Tulane University Innovation Institute launches university’s first Faculty Innovation Council

Tulane faculty now have a direct line to weigh in on the university’s programmatic innovation strategies and goals for the Tulane University Innovation Institute (TUII): the Faculty Innovation Council (FIC). FIC is composed of Tulane faculty members who possess expertise in their areas of study and who are passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship. These individuals provide unique perspectives that will help guide the direction of innovation and commercialization at the institute. FIC conducted its first meeting in September 2023.

The council will be instrumental in supporting the needs of Tulane faculty members who embark on groundbreaking research and create discoveries that — if commercialized — can impact the world and elevate the university’s standing as a leading research institution. FIC will draw from numerous subject matters and scientific core competencies that work within industries such as energy, health care, biomedical engineering, AI and tech sectors, and more.  Council members also act as sounding boards and pathways for disseminating TUII information internally across campuses.

FIC is chaired by Kimberly Gramm, TUII David and Marion Mussafer Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer, and Tony Hu, Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Biotechnology Innovation and director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics.

As a presidential chair, Hu is one of Tulane’s high-impact faculty members and is thrilled to help lead the new FIC and to support innovation efforts on behalf of Tulane faculty.

“We are delighted to have launched this important council in collaboration with Tony Hu,” Gramm said. “Faculty are a vital part of the innovation process and the source of the research that fuels innovation here at Tulane. This council is a way for them to directly share their insights with the institute.”

Members of FIC represent Tulane’s schools and include Julia Lang and Kenneth Schwartz (School of Architecture); Sherif A. Ebrahim, Eric Ney Smith, and David Thompson (A. B. Freeman School of Business); Elizabeth Townsend Gard (School of Law); Vicki Mayer (School of Liberal Arts); Monica Embers, Stefan Grant, Michelle L. Matter, Jay Rappaport, Chad J. Roy, and Juan Terré (School of Medicine); Tihara Richardson Sommers (School of Professional Advancement); Susan Cheng (School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine); Nicholas Mattei, Michael J. Moore, Michael Naguib, Donald Gaver and Kim O’Connor (School of Science and Engineering); and Cecilia E. Suarez (School of Social Work). Read more about the FIC members at the TUII website.