(Do Not Use) GRID PROJECTS

Prof. Michael J. Aziz

Safe, cost-effective hydrogen storage to enable the green hydrogen economy Prof. Michael J. Aziz Tracy Sykes Professor of Materials & Energy Technologies Project Overview Green hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that can help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and increase energy security by providing a reliable source of renewable energy. Transition to a green hydrogen economy requires not only hydrogen generation, but crucially it requires innovation in safe, cost-ef

Researchers: Pamela Silver and Michael Springe

Bacteria Strains to Improve Carbon Capture and Storage Researchers: Pamela Silver and Michael Springe Project Overview Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most common greenhouse gas responsible for climate change. CO2 also lingers longer than other greenhouse gases, which means it must be removed from the atmosphere to stop warming temperatures. The rock cycle is Earth’s natural way of capturing CO2 through rock weathering, which permanently locks CO2 into the oceans. However, weathe

Prof. Michael Aziz

Electrified hydrogen peroxide production and advanced green oxidation Researcher: Michael Aziz Project Overview Hydrogen peroxide is a key industrial chemical used widely in manufacturing products ranging from paper to textiles. Making hydrogen peroxide currently requires fossil fuels and expensive catalysts, contributing to climate change. The process of creating the chemical also produces hazardous byproducts. A research team led by Michael Aziz, Gene and Tracy Sykes Prof

Researcher: Vinothan N. Manoharan

Photonic materials for sustainable packaging Researcher: Vinothan N. Manoharan Project Overview Most plastic packaging is not recyclable and adds to waste pollution. But plastic is doing much more to harm the planet than sitting in landfills for decades and polluting our oceans. Creating plastics requires fossil fuels, emitting large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Thanks to dyes and additives, many of the plastics in use today are un-recyclable. A research team led

Dr. Jeff Karp

Co-Chair of Scientific Advisory Board Akita Biosciences Professor of Medicine Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School Akita  Biosciences is a biotechnology company focused on redefining preventive and precision health by developing advanced nasal-spray technologies that strengthen the body’s natural defenses and deliver therapeutics more effectively. Lab-to-Launch Lounge Thursday, September 18, 2025 Dr. Jeff Karp is a distinguished professor of Anesthesiology at

Michael Finn Henry

President & Founder EndoShunt, PhD Candidate Harvard Biodesign Lab SEAS EndoShunt, provides trauma surgeons with a way to rapidly gain targeted control of abdominal hemorrhage. The company expects to receive FDA clearance in the next 18 months, following which it will begin a targeted launch in seven hospitals. Lab-to-Launch Lounge Thursday, September 18, 2025 Since his sophomore year of high school, Michael Finn Henry has been deeply involved in graduate-level research proje

Yudong Cao

Former Co-founder at Zapata and Head of Quantum and AI at BCG X After his postdoc at SEAS, he co-founded Zapata, a company born from Harvard IP with a meteoric run in quantum computing - attracted seed and Series A funding - but ultimately didn’t stick the landing. He’s since pivoted gracefully to lead Quantum & AI at BCG X, shaping cutting‑edge solutions. Lab-to-Launch Lounge Thursday, August 21, 2025 Yudong Cao is the Head of Quantum and AI at BCG X, the tech build & design

Grant Gonzalez

Co-founder and CTO at Tender Food Tender Food is a Boston-based food technology startup that creates realistic plant-based whole-cut meats, like pulled pork and chicken breast, using a proprietary fiber-spinning process. Its mission is to make alternative meats so delicious and affordable that eating animals becomes unnecessary. Lab-to-Launch Lounge Thursday, August 21, 2025 Grant Gonzalez is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Tender Food where he leads the reinve

Leif Jentoft

Co-founder and former CSO at Righthand Robotics Righthand Robotics' RightPick system is the best-in-class piece-picking solution for reliable and autonomous order fulfillment, driven by machine learning and AI, using proprietary industrial hardware. Lab-to-Launch Lounge Thursday, June 27, 2025 Leif Jentoft is a co-founder of RightHand Robotics, a company that provides hardware and software solutions for automating order-picking in logistics. He and his colleagues designed an

Frances Anastassacos

Co-Founder and President of Nabla Bio Nabla Bio is expanding the universe of druggable targets with AI-powered protein design. Lab-to-Launch Lounge Thursday, March 27, 2025 Frances Anastassacos, PhD, is President and Co-Founder of Nabla Bio, Inc., a Series A stage biotech start-up focused on using AI and multiplex biology to enhance biologics design. She completed her PhD at Harvard in 2019 and has prior experience in venture capital at Flagship Pioneering, as well as roles i

William Fitzhugh

Co-Founder and CEO of Adden Energy Adden Energy is a startup focused on developing next-generation solid-state batteries, particularly for electric vehicles (EVs). The company, spun out from Harvard University, is working on lithium-metal battery technology that aims to offer faster charging times, longer lifespan, and improved safety compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries. Their innovation could significantly enhance EV adoption by addressing range anxiety and chargin

Nathan Gemelke

Co-Founder and Chief Technology Strategist of QuEra Computing QuEra Computing is the scientific and commercial leader in quantum computers using neural atoms. QuEra is revolutionizing computation by developing scalable quantum computers to tackle some of today’s “impossible” problems, from complex simulations to groundbreaking advances in artificial intelligence. QuEra is backed by strategic industry partners such as Google Quantum AI and recently secured $230mil in funding.

Simon Chaput

President and Founder of Boréas Technologies Boréas Technologies ultra-low-power piezo drivers enable the next generation of high-definition piezo haptics. Using a multidisciplinary approach, our team crafts new reference designs and electronics to help you improve the touch user experience of your products with HD piezo haptics. Lab-to-Launch Lounge Thursday, November 21, 2024 Simon Chaput, while pursuing his Ph.D. at Harvard University between 2013 and 2017, invented a new

Adam Behrens

Founder and CEO of Mori Mori formerly Cambridge Crops manufactures all-natural protective layer to slow down the spoiling process of food and keep fresher food for longer. Lab-to-Launch Lounge Thursday, November 21, 2024 Adam Behrens is the Co-Founder and CEO of Mori, a company that enhances food resilience using a natural and edible protein derived from silk. Mori Silk™ can be integrated at any stage, from farm to shelf, optimizing the growth, processing, packaging, transpor

Tanya Shirman

Co-Founder and VP of Metalmark Innovations Metalmark Innovations is a Harvard-based startup focused on developing innovative air purification technologies. Their flagship product, Tatama, is a self-renewing air cleaner that can effectively remove harmful airborne particles, wildfire smoke, and pathogens. This unique technology offers long-lasting performance and reduced maintenance costs. Metalmark's mission is to improve indoor air quality and contribute to a healthier envir

Sissi Liu

Co-Founder and CEO of Metalmark Innovations Metalmark Innovations is a Harvard-based startup focused on developing innovative air purification technologies. Their flagship product, Tatama, is a self-renewing air cleaner that can effectively remove harmful airborne particles, wildfire smoke, and pathogens. This unique technology offers long-lasting performance and reduced maintenance costs. Metalmark's mission is to improve indoor air quality and contribute to a healthier envi

Douglas Selinger

Founder and CEO of Plex Research Plex Research was founded on the notion that more data should mean better medicines. To accomplish that goal, Plex is making the world's scientific data findable, accessible, searchable, and transparent from a single location. Lab-to-Launch Lounge Wednesday, September 18, 2024 Dr. Douglas Selinger is the CEO and Founder of Plex Research. As an early pioneer of microarray technology, Doug authored some of the first publications describing exper

Drew Volpe

Founding Partner at First Star Ventures First Star Ventures invests with conviction in visionary, technical founders inventing the future, inventing a better future with frontier computing technology Lab-to-Launch Lounge Wednesday, September 18, 2024 Drew Volpe is a Founding Partner of First Star Ventures. Drew is an accomplished investor, entrepreneur, and technologist with a deep experience in search, machine learning, sensors, mobile, computational bio, and blockchain tech

Michael Bell

Co-founder and CTO of Fleet Robotics Fleet Robotics is driving deep data insights for shipping, powered by submersible, autonomous hull-cleaning and inspection robots. Industry Insights Tuesday, September 24, 2024 The umbrella of climate challenges can be daunting but by focusing on specific problems, results can be realized. Michael underscored this concept by emphasizing by exploring a variety of climate problems relating to the ocean. One problem their technology could ta

Christophe Chantre

Co-founder and CEO of Tender Food Tender Food is a food technology company on a mission to make alternative meats so delicious, nutritious, and affordable that eating animals just won't make sense anymore! Industry Insights Tuesday, September 24, 2024 Christophe Chantre shared valuable insights into how scaling technology-based solutions can change the meat industry, which contributes a large share of total global greenhouse gas emissions, to embrace products that are cleaner

Wenbo Shi

Founder and CEO of Singularity Singularity Energy provides data and software solutions for grid decarbonization. Lab-to-Launch Lounge Thursday, August 22, 2024 Dr. Wenbo Shi is the CEO and founder of Singularity. A passionate technologist with a strong background in smart energy innovations, Wenbo has published 20+ technical papers on smart grids and received 1,000+ citations worldwide. This includes two first-authored journal papers and PhD thesis on distributed energy manag

Shardule Shah

Co-founder and CEO of Lime Theraputics Lime is inventing breakthrough lipid-targeting therapeutics using our novel drug discovery platform. Lab-to-Launch Lounge Thursday, August 22, 2024 Dr. Shardule Shah is the CEO and co-founder of Lime Therapeutics. In 2022, he was awarded the prestigious Harvard Blavatnik Fellowship for Life Sciences Entrepreneurship and currently holds an Executive Fellow position at Harvard Business School. Prior to co-founding Lime in 2021, Dr. Shah wo

Travis Busbee

Co-founder and CEO of Voxel8 Voxel8 was a venture capital-backed multi-material 3D printing spin-out from Harvard until it was acquired by Kornit Digital. Lab-to-Launch Lounge Thursday, July 18, 2024 Travis Busbee is a returning PhD student in Jennifer Lewis' group at Harvard SEAS. Before resuming his academic pursuits, Travis was a co-founder and CEO of Voxel8, a venture capital-backed multi-material 3D printing spin-out from Harvard. At Voxel8, he successfully led the compa

Jill S. Becker

Founder and CEO of 02139 Inc 02139 Inc. is a consulting company that she started in 2013 in order to provide executive services to both public and private technology companies with a heavy focus on accelerating growth and the creation of jobs in a variety of industries. Lab-to-Launch Lounge Thursday, July 18, 2024 Dr. Jill S. Becker is the CEO and Founder of 02139 Inc., a consulting firm established in 2013 to provide executive services primarily to technology companies. With

Prof. Katia Bertoldi

Soft, Stent-Like Device for Blood Pressure Control Professor Katia Bertoldi, William and Ami Kuan Danoff Professor of Applied Mechanics, Harvard SEAS Project Overview Problem: High blood pressure affects nearly half of US adults. Medication to reduce high blood pressure must be taken daily and almost 20% of people with hypertension cannot be successfully treated with these medicines. Proposed Solution: Researchers in the lab of Professor Katia Bertoldi are developing a soft

Prof. Kiyoul Yang and Mikhail Lukin

Optical Interconnects for Scalable Quantum Processing Professor Kiyoul Yang Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, Harvard SEAS Professor Mikhail Lukin Joshua and Beth Friedman University Professor Co-Director of the Quantum Science and Engineering Initiative, Harvard Physics Department Project Overview The problem: Supercomputers, clusters of individual computers networked together, are used to process large amounts of data with applications in weather prediction, cr

Professor Kiyoul Yang

Integrated Chip-Scale Optical Switch and Amplifier Professor Kiyoul Yang Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, Harvard SEAS Project Overview Problem: The demand for data centers is expected to soar with the adoption of increasingly sophisticated AI tools. Data centers use large amounts of electricity and are estimated to account for between 6 and 12% of total US electricity use by 2028. Silicon photonics are being adopted in higher-end data centers to both decrease

Prof. Joanna Aizenberg & Asst. Prof. Jonathan Grinham

DryScreen: Dehumidification for carbon-conscious comfort in a warming world Prof. Joanna Aizenberg Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science and Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Asst. Prof. Jonathan Grinham Assistant Professor of Architecture Harvard University Graduate School of Design Project Overview The DryScreen system developed by an interdisciplinary team from SEAS and GSD aims to reduc

Prof. Shriya Srinivasan

Wearable Adaptive Vibrotactile Bracelet (WAVelet) for Spasticity Alleviation Prof. Shriya Srinivasan Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, SEAS Project Overview This GRID accelerator project will mature our wearable mechanostimulation system from benchtop prototype to translation-ready device, incorporating critical parameter optimization and user connectivity components necessary for large-scale clinical trials in patients with spasticity. Spasticity causes involuntary musc

Prof. Daniel Jacob

Integrated Methane Inversion (IMI): A software tool to monitor methane emissions using satellite observations Prof. Daniel Jacob Vasco McCoy Family Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, SEAS Project Overview There is growing demand from climate policy stakeholders to use satellite observations of greenhouse gases to quantify emissions. Our Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group (ACMG) at Harvard is widely recognized as the world leader in the develo

Dr. Santiago Canete Riaza

Restoring ambulation post-stroke: ankle exoskeleton to regain the ability and freedom to walk Dr. Santiago Canete Riaza Researcher Project Overview Over $56B is spent to treat stroke in the US annually and more than five million Americans live with impaired mobility post-stroke. Such impairment significantly affects both physical and mental wellbeing, impeding the recovery of quality-of-life and driving a downward spiral of other health consequences such as higher risk/exacer

Dr. Keith Powell

Ushering in the next generation of high-speed, low power consumption integrated circuits: lithium tantalate photonics Dr. Keith Powell Researcher Project Overview Integrated photonics is a nascent technology that integrates complex optical circuits and systems at chip scale. Much like how integrated electronics revolutionized the electronics industry over the last 60+ years, photonic circuits enable the next leap in circuity. Dr Keith Powell and the Loncar lab are developing

Prof. David A. Weitz

Engineering asymmetric polysaccharide-coated liposomes and lipid nanoparticles for drug delivery Prof. David A. Weitz Professor of Applied Physics, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University Project Overview The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of drug delivery. There, an mRNA was encapsulated inside a lipid-based container to protect it from degradation within the human body to engineer an efficient vaccine against COVID-19. However, vaccines

Dr. Helen Yang

OvaVision: transforming the fertility industry with AI-driven solutions Dr. Helen Yang Researcher Project Overview OvaVision is transforming the fertility industry with AI-driven solutions. With a PhD in Biophysics from Harvard University, Helen’s interdisciplinary research spans clinical IVF, physics, biology, and computer science. Her diverse expertise drives innovative approaches to reproductive health, integrating cutting-edge technology with deep scientific knowledge.

Prof. Jia Liu

AI-driven flexible bioelectronics therapeutics Prof. Jia Liu Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, Department, Division, Center and/or Laboratory: Harvard SEAS Project Overview This project aims to develop an innovative approach to integrating modern electronics and AI with healthcare through the development of AI-driven flexible bioelectronics therapeutics. The project addresses the mismatch between traditional rigid electronics and the soft, dynamic nature of the human bod

Prof. Joanna Aizenberg

Artificial intelligence driven breathalyzers for disease detection Prof. Joanna Aizenberg Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science and Professor of Chemistry & Chemical Biology Project Overview Getting reliable information for disease detection is a major challenge for existing diagnostic technologies, typically requiring invasive and time-consuming tests involving bodily fluids such as blood and urine. Over the past 5-10 years, molecules in the breath have been iden

Prof. Jennifer A. Lewis

AI-powered CAD design unlocks new potential in robotics, equipment, and more Prof. Jennifer A. Lewis Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Project Overview Researchers in Jennifer Lewis’s lab are developing a new paradigm for CAD projects that reveals optimal versions of human-specified designs. In this method, the user inputs high-level design concepts and specifies device functionality, and AI

Prof. Patrick Slade

Navigation assistant for people with impaired vision or blindness Prof. Patrick Slade Assistant Professor of Bioengineering (Harvard Ability Lab) Project Overview We have developed a navigation system that overcomes all of these navigation challenges by combining novel computer vision techniques, sensor fusion, and personalized feedback to the user, requiring only a smartphone. We have provided extensive research testing to validate the mobility benefits and surveyed 99 poten

Prof. Joost Vlassak & Ben Schafer

Photophoretically levitating a communicating payload Prof. Joost Vlassak Abbott and James Lawrence Professor of Materials Engineering, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Ben Schafer PhD Student, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Project Overview The mesosphere is an inaccessible region of the atmosphere (50-100 km altitudes) that is too high for conventional aircraft to generate lift, yet too low for satellites

Conor Walsh, PhD, Mark Etzelmuelle, Dabin Choe, Fivos Kavassalis

A soft lightweight wearable to deliver timed electrical stimulation to the ankle for improving everyday poststroke walking combined with a remote monitoring platform Conor Walsh, PhD (Harvard SEAS) project PI with other members of the lab contributing to the project Mark Etzelmueller Research fellow at the Harvard Move Lab. Project Lead and has strong interest in moving the technology towards translation. Dabin Choe (G5-Harvard) a PhD student who will lead data collection a

Matheus V. X. Ferreira & Prof. David C. Parkes

An auditable, trustworthy DeFi exchange that protects traders from market manipulation schemes Matheus V. X. Ferreira Postdoctoral Fellow in Computer Science School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Prof. David C. Parkes George F. Colony Professor of Computer Science School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Project Overview Blockchain trading on decentralized exchanges currently allows miners to manipulate transaction orders to generate risk-free profits. David Parkes’ la

Prof. Robert J. Wood

Compact audio drivers that deliver strong bass response for headphones Prof. Robert J. Wood Harry Lewis and Marlyn McGrath Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Project Overview Wireless headphone customers continually demand better sound quality, more powerful noise cancellation, a more comfortable fit, and longer battery life. Existing electromagnetic drivers, however, have already been optimized to their p

Prof. Hanspeter Pfister

An easy-to-use tool for fans to create personalized sports videos Prof. Hanspeter Pfister An Wang Professor of Computer Science, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Project Overview Current high-quality video editing tools are expensive and difficult to use, which limits the content individual fans can create. The team in Hanspeter Pfister’s laboratory is developing an easy-to-use video editing tool for creating and editing engaging sports videos. Augme

Prof. Joost J. Vlassak & Juanjuan Zheng, PhD

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) system for rapid, targeted treatment of pathogenic bacteria Prof. Joost J. Vlassak Abbott and James Lawrence Professor of Materials Engineering John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Juanjuan Zheng, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow in Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering Project Overview Pathogenic bacteria are increasingly acquiring antibiotic resistance and new forms of resistance are continuously emerging; upwar