UCI Beall Applied Innovation's New 2021-2022 Faculty Innovation Fellows
18 Faculty Members Selected as Fellows to Serve as Ambassadors of Innovation 
IRVINE, Calif., January 21, 2021– Eighteen UC Irvine (UCI) faculty members have been selected to join the Faculty Innovation Fellows program at UCI Beall Applied Innovation (BAI) for 2021-2022.
The faculty members were selected based on their record of translating research discovery into applications that impact society and their commitment to enhancing UCI’s culture of innovation.
As part of the two-year appointment, Fellows serve as ambassadors of UCI’s innovation culture across the campus and community. They participate in a distinguished lecture series, focused workshops and retreats and are introduced to BAI’s network of resources, which includes access to a newly-created advisor network. They receive a stipend, participate in peer-to-peer learning and are encouraged to advise and motivate colleagues interested in translating their own work into application.
“This is designed to accelerate innovation out of the lab and into the marketplace,” said Richard Sudek, Ph.D., executive director, Beall Applied Innovation and chief innovation officer, UCI. “It creates a unique platform for faculty members from various backgrounds and disciplines to share their knowledge, learn together and trigger new ideas and innovation paths.”
The program is a unique, university-wide resource and each year a new cohort is recruited to bring together individuals, who may not have interacted before, to pursue collaborations. This second cohort of new fellows will join the program’s first cohort, which was recognized in January 2020. With the addition of the second cohort, the program now has 35 faculty members from across campus.
This second cohort brings a wealth of talent and diversity to the program. Here are the 2021-2022 Faculty Innovation Fellows:
- Maksim Plikus, Professor | School of Biological Sciences
- Nia Dowell, Assistant Professor | School of Education
- Mo Li, Associate Professor |Henry Samueli School of Engineering
- Alex Borucki, Associate Professor | School of Humanities
- Theresa Tanenbaum, Assistant Professor | Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences
- Yama Akbari, Assistant Professor | School of Medicine
- Kevin Beier, Assistant Professor | School of Medicine
- Hamid Djalilian, Professor | School of Medicine
- Michael Oh, Professor | School of Medicine
- Raj Vyas, Associate Professor | School of Medicine
- Shawn Xiang, Associate Professor | School of Medicine
- Young Jik Kwon, Professor | School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Shane Ardo, Associate Professor | School of Physical Sciences
- Matthew Harding, Professor | School of Social Sciences
- John Crawford, Professor | Claire Trevor School of the Arts
- Holly Poe Durbin, Professor | Claire Trevor School of the Arts
- Vincent Olivieri, Professor | Claire Trevor School of the Arts
- Kelli Sharp, Assistant Professor | Claire Trevor School of the Arts
“Innovation’s impact may well be demonstrated by an innovative product or service that bursts from the lab into the marketplace. It is frequently reflected in the emergence of a new startup company focused on transformational products,” said David Tiemeier, Ph.D., managing director of the Research Translation Group at BAI. “But, innovation takes many forms across UCI’s schools and this program helps to leverage that talent.”
For more information about UCI Beall Applied Innovation, please visit www.innovation.uci.edu.
About UCI Beall Applied Innovation
As a dynamic platform that supports and provides resources to faculty, innovators and entrepreneurs, UCI Beall Applied Innovation plays a critical role in building the modern and inclusive American Dream where UCI innovation meets industry to accelerate discoveries that matter, provide entrepreneurs what they need to succeed and help build a powerful and potent economy.
About the University of California, Irvine
Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.
SOURCE: UCI Beall Applied Innovation