry and bring sustainable technologies from academic ideas to market. Pearson earned a B.S. in chemistry from Penn State University.
J PROVINE
Project: Aligned Carbon—Enabling 1000x improvements in computing
Bio: J Provine is an expert in nanofabrication and interfacial engineering. His research is focused on future-generation electronic and optical devices, nano/micro-scale sensors for chemical, biological, and mechanical interactions, and energy conversion and storage. Provine worked as a senior research scientist at Stanford University for a decade. Prior to that, he held a post-doctoral fellowship at Berkeley Sensor Actuator Center. Provine received his Ph.D. at Cornell University and B.S./B.A. from Rice University.
MATTHEW RYAN
Project: Cypris Materials—Paintable optical coatings
Bio: Matthew Ryan earned a Ph.D. in materials chemistry at the Colorado State University. At Cypris Materials, he leads technical development of paintable nanostructured materials to enable do-it-yourself energy retrofitting. His expertise encompasses catalysis, organic chemistry, and polymer-based photonic crystal materials. He holds a B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
NISHITA DEKA
Project: Sonera Magnetics, Cohort 2018
Current Role: Co-founder and CEO, Sonera Magnetics
DOMINIC LABANOWSKI
Project: Sonera Magnetics, Cohort 2018
Current Role: Co-founder and CTO, Sonera Magnetics
MIGUEL SIERRA AZNAR
Project: Noble Thermodynamic Systems, Cohort 2018
Current Bio: Co-founder, Noble Thermodynamic Systems
DAVID BIERMAN
Project: Marigold Power, then Antora Energy, Cohort 2017
Current role: Co-founder, Antora Energy
ZACHARY SUN
Project: Synvitrobio, Cohort 2016
Current role: Chief Executive Officer, Tierra Biosciences (formerly Synvitrobio)
Project: Mosaic Materials, Cohort 2015
Current position: Manager, Advanced Materials, Apple
Project: Mosaic Materials, Cohort 2015
Current position: Chief Executive Officer, Mosaic Materials
Project: Spark Thermionics, Cohort 2015
Current role: Engineering Program Manager, Apple
Project: Spark Thermionics, Cohort 2015
Current role: Chief Executive Officer, Spark Thermionics
Project: polySpectra, Cohort 2015
Current role: Chief Executive Officer, polySpectra