Research & Innovation Week
Research and Innovation Week is hosted annually to highlight and celebrate the achievements of SMU's research community. Monday and Friday are organized by the Office of Research and Innovation, with information and agenda below. For additional information and agenda for the Moody School's events, see this page.
If you would like lunch on Friday, please
Questions? Contact oriresearch@smu.edu
Monday, March 31st - 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Light Refreshments provided
Opening Session - 8:45 to 10:15
9:00 - “AI for antibiotic discovery: A new tool to address an urgent challenge"
Keynote speaker: Dr. Akhila Kosaraju
Dr. Kosaraju is CEO and President of Phare Bio Inc. She received her M.D. from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and her B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University.
She has spent her career building companies and driving innovation in infectious disease and computational biology. She was most recently Co-Founder & CEO of Variant Bio, a venture-backed company specializing in genomics and therapeutic development, and an executive with SIGA Technologies, an antiviral drug developer that successfully advanced antiviral drug candidates to market.
During her tenure, SIGA achieved FDA approval for a novel smallpox antiviral and worked in partnership with the CDC, BARDA and DoD to deliver 2 million courses to the US Strategic National Stockpile. Dr. Kosaraju was a White House appointee in the Pentagon, serving as the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. In this capacity, she provided executive leadership in the management of a $50 billion Military Health System that included healthcare for military service members, biodefense, and international humanitarian assistance.
She received the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service, the highest non-career civilian honor given within the Department of Defense. She has been a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Materials Technical Advisory Committee for the Department of Commerce, co-founded the Alliance to End Biological Threats, and is a Lecturer at Stanford's Center for Biosecurity and Pandemic Resilience.
9:30 - Talk with Dr. Neena Imam
Director of SMU O’Donnell Data Science and Research Computing Institute
Coffee Break
Spotlight Research Panel - 10:30 to 12:00
Dr. Stephen Arrowsmith, Department of Earth Sciences
Prof. Monika Ehrman, Professor of Law
Dr. Amin Salehi-Kojin, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Friday, April 4th - 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Light Refreshments and lunch provided
Technology Innovations - 9:00 to 10:20
“Development of a Pressurized Sand Damper for Seismic Protection of Structures"
Dr. Nicos Makris
“MathFinder / talkSTEM"
Dr. Candace Walkington
“From Medicines to Sport Supplements: Innovative Materials Chemistry"
Dr. Tom Runcevski
Spotlight on Commercialization - 10:40 to 12:00
“Fostering Entrepreneurship at SMU"
Mr. Joshua Taylor, Executive Director, William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership
“Quantum Photonics for Cybersecurity"
Dr. Wil Oxford - Anametric, Inc.
“Lighting the Path for the Democratization of Healthcare in Type II Diabetes"
Mr. Steven Kirchof - CureGrail, Inc.
Lunch
Lunch will be provided between the two sessions, at about 12:00.
Food will be limited, please to get priority.
Welcome & update - 1:00 to 1:15
Texoma Tech Hub Workforce Development Panel - 1:15 to 2:15
Jennifer Dworak
Professor, 91ƬSϼ
Suzanne Hill
Director of Research and Development, STRIKE Photonics
Manoj Kutty
CEO, Greenlight Credentials
Paul Pinsukanjana
Vice President of Technology, IntelliEPI
Texoma Tech Hub Commercialization Panel - 2:30 to 3:45
James Grimsley
Regional Innovation Officer, Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub
Jan Jungmann
Director of Business Retention and Workforce Development, Allen Economic Development Corporation
Linda McMahon
Chief Executive Officer, Dallas Economic Development Corp.
Jenny Mizutowicz
Director of Economic Development and Sustainability Liaison, University of Texas at Dallas
Conclusion & Reception - 3:45 PM
A light snack reception will follow the conclusion of the program