1:00 PM - Welcome to CALS: Building Momentum for Innovation
Dr. Benjamin Houlton, The Ronald P. Lynch Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Dr. Xingen Lei, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, will welcome guests and share more about the world-class faculty expertise and the vision for the College’s innovation ecosystem.
1:20 PM - Faculty Innovation Panel
A moderated discussion with faculty leaders who have successfully translated research into startups, licensed technologies, industry partnerships, and entrepreneurial ventures. Faculty panelists will be joined from industry and Cornell’s Center for Technology Licensing to share their stories about moving initial research discoveries from the laboratory to real-world impact.
From Basic Science to Startup Company: TNACIOUS BIO Inc.
- Dr. Joseph Peters, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, CEO of TNACIOUS BIO Inc
- Dr. Robert Wingo, Chief Scientific Officer, TNACIOUS BIO Inc
Apple Rootstocks: From Ithaca to Global Impact
- Dr. Terence Robinson, Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science, Horticulture Section, Cornell AgriTech
- Dr. Albert Tsui, Plant Portfolio Officer, Center for Technology Licensing
- Nathan Lamkey, North America Regional Director, Agromillora USA
AI Robotics Venture Creation and Student Innovation
- Dr. Manoj Karkee, Norman R. and Sharon R. Scott Professor, Department of Biological & Environmental Engineering
- Dr. Stephen Nowak, Business Development and Licensing Associate, Center for Technology Licensing
2:45 PM - CALS Innovation Awards Ceremony
The annual Innovation Awards program recognizes CALS faculty and students whose creativity and research drive meaningful advances across the college and lead to real-world impact. Colleagues nominate CALS researchers and students whose innovative work merits recognition across multiple award categories, including Best Inventor, Best Entrepreneurship and Engagement, Student Entrepreneurship of the Year,
3:15 PM - Moonshot Innovation Showcase: Networking Reception & Poster Session
Meet Moonshot Seed Grant awardees and engage with innovators, industry leaders, faculty, and students. This interactive session highlights emerging technologies, entrepreneurial ventures, and new opportunities for collaboration, commercialization, and societal impact. If you are a previous or current Moonshot Awardee, please register to submit your poster.
4:30 PM – 6:15 PM - Emerging Roles and Challenges of AI in Global Science, Research, and Innovation
We are thrilled to announce the keynote speakers for Innovation Day 2026: two leaders at the forefront of science, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence, who will examine the opportunities and responsibilities emerging from AI's rapid evolution.
Dr. Barry Barish
Barry Barish was born in 1936 and earned his bachelor's and doctorate in physics from UC Berkeley in 1957 and 1962. He spent most of his career on the Caltech faculty before joining UC Riverside in 2018. His research spans high-energy physics, including work confirming the weak neutral current, and later leadership of the MACRO experiment studying magnetic monopoles and cosmic rays. As LIGO's principal investigator beginning in 1994, Barish reorganized the project and founded the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, which led to the first direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015. For this achievement, he shared the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics with Rainer Weiss and Kip Thorne. From 2005 to 2013, he also directed the Global Design Effort for the International Linear Collider. Barry Barish is a co-founder of SAIR Foundation.
Chuck Ng
Chuck Ng is an entrepreneur, technology investor, and community leader working at the intersection of science, AI, and global collaboration. He has invested in and advised leading technology and life sciences companies, including unicorns such as Databricks, Ironclad, and Mammoth Biosciences, and has worked with global technology leaders including Meta, SK Telecom, Alibaba, and Futurewei. Previously, he co-founded several companies, including Eureka Therapeutics, a cancer immunotherapy firm, and served as Chairman of the Audit Committee for Vimicro (Nasdaq: VIMC) and Zenta Group (Nasdaq: ZGM). Beyond his professional work, Chuck has held leadership roles in global alumni and community organizations and mentored founders and researchers at institutions including Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Columbia, Brown, Tsinghua, and the University of Macau. He also co-founded the World Leading Scientists Institute to foster collaboration among leading scientists in the US and Asia and is a UC Berkeley graduate with dual MBA degrees from INSEAD and Tsinghua University. Chuck Ng is a co-founder of SAIR Foundation.
Concluding reflections on the day's themes and Cornell’s continued collaboration across research, industry, government, philanthropy, and society from Cornell’s Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and External Engagement, Matt Marx.
