Office of Innovation News
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Iowa Innovation Leadership Fellows Announced for 2025-2026
Monday, July 28, 2025
12 graduate trainees have been selected from a competitive pool of outstanding applicants to participate in the Iowa Innovation Leadership Fellows Program, a year-long educational experience designed to immerse them in the dynamic world of healthcare innovation.
Siddhanth’s Path from Mumbai to Monoclonal Antibodies
Friday, July 25, 2025
Siddhanth Hejmady’s journey into pharmaceutical sciences started back in Mumbai, where his passion for chemistry and biology led him to pursue pharmacy in undergrad. He describes it as the perfect intersection of both fields: how drugs are made, formulated, and ultimately used to help people.
Biomanufacturing In Real Life
Friday, July 25, 2025
If you’re unsure of your career path but interested in science, medicine, or making a difference, biomanufacturing might be the field you didn’t know you were looking for. Just ask Dr. James Byrne, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Iowa, who combines patient care with lab research to bridge the gap between science and real-world impact.
Ashley Cooney’s Path from Student to Faculty
Monday, July 21, 2025
Ashley Cooney, Ph.D., didn’t just attend the University of Iowa — she built her entire academic and professional life here. From undergraduate student to postdoctoral scholar, and now a faculty member and 2024–2025 Iowa Innovation Leadership Fellow, Cooney’s journey proves that sometimes staying in one place can lead to remarkable growth.
Winners announced in the John Pappajohn Student Entrepreneurial Venture Competition
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Iowa Innovation Leadership Fellowship Alumni Michal Brzus and Emmanuel Akor both received $500.
Organic chemistry with an entrepreneurial outlook
Monday, April 28, 2025
Vishuka Pathirana, a second-year doctoral student in chemistry at the University of Iowa, addresses global issues by starting at the molecular level.
Carver College of Medicine GAP Fund awards $85,000 to five faculty and staff teams
Friday, March 28, 2025
The Carver College of Medicine GAP Fund has awarded a total of $85,000 to five faculty and staff teams to advance the development of innovative medical devices and health software.
From Metalworking to Medical Innovation: The Journey of Protostudios Prototype Engineer, Mike Sneller
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
When you first step into a prototyping lab, you might not expect to find an artist at the helm. But at Protostudios, Prototype Engineer Mike Sneller has proven that a fine arts background can be a powerful catalyst for medical innovation.
Bringing nurses’ innovations to life
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Iowa Nurse Innovators, a program within the University of Iowa Office of Innovation, empowers inventive nurses to create solutions improving patient safety, workflow efficiencies, and effectiveness in hospitals across the state.
Media Highlights
UI, Iowa City Downtown District host first event in First Round Series
Thursday, February 19, 2026
After announcing the partnership on Feb. 10, the first event in the series was held at the Prairie Lights Cafe with UI associate professor Robert Cargill.
Iowa City Downtown District partners with University of Iowa on First Round, monthly networking series
Friday, February 13, 2026
The Iowa City Downtown District has partnered with the University of Iowa Office of Innovation to bring university researchers into its First Round monthly networking series.
Student researcher studying new hormone treatments to improve care for uterine cancer patients
Friday, January 2, 2026
Upcoming Events
Food Truck Tuesdays at the Iowa Research Park
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 11:30am to 1:30pm
Food Truck Tuesdays feature a rotating lineup of local food trucks on the third Tuesday of each month, May through October, at the BioVentures Center.
