The University of Mississippi Postdoctoral Association (MSPDA) is organizing a Symposium on "Bridging Entrepreneurship and Academic Research" on June 14th, 2022, Tuesday 9:00 AM-12:00 PM with two guest speakers. Interested students (graduate, undergraduate, and summer interns), postdoctoral fellows and researchers at any level associated with (or working at) the University of Mississippi are invited to register for the Symposium. The motivation behind this Symposium is to empower the entrepreneurial mindset in the postdoctoral and student researchers involved in innovative academic research. This would greatly affect the quality of research as well as deliver a greater impact to society. Bridging academic research with entrepreneurship would also set up a strong financial foundation for the academic institutions as well for the researchers. In connection to that, these interactive sessions with guest speakers will provide an opportunity for the postdoctoral scholars, researchers and the research students at all levels including the summer interns to understand and gain insights on how academic research can be translated to industrial research as well as to learn what it takes to become a budding entrepreneur with scientific research skills. The complete details of the program including the schedule and the titles of talks are given at https://gradschool.olemiss.edu/mspda/. Interested people are requested to register through the google form https://forms.gle/QRBYjkgTk17pxai17.
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
9:00-9:45 AM "Translation of Academic Research" by Dr. Julia Shamshina, Research Assistant Professor, Texas Tech University
9:45-10:00 AM Q & A session
10:00-10:45 AM "Entrepreneur Strategies for Start-ups" by Arvinder Singh, University of Mississippi, Serial Entrepreneur
10:45-11:00 AM Q & A session
11:00-12:00 PM Interaction Session with both the speakers on the stage (Grab free snacks or lunch while listening to them)
12:00-12:15 PM Vote thanks to the speakers and conclusion of the program
Dr. Julia Shamshina (Speaker 1) is a Research Assistant Professor at Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI) at Texas Tech University. She has been involved in several industrial projects such as development and commercialization of advanced technologies for the aerospace and defense markets. She was a recipient of a NASA Tech Brief Award for her work on replacement of hydrazine fuel with energetic ionic liquids (2011). She has worked in the start-up company 525 Solutions, Inc., as the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and developed technological solutions based on ionic liquids applicable in biotechnology, pharmaceutical and materials field. She has served as an Academic Associate in Green Chemistry at McGill University, Department of Chemistry, Canada, where she was responsible for projects related to the design and development of new products from renewable polymers.
Arvinder Kang (Speaker 2) is a technology entrepreneur with a decade of global experience assembling and mentoring teams and building products from ideation to enterprise offering stage. With a diverse background in technology, management, product design, higher education, media, and advocacy, he offers a unique mix of experiences and proven innovator mindset required for innovation in both startup and enterprise settings.
