Discover our distinguished lineup of thought leaders and innovators across science, technology, engineering, arts, and humanities.
Keynote Session: Featuring Dr. Jennifer Doudna
We are honored to welcome Dr. Jennifer Doudna for a special Keynote Speaker Series talk on October 3rd at NYU!
Topic: “CRISPR Biology and the Future of Genome Editing”
Fundamental research to understand how bacteria fight viral infections uncovered the function of CRISPR-Cas programmable proteins that detect and cut specific DNA or RNA sequences. CRISPR technology is now an indispensable tool in human, animal and agricultural research. Furthermore, the FDA’s approval of a CRISPR therapy for sickle cell disease marked the beginning of a new era in healthcare. Dr. Doudna will discuss the scientific and societal advances that will expand both the applications and impact of genome editing across the globe.
Bio: Dr. Jennifer Doudna is the Li Ka Shing Chancellor’s Chair and a Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. Her groundbreaking development of CRISPR-Cas9 as a genome-engineering technology, with collaborator Emmanuelle Charpentier, earned the two the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and forever changed the course of human and agricultural genomics research.
This powerful technology enables scientists to change DNA — the code of life — with a precision only dreamed of just a few years ago. Labs worldwide have re-directed the course of their research programs to incorporate this new tool, creating a CRISPR revolution with huge implications across biology and medicine.
In addition to her scientific achievements, Doudna is a leader in public discussion of the ethical implications of genome editing for human biology and societies, and advocates for thoughtful approaches to the development of policies around the safe use of CRISPR technology.
Doudna is an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, senior investigator at Gladstone Institutes and the founder of the Innovative Genomics Institute. She co-founded and serves on the advisory panel of several companies that use CRISPR technology in unique ways.
She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Inventors and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Doudna is also a Foreign Member of the Royal Society, a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and has received numerous other honors including the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2015), the Japan Prize (2016), Kavli Prize (2018), the LUI Che Woo Welfare Betterment Prize (2019) and the Wolf Prize in Medicine (2020). Doudna’s work led TIMEmagazine to recognize her as one of the “100 Most Influential People” in 2015 and a runner-up for “Person of the Year” in 2016. She is the co-author of A Crack in Creation, a personal account of her research and the societal and ethical implications of gene editing.
We encourage you to join us for this insightful talk. RSVP to secure your spot!
Please feel free to share this invitation to anyone who may be interested in attending.
📅 Date: October 3
🕒 Time: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
📍 Location: NYU Law School, 40 Washington Square S, Tishman Auditorium
*Please note, the location has been changed from Greenberg Lounge to Tishman Auditorium.
Inaugural Keynote Session: Featuring Dr. Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli
We are honored to welcome Dr. Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli for a special Inaugural Keynote Speaker Series talk on September 13th at NYU Tandon School of Engineering!
Topic: “The Role of Universities in the Innovation Ecosystem”
Dr. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli will discuss how universities can drive innovation and develop companies from seed to multibillion-dollar enterprises, drawing on his 40 years of experience in the field. His talk will explore the essence of innovation, its origins in academic institutions, and practical lessons learned from his extensive career.
Bio: Alberto Sangiovanni Vincentelli is the Edgar L. and Harold H. Buttner Chair of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley and a member of BAIR (Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research) Lab. He is an author or coauthor of over 1000 papers, 17 books and 3 patents in design tools, cyber physical systems, and Artificial Intelligence. He is an IEEE and ACM Fellow, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
He is a co-founder of Cadence and Synopsys, two industry-leading companies in Electronic Design Automation, with a combined market capitalization exceeding $180 billion. He was a consultant or member of the Advisory Boards of several companies such as BMW, Mercedes, Magneti Marelli, Intel, ST microelectronics, HP, General Motors, United Technologies, Lutron, Lendlease and Elettronica. Currently, he is a member of the following boards of directors: Cadence, KPIT Technologies, eGap, Cy4Gate and Minerva CQ. He is Chairman of the Board of Quantum Motion, Innatera, Phoelex, e4Life, Exein and Phononic Vibes.
From February 2010 to December 2020, he had been a member of the Executive Committee of the Italian Institute of Technology, where he is now a member of the Technical Scientific Committee. In September 2023, he was appointed President of Chips.it, the 250MEuro Foundation of the Italian Government to foster integrated circuit design. He is the Chairperson of the Strategy Board and of the International advisory Board of the Milano Innovation District (MIND). He is the Chairperson of the Berkeley SkyDeck Accelerator Academic Advisors and is the special advisor of the Dean of Engineering, Berkeley, for entrepreneurship.
Alberto is the recipient of several academic honors (Berkeley Distinguished Teaching Award, SRC Aristotle Award, the IEEE Leon Kirchmeyer Graduate Teaching award), and research awards (the IEEE Darlington Award for best paper bridging theory and applications, the IEEE Guillemin-Cauer Award, the EDAA Lifetime Accomplishment Award, the IEEE CEDA Kaufman Award for pioneering contributions to EDA) including the IEEE/RSE James Clerk Maxwell Medal “for groundbreaking contributions that have had an exceptional impact on the development of electronics and electrical engineering or related fields” and the 2023 BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Information and Communication Technologies category: “for transforming chip design from a handcrafted process to the automated industry that power today’s electronic devices”.
Alberto obtained an electrical engineering and computer science degree (“Dottore in Ingegneria”) summa cum laude from the Politecnico di Milano, Italy in 1971 and holds four Honorary Doctorates from University of Aalborg, KTH, AGH and University of Rome, Tor Vergata.
This is a unique opportunity to hear from a distinguished leader in technology and innovation! We encourage you to join us for this insightful talk. A reception will follow. RSVP to secure your spot!
Please feel free to share this invitation to anyone who may be interested in attending.
📅 Date: September 13
🕒 Time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
📍 Location: NYU Tandon, 370 Jay Street, 12th Floor, Room 1201
🍹 Happy Hour Reception: To follow
