Innovation Fellows’ Cohort for 2025 announced
Seven individuals, from six project teams, have been named 2025/2026 Eberly College of Science Innovation Fellows. This new program, offered by the college’s Office for Innovation with support from the Associate Dean for Research, supports researchers from across the University who are interested in translating research for the benefit of society. Translation is an early part of technology transfer where scientific discoveries are aligned to tangible solutions addressing societal challenges.
Fellows will be given instruction in evaluating, refining, validating, and planning the development of their project. Activities will be tailored for each project but will include individualized guidance from the Office for Innovation and an assigned industry mentor in addition to cohort instruction.
The 2025/2026 cohort of Innovation Fellows includes:
Moriah Szpara, professor of biology and biochemistry and molecular biology, plans to explore a testing service for virus genotyping for people suffering from communicable diseases.
Daisy Noe, a biology graduate student, and Hong Ma, professor of biology and the Huck Chair in plant reproductive development and evolution, are exploring their large database of endophyte sequencing data, microorganisms like bacteria or fungi that live within a plant but do not cause disease, to identify species that may be advantageous to helping plants grow or protecting them from pests and diseases.
Sam Eaton, a postdoctoral scholar in the lab of Joseph Cotruvo, professor of chemistry, aims to investigate proteins that have selective binding of critical minerals, which are important for modern manufacturing, clean energy, and national security.
Jean Paul Armache, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, is identifying substances that can aid sample preparation for Cryo-EM procedures, an imaging technique that uses samples cooled to cryogenic temperatures that can produce atomic-level resolution.
Julio Palma, associate professor of chemistry at Penn State Fayette The Eberly Campus, is exploring uses for his nanosensor research to detect pest presence in agricultural settings.
Yuki Fan, a chemistry graduate student, and Ben Lear, professor of chemistry, are exploring a new method to cure ultra-high-temperature ceramics, enabling their use in environments that demand exceptional thermal or mechanical stability.
Many researchers want to see their research adopted by society, but often these projects require structured guidance to turn their idea and into an actionable concept with a path to adoption. The Innovation Fellows Program aims to bridge this gap by offering hands-on training at the earliest stage of idea conception.
Over the fall and spring semester, researchers will learn how to explore potential use cases, examine the competition and market landscape, validate the market need, and identify the key experiments that need to be demonstrated. At the end of the program, Innovation Fellows will be well prepared to apply to Eberly’s Lab Bench to Commercialization Program or any other translational seed funding program.
Eberly College of Science researchers who are interested in learning more about the opportunities available through the Office for Innovation should contact Emily Kuhns, Director of the Office for Innovation.