UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Four emerging leaders in science and innovation have been selected as the inaugural fellows in Penn State’s Next-Gen Innovators Fellowship program, an initiative designed to close critical training gaps in research translation and technology commercialization.
Launched by Penn State’s Office of Technology Transfer (OTT), the one-year, paid fellowship offers graduate students and early-career professionals the opportunity to gain cross-sector experience through hands-on rotations in a university technology transfer office, a venture capital firm and a technology-based startup.
“The Next-Gen Innovators Fellowship is more than a training program, it’s a workforce development model that integrates the full commercialization pipeline,” said Bin Yan, associate vice president for research and director of OTT. “Our goal is to develop future leaders who can move discoveries from the lab to real-world impact.”
The inaugural cohort includes a tenured faculty member, a recent doctoral graduate and two current Penn State graduate students:
- Amir Sheikhi, associate professor of chemical engineering and Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Biomaterials and Regenerative Engineering
- Cierra Chandler, a doctoral graduate in biomedical sciences
- Xin Xin, graduate student in engineering science and mechanics
- Amin Javidanbardan, graduate student in chemical engineering
Fellows will begin the year with a four-month rotation in the OTT, learning technology assessment, patenting procedures and licensing strategies. They will then rotate through Ben Franklin Technology Partners, a State College-based venture organization focused on early-stage investment and economic development. The fellowship concludes with a placement in a startup company, providing exposure to business operations and go-to-market strategy.
Some fellows may also complete a rotation with the university relations team at a Philadelphia-based venture capital firm, gaining insight into how investors evaluate innovation and manage academic partnerships.
“This fellowship bridges the silos that typically separate tech transfer, venture capital and startups,” said Brad Swope, associate director of OTT. “We’re excited to work with this first cohort and to help them develop the skills and networks they need to lead in the innovation economy.”
Fellows began the program in June and are expected to complete their rotations over a 48-week period.