Innovations at Research Park

Dr. Martinis is the Senior Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation at the University of Illinois, where she oversees a wide-ranging research and innovation portfolio that connects faculty, institutes, startups, and industry. She’s also a UIUC alumna whose career has taken her from the lab to startup environments to university leadership. In this episode, you'll hear how Illinois is building the future across interdisciplinary research, commercialization, and emerging technology areas.VISIT http://researchpark.illinois.edu/podcast/ for our entire catalog of episodes.

Kelsey Ortiz is the Co‑Founder and Head of Design at Photon Queue, a quantum hardware startup developing practical photonic quantum memories to store and synchronize single photons for next‑generation quantum communication, computing, and sensing systems.Photon Queue is a highly integrated member of the University of Illinois entrepreneurship ecosystem with investment from Illinois Ventures and physical presence in the EnterpriseWorks incubator at the Research Park. Photon Queue is also the first quantum-focused startup to spin out of UIUC through a licensing agreement developed with the Office of Technology Management at the university. Tune in to this episode to hear about Kelsey’s journey leading this startup, her ongoing Physics PhD, and her quantum experiment onboard the International Space Station. VISIT http://researchpark.illinois.edu/podcast/ for our entire catalog of episodes.

Dr. Ken Suslick is a highly regarded chemist, professor, and entrepreneur whose scientific discoveries have repeatedly become real-world products. Dr. Suslick has a prolific scholarly record with more than 500 published scientific papers and 70+ patents, and induction in the National Academy of Sciences, among many other accolades. He's a longtime faculty member at UIUC, and he’s also a highly successful serial entrepreneur with his latest venture, Iridescent Sensors, located here in the Research Park. VISIT http://researchpark.illinois.edu/podcast/ for our entire catalog of episodes.

Nancy Sullivan is CEO, Managing Director, and Managing Principal of Illinois Ventures, one of the longest-running and most active university-affiliated venture capital firms in the nation. Illinois Ventures and Research Park were both created by the University of Illinois 25 years ago to launch the new economic development mission that was added to the University. Illinois Ventures' campus office is located at EnterpriseWorks at the Research Park and has invested in many of the startups that have incubated there.Across Nancy’s career, she has played a key role in supporting entrepreneurship and helping translate innovation into opportunity for founders and researchers alike. Tune in to this conversation to hear about her path into venture, her connection to the University of Illinois ecosystem, and her rare dual perspective on how Illinois Ventures and Research Park together help launch and grow startups.VISIT http://researchpark.illinois.edu/podcast/ for our entire catalog of episodes.