Yale faculty honored for launching startup companies based on their significant discoveries that target the world’s most pressing challenges.

This year, Yale University has recognized seventeen  scholars with Yale Faculty Innovation Awards. The recipients were honored for bringing their discoveries to market, translating their research into transformative new ventures.

Yale faculty consistently push the boundaries of knowledge, pioneering new technologies and launching startups that tackle critical global issues. This year’s awardees are at the forefront, developing innovations that span AI-driven platforms for drug discovery, law, and health diagnostics to new therapeutics for life threatening diseases to advanced carbon capture solutions and next-generation digital sensors. These thirteen ventures, rooted in cutting-edge discoveries at Yale, are poised to make a profound impact on society. The annual Yale Faculty Innovation Awards recognize the exceptional contributions of faculty investigators whose inventions were licensed to new startup companies during fiscal year 2024.

“At Yale, curiosity, creativity, and ideas converge to set new paths for research and discovery that will benefit humanity. Through Yale Ventures, Yale faculty and scholars are expanding the boundaries of knowledge to shape our future. I congratulate the seventeen faculty members honored with the Yale Faculty Innovation Awards for advancing Yale's mission,” said Yale President Maurie McInnis.

The seventeen awardees were recognized on November 6 during a ceremony with Yale President Maurie McInnis, Provost Scott Strobel, Vice Provost for Research Michael Crair, and the Deans of the schools of Medicine, Engineering, Environment, Public Health, Law, and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Congratulations to this year’s awardees:  

Sidi Chen, PhD, Associate Professor of Genetics and of Neurosurgery: MagicTime Medicine
Jung Han, PhD, Professor in Technological Innovation and Electrical Engineering: InPhred
Yong-Hui Jiang, PhD, Professor and Chief of Medical Genetics: CourageAS
Walter Jetz, PhD, Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Forestry & Environmental Studies: Merops
Amin Karbasi, PhD, Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering & Computer Science: Azar.ai
Rohan Khera, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine) & Biostatistics (Health Informatics): Ensight-AI
Smita Krishnaswamy, PhD, Associate Professor of Genetics and Computer Science: Ascent Bio
Noah Planavsky, PhD, Associate Professor of Earth & Planetary Sciences: CREW Carbon
Ruzica Piskac, PhD, Professor of Computer Science: Leibniz AI
Anna Pyle, PhD, Sterling Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Professor of Chemistry: RNAConnect
Scott Shapiro, PhD, Professor of Law & Philosophy: Leibniz AI
Greg Tietjen, PhD, Assistant Professor Adjunct of Surgery (Transplant): Revalia Bio, Inc.
Jorge M. Torres, JD, Lecturer & Entrepreneurship Fellow: Vault Kinetics Inc.
Hailiang Wang, PhD, Professor of Chemistry: Oxylus Energy
Lawrence Wilen, PhD, Design Faculty Senior Research Assistant & Lecturer: Vault Kinetics Inc.
Vincent Wilczynski, PhD, Deputy Dean of Yale School of Engineering & Applied Sciences and Director of CEID: Vault Kinetics Inc.
Jiangbing Zhou, PhD, Professor of Neurosurgery: CourageAS
 

About the Yale Faculty Innovation Awards  

The Yale Faculty Innovation Awards recognize the individuals translating Yale research — from improving human health, to addressing climate change, to building the future of quantum computing — into beneficial products, services, and social ventures. For more information about the award recipients, biographies, and ventures, visit Yale Faculty Innovation Awards.  For more information about entrepreneurial activity across Yale, visit the Yale Ventures Annual Report.

About Yale Ventures  

Launched by Yale University in 2022, Yale Ventures seeks to foster and accelerate a vibrant entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem that increases support, resources, and opportunities for Yale’s faculty and student innovators as they translate their ideas and discoveries into new ventures that will positively impact the world's greatest challenges.