Yale Engineering Innovation Fellows
Dedicated Support for the Talent Ecosystem
The Yale Engineering Innovation Fellows Program is a 3-month cohort-based program designed to equip PostDocs and advanced graduate students with the operational skills needed to de-risk technologies and prepare them for commercialization through startups or licensing.
Goals:
- Help cultivate operational and business acumen
- Shed light on the pathways to commercialization
- Provide access to mentors with lived experience in startup formation
2025-2026 Yale Engineering Innovation Fellows
Alex Rossello
Biomedical Engineering (PI: Stuart Campbell)
Emily Deschenes
Biomedical Engineering (PI: Mark Saltzman)
Hadas Zeilberger
Computer Science (PI: Ben Fisch)
Jason Hoffman
Applied Physics & Materials Science (PI: Charles Ahn)
Liang Guo
Biomedical Engineering (PI: Chi Liu)
Özce Durak
Chemical & Environmental Engineering (PI: John Fortner)
Petar Barac
Electrical & Computer Engineering (PI: Claudia Cea)
Qian Zhang
Electrical & Computer Engineering & Materials Science (PI: Liangbing Hu)
Yogesh Patil
Applied Physics (PI: Jack Harris)
Yoo Jin Lee
Mechanical Engineering (PI: Yimin Luo)
“The Innovation Fellowship program gave me a clear A-to-Z view of the entrepreneurship landscape, from early idea ideation all the way to execution and raising capital. Beyond that, connecting with experienced co-founders and mentors really helped shape my perspective and demystify the entire startup journey."
Ali Maatouk
Postdoctoral Researcher, Rex Ying Lab
2024-2025 Innovation Fellows
Ali Maatouk
Computer Science (PI: Rex Ying)
Daniel Pak
Biomedical Engineering (PI: Jim Duncan)
Jiacheng Xie
Applied Physics (PI: Hong Tang)
Jian Ding
Electrical & Computer Engineering (PI: Leandros Tassiulas)
Yanan Zheng
Computer Science (PI: Arman Cohan)Frequently Asked Questions
Advanced graduate students, post-docs, and research scientists in Yale Engineering are welcome to apply with the permission of their PI.
Applications are currently closed for Spring 2026. For ease of reference, here are the application questions* from the most recent cycle:
- What has led you to consider this program?
- If you have an innovation that you would like to advance commercially, please describe.
- If so, who do you think is the potential user or buyer of your solution?
- If so, what impact do you think your solution could have?
*Questions are subject to change for future cycles.
Kindly email grace.okeefe@yale.edu or fill out this quick interest form with your name, email, and PI name. You'll be notified directly when the next Innovation Fellows cycle opens (likely in Fall'26).
Contact Us
Claudia Reuter
Executive Director, Engineering Innovation & Director of the Roberts Innovation Fund
claudia.reuter@yale.edu
Grace O'Keefe
Portfolio Manager, Roberts Innovation Fund
grace.okeefe@yale.edu