Discovering Minds

Alan Abrahams,associate professor of business information technology, has developed two software innovations that have attracted significant commercial interest. The Virginia Tech Risk Assessment Process Tool for Online Reviews (VT RAPTOR) program is designed to identify potential safety concerns from customer reviews and has garnered attention from over 10 companies within just five months of its disclosure.

Michael Bartlett,associate professor of mechanical engineering, developed adhesion technologies, which has garnered strong interest from industry leaders and has sponsored research and licensing agreements in progress.

Dong Dong,associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, is pioneering numerous innovations patented through the industry partners program with the Center for Power Electronics Systems. He is named as the inventor on 36 invention disclosures.

Jeff Reed, the Willis G. Worcester Professor, brings extensive experience in commercializing innovation and is collaborating with corporate partners to advance wireless technologies integral to modern electronics. In December, he was named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

Robert Canfield,professor of aerospace and ocean engineering: Through his company, Golden Section LLC, he successfully licensed the QUADRA Risk Assessment software that enables drone operators to evaluate mission risk by analyzing flight paths, aircraft specifications, and environmental factors.

Richard Hanowski,senior research scientist, and Carl Cospel, hardware engineering lab director, both of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, are co-founders of Motorcycle Safety Solutions and developing the Motorcycle Collision-Alert and Management System to enhance motorcycle safety globally.

Alan Michaels,professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Virginia Tech National Security’s Spectrum Dominance Division, founded Portcullis Research, a start-up focused on enhancing supply chain and lifecycle security for physical documents, trusted sources, and routine business operations.

Ryan Senger,associate professor of biological systems engineering, co-founded Rametrix Technologies Inc., a Raman spectroscopy-based diagnostic start-up launched in 2019. The company has licensed five patent families from Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties and continues to innovate with ongoing advancements to the Rametrix platform.

Azahar Ali,assistant professor of animal sciences, is developing low-cost sensors for agricultural applications, such as animal health monitoring, plant nutrient tracking, and disease detection. He has submitted eight invention disclosures, holds multiple pending patents, and is actively working toward licensing his innovations for a future start-up.

Kevin Edgar,professor of sustainable biomaterials, has a proven track record of commercializing innovation, with over 20 technology disclosures to Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties. He has helped numerous students to transition innovations into internships and successful careers in the field.

Bryan Hsu,assistant professor of biological sciences, has developed multiple technologies in his lab that have attracted strong commercial interest and is actively working toward launching a start-up. His research broadly focuses on understanding and remodeling the gut microbiota and, in particular, discovering new phages and genetically engineering them for anti-bacterial and anti-virulence applications.

Anne Staples,associate professor of mechanical engineering, is developing a wearable drug delivery device poised to revolutionize mobile treatments such as diabetes management and chemotherapy. Recipient of a National Institutes of Health Trailblazer award, she has also attracted significant industry interest for the drug device and dialysis filter design.

Anbo Wang,the Clayton Ayre Professor of Electrical Computer Engineering, has over 30 technology disclosures during his career at Virginia Tech. His current startup supports university research and is negotiating a license for generated intellectual property.